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Thousands of technology-related events are held daily, from casual get-togethers to multi-day conferences with large budgets. Many of them zero in on their speakers through the often-anonymous Call for Proposals process.
Many well-established platforms are available that make it easier to browse potential speaking opportunities, but materials advising on writing conference proposals or preparing an excellent presentation depicting your expertise remain scarce.
This blog will take you through the Top 10 Conference Proposal Templates to address this major pain point that is a burden on your mind. These templates are built after hours of hard work and have a fair amount of creative thought as input. One look and you will be convinced of their use for your conference proposals.Â
Top 10 Conference Proposal Templates We Bet On
To make the process of writing an inclusive conference proposal simple and easy, here are steps that you must follow (with templates):
Always Follow Outlined Call for Speakers Rule
It may appear obvious, but you'd be surprised to learn that at least 30% of the conference proposals violate predefined rules for talk abstracts and submissions. We believe some more experienced speakers ignore the guidelines and copy-paste proposals. Still, the only result is that the proposal ends up in the "rejected" pile.
There are strict requirements and more lenient guidelines, but no matter how skilled you are in public speaking, read the instructions carefully before submitting and ensure the proposal adheres to these.
Your hand-picked Conference Proposal Template:
Steer Clear of Sloppy Formatting
We check for spelling and grammar errors when writing copy, especially when launching product campaigns or applying for jobs. Conferences are no exception. Typos, errors, and general laziness are easily detected and reflect poorly on submissions.
Take the time to proofread the abstracts.
Here’s a Conference Proposal Template with pristine formatting:
Ask Friends to Proofread
Whether you're confident in the quality of the talk abstract or not, it's often beneficial to ask a few colleagues to proofread not only for errors but also for confusing or vague statements (your spellcheck won't catch that one, my friend). Nothing beats a fresh pair of eyes, especially after butchering a proposal all night (we've all been there).
Here’s your editable template:
Be Concise
Many language exams have minimum and maximum writing section limits. Imagine going through hundreds of pages, if every participant decides to ignore the word limit. Skill and knowledge do not necessitate lengthy text.
Most JSConfs receive 500 proposals on average; assuming a strict 1-minute reading time per submission, that's still an entire workday of reading. Each potential candidate deserves a thorough read and understanding of their pitch before rating, which is difficult given the volume and length of applications.
A good rule of thumb is two to three paragraphs that express your idea clearly.
Use Inclusive Language and Avoid Shaming
While it is entirely up to the curators, we firmly believe that inclusion and how we choose to express ourselves in both written and spoken language are essential factors to consider. Unfortunately, ableism and shaming are relatively common in talk submissions. To clarify, we'd like to quote Andy Hollandbeck's post "Disabling Ableist Language:"
Any word or phrase that devalues people with physical or mental disabilities is considered ableist language. Its appearance is frequently the result of our innate sense of what it means to be normal rather than any intentional desire to offend.
We silently imply — and readers infer — that mental and physical disorders are avoidable personal failings rather than medical conditions beyond a person's control when we use words like crazy, lame, insane, schizo, dumb, psycho, and spazzed, without thinking.
"How to Stay Sane as a Developer," "crazy hack," and "a dumb framework" are just a few examples. As organizers, we always want to provide everyone with a safe, welcoming environment. Even as these mistakes are often made unconsciously, educating yourself and avoiding exclusionary, hurtful phrases is simple. Shaming competitors, tools, or individuals will also get you nowhere.
Stay Away From Product Pitches
Most events expressly state that product pitches and other forms of upselling are strictly prohibited. However, it's important to distinguish between a pure marketing talk (essentially trying to sell your company to the attendees) and an interesting case study that includes the product you helped build.
The latter involves lessons learned that can be universally applied to solving problems the audience encounters daily. A product pitch does not provide solutions, but rather highlights the advertised product. Consider it a 30 to 60-minute advertisement. Don't try to sell anything (at least directly).
Show, Don’t Tell
"Show, don't tell" is a well-known writing technique that can be used in fiction and nonfiction. Why is this important, you may wonder? A few successful proposals flawlessly implement it.
Tell a story instead of simply stating opinions or facts (e.g., "React is the most popular JavaScript library") or revealing all of your cards at once. Create a visual scene, especially from the perspective of an attendee. Is there a common thread? What will I discover? Focus on the main points and leave out some details that the organizers want to know.
Use Your Creativity; Be Original
Presentations about frameworks or libraries are common at technology conferences. With a few exceptions, while some curators see this as a benefit, we find it almost detrimental. It won't offer much value to the attendees unless you've created the library you're talking about and can offer first-hand insights that aren't available across any online documentation and blog posts.
Submit More than One Proposal
Never bet the farm on a single idea, no matter how confident you are—brainstorm and prepare several talks. No proposal is too experimental or too advanced to be considered. It doesn't take a mathematician to figure out that your chances improve as the number of proposals submitted increases.
However, be wary of remixing the same topic; each one should have unique talking points, angles, or possible learnings for the audience to consider as a possible winner.
Don’t Sell Snow to Eskimos
Before we conclude, we'd like to point out a widespread mistake we see in conference proposals and presentations: A speaker selling something the audience already likes.
For example, you would not go to the JVM Language Summit and give a presentation about how great the JVM is and how everyone should use it. Instead, you'd go to the JVM language summit and demonstrate to the audience how great the JVM is by telling them about your project, which was only possible because you chose to base it on the JVM.
Final Thought
Reviewers want to put on the best conference possible. They want to see your presentation on stage, but you must provide the evidence they require to feel confident in recommending you. Show the reviewers that you considered the audience, and you'll make their decision much easier.
FAQs on Conference Proposal Templates
What makes a good conference proposal?
A successful conference proposal, like an abstract, will clearly and succinctly introduce, summarise, and draw conclusions about your topic and findings. Though each conference is unique, all conference proposals include objectives and conclusions. Make sure to follow the submission guidelines for the conference, which will be listed on the conference website. A committee at each conference evaluates the relevance and merit of each proposal. Here are some essential factors to consider when creating your own:
- Length
- Relevance
- Focus
- Tone
What is the proposal format?
Format to a proposal is what music is to ears. A well-constructed proposal format includes the purpose, goals, specific objective, method, and anticipated project impact. Goals must be stated in measurable terms, specific, and consistent with the statement of need and the proposed project's purpose.
What are the five things every proposal must include?
Although you can be flexible with what you want to include in your proposal. The key is to be precise and impactful.Â
Here are five things that every successful proposal always has:
- Â Abstract/Summary. The proposal's most crucial component is the abstract.
- Â Statement of Need. What is the problem you're addressing, and why is it important?
- Â Project Activity, Methodology, and Results
- Â Evaluation
- Â Dissemination
- Â Budget and Survival Funding
How to present a proposal?
Business proposal presentations culminate in a lengthy sales process between you and your clients. You risk losing the client's buy-in, if you don't structure it in the correct manner or take the time to craft one with care. As a result, getting it right is critical. Here’s how you can present a proposal in an effective way:
- Make the most of your meeting time from the start.
- Prepare a detailed agenda.
- Discuss the customer's problems and challenges.
- Interrupt and ask questions.
- Lead with stories, not numbers.
- You should not read from your PowerPoint slides.
- Present your solution while also selling them on your vision.
- At the end of the meeting, establish a clear follow-up timeline.
Download the free Conference Proposal Templates PDF.
