English with Kirsty – episode 330
Speaking at industry conferences – what to think about when submitting your pitch with Anna Lewoc
You have an idea. You’ve been to industry conferences and there’s part of you that would like to speak at one, but what do you do next? Then that self-doubt or imposter syndrome voice comes in and you leave it for another day.
One way to break out of that cycle of inactivity is to take some action. To get some information about what the next step would be for the event that interests you, define your topic, and maybe then be brave and send in your submission!
Often we see the same familiar faces at conferences, but what about those other people who have something to say? New ideas and perspectives. Different voices.
This is something that came up briefly during our episode about learning through conferences last year. I wanted to come back to look at the topic in more detail with Anna, who organises conferences for the language industry.
Anna agreed to come back and give us some tips, talk about her own experience, and share her perspective as someone who sees a lot of conference presentation submissions.
My hope is that, if this is something that you’ve been considering, the practical advice and encouragement in our conversation will help you to take the next step in getting your idea written up and submitted to whichever event feels like a good fit for you!
You can listen to episode 330 here:
Here are some of the questions we answer:
- Where’s the best place to start if you haven’t spoken at a conference before?
- Do I have to have a certain type of personality to speak at an industry conference?
- What makes a good pitch and what should I avoid?
- How can I make my submission stand out?
- What are some alternatives to a 60-minute presentation?
- If I do speak at an event, how can I make the most of the opportunity, both during the event and afterwards?
- When’s the best time to start thinking about sending in my pitch?
Who is Anna?
Anna wears many hats: she teaches English to adults, is a lecturer at the University of Warsaw, translates marketing and IT-related texts, runs her own boutique translation agency, and organizes conferences for the translation industry.
Anna’s links
You can find Anna on LinkedIn.
You can also listen to our group episode about learning through conferences here.
How you can get in touch with me
I enjoy hearing from my listeners! If you have any comments or questions, you can contact me using my contact form.
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