Forum Discussion
MGCI Training - June Topic: Finding and selecting speakers...
What are your challenges with finding and selecting speakers?
Getting the word out?
Are you using the Community Days site, Sessionize, or other platforms?
How do you drum up enough momentum and excitement for my event to drive speaker interest?
How do you bring in speaker variety, diversity of ideas and perspectives?
There are different challenges for first-time events than there are for repeating events...
What else?! Chime in here to get the conversation rolling now.
What should you do? How can you get engaged in the conversation?
- Chime in here.
- Do you have thoughts you'd like to contribute to the conversation? Let us know you'll be on the call!
Thanks!
6 Replies
If you want to bring more women on stage, there is a custom list of Microsoft Solutions Women in Tech Speakers @ Sessionize. If you’re missing an expert in a specific area, it’s absolutely worth reaching out directly and inviting them to submit a session, especially for local meetups.
Local, recurring meetups are also a great “incubator” for new speakers. They give people a safe and supportive space to test their ideas and how they perform in front of a small audience. Over time, some of them grow into conference speakers, but it usually takes 1–2 years before they feel confident enough to submit to bigger events. And honestly, some never do, even though they have strong expertise. I’m trying to find ways to showcase those people as well, because they truly deserve more visibility.
For bigger events, we usually announce a Call for Speakers on LinkedIn, as we do not use other social media channels. We also use CommunityDays.org to announce our events with the link to the session submission form.
And one more thing, whether people like it or not, I personally reach out to speakers I really want to see at our events. If I follow someone’s blog or YouTube channel and know they bring real value, I want to meet them in person. And I know I’m not the only one. There are always more people in the community who would love that opportunity too. So I simply contact them directly. Usually, this is one or two speakers, and many of them have to decline due to schedule conflicts.
The remaining 40+ speakers are selected anonymously, and recently, they have been pre-selected by our community members, not organizers.
The work is good.😁
We use the Community Days site to showcase the event, Sessionize for the Call for Speakers, and LinkedIn to drive visibility.
On selection: we switched to anonymous scoring early on, specifically to break the bias loop of job titles, MVP badges, and "friends reunion" conference syndrome. 😁 I'm not a fan of the "who you know" model, where the lineup reflects the organizer's network more than the community's actual talent.
That said, let's be honest: your CfS will largely attract your network anyway. The real problem cuts the other way too. Great speakers sometimes submit weak descriptions, and with anonymous scoring, they don't get a safety net. And for most attendees, community names don't sell tickets. The title and description do. So if a session is poorly packaged, it doesn't matter who submitted it.
What I haven't fully cracked: how to coach speakers into better submissions without tipping the anonymity. Reaching first-time speakers is the other gap. They often have the freshest angles but are the least likely to stumble across a CFP organically.
Oooh, lots of great topics to break down here. Great points!
I've heard a few folks here and there talk about session submissions - generating titles and descriptions. But it's definitely not talked about enough. Some get too... kitschy (?), too manufactured... It's a balance finding the clarity but also driving interest... But yes - better submissions would be awesome. (And I haven't even looked at the batch of submissions for our event yet... soon)
The speaker community is incredibly welcoming. One of the best ways to find great speakers is to attend other events, sit in on sessions that resonate, and introduce yourself afterward. Those conversations often turn into submissions, referrals, and repeat speakers over time. It’s less about “recruiting” and more about being present in the community.
I've always used Sessionize heavily, but also I do think it comes back to who you know. Excited to discuss this topic. :)
