Nordic Ruby 2016

We're currently accepting talk proposals for this year's Nordic Ruby, and we thought it would be helpful if we talked about how and when to submit a proposal, what we're looking for, how we select speakers, etc.

Submit your proposal

You submit your proposal right here on this web site.

Make sure you submit your proposal by the deadline on Sunday March 6.

Presentation guidelines

Nordic Ruby is not like most tech conferences. We want our presentations to engage the audience, spark discussion and inspire new ideas. We value this over teaching the audience about new libraries and technologies. The following is a list of a number of "Dos and Don'ts" which you can consider when writing your proposal and your presentation. Please don't feel constrained to fulfilling all of these, they serve as guidelines, not rules, and there may be many valid reasons to break them.

Do you disagree with these guidelines? We would love to hear feedback from you. Please contact us at info@nordicruby.org.

Do:

• Be passionate about your chosen topic.

• Consider how your presentation is relevant to Rubyists, but don't feel constrained to talking about Ruby or programming/tech.

• Consider what discussions could be sparked by your presentation. Nordic Ruby is all about meeting people and discussing ideas, consider what people will talk about after your presentation.

• Have a clear thesis and argue for it.

• Explain what benefit your presentation will bring to the audience.

• Tell a story.

• Show real world examples, especially your own experiences, to support your thesis.

• Pose questions and tell the audience what you believe to be the answer, to open up that question for further discussion.

• Speak slowly and deliberately.

• Finish your presentation by referring back to your thesis, how did you argue for it?

• Make sure you can keep the 30 minute time limit.

• Stay near the stage after your presentation, encourage the audience to come up and discuss the presentation with you in the break.

• Respect our Code of Conduct.

Don't:

• Ask for questions from the audience at the end of your presentation. Instead, invite the audience to discuss your talk with you face to face.

• Use your presentation to present a particular library or other piece of technology, unless doing so serves the purpose of sparking discussion or inspiring others with new ideas.

• See your presentation as a platform to market your company or product.

• Include unnecessary animation or sound effects in your presentation that will distract from your content.

• Use this guide as structure for your presentation.

Speaker selection

We've written about our talk selection process in the past. The key point was to remove all information about the speaker (name, bio, email, etc.) while we're reviewing the proposals, to avoid our own subconscious bias. We always strive for a good mix of speakers, and we want to encourage everyone to submit a proposal.

After the deadline (Sunday March 6, remember?) the team at Varvet together with a few other people we trust will review all of the proposals, and select the 10 that we think will make the most interesting mix at the conference. We aim to have all speakers confirmed by March 14.

If you're selected as a speaker

All speakers get a free ticket to the conference, including accommodation in their own room for the 2 nights of the conference, all meals, and all the other good stuff that attendees pay for (see our registration page for more info on what's included).

If you've already bought a ticket, we will give you a full refund if you're selected as a speaker.

Speakers are very welcome to bring their partner to the conference, but they need to buy their own discounted shared room ticket.

With that said, we'd love to see a proposal from you! What are you waiting for? Submit your proposal now.