Speaking

Speaking

Attribution: Sourced from steipete/agent-scripts by Peter Steinberger.

When to Use

• Evaluating conference speaking invitations and keynote opportunities
• Tracking speaking engagements across calendar and email
• Deciding which panels, talks, or events to accept

Use this for managing speaking opportunities: conference invites, keynote/panel tracking, calendar sync, and follow-up.

Workflow

Tracking Invitations

Keep a spreadsheet or structured notes with these fields per invitation:

• Conference name + website
• Date/location
• Topic requested
• Deadline to respond
• Status: pending / accepted / declined / completed
• Speaker fee / travel covered
• Contact name + email

Evaluating an Invite

Questions to answer before accepting:

1. Fit: Is the audience relevant? Does the topic align with current focus?
2. Logistics: Travel burden? Timing conflicts with other commitments?
3. Terms: Honorarium? Travel covered? Recording rights?
4. Preparation: How much work is the talk vs. an existing talk?

Talk Types

• Keynote: 30-60min, broad audience, vision/story focus
• Technical talk: 20-45min, developer/practitioner audience, deep dive
• Panel: 60-90min, moderated discussion, less prep needed
• Workshop: Half/full day, hands-on, most preparation required

Email Response Template

Subject: Re: Speaking Invitation — [Conference Name]

Hi [Name],

Thank you for the invitation to speak at [Conference]!

[Accept: I'd be happy to join. Let me know next steps for logistics/abstract submission.]

[Decline: Unfortunately I won't be able to attend this year due to [brief reason]. 
I hope to connect in the future!]

Best,
[Your name]

Notes

• Always confirm recording/video rights before accepting.
• Block travel days in calendar, not just the conference day.
• Keep slide decks version-controlled.