Wow, we are celebrating our good luck here this week — both Megan Pacella and I had sessions accepted for 2013 Podcamp Nashville. While traditional podcamps and barcamps are billed as “unconferences,” with no planned sessions, for years, Nashville has stepped it up a notch to offer slots in advance. However, they’re distributed by lottery if more sessions are proposed than can be accommodated in the time allotted. The great thing about this is that new speakers have just as much luck as the rest of us, so it’s a great way to break into the speaking thing.
Podcamp is slated for Saturday, May 4, 2013, at the Hotel Preston. But the organizers still need some help from you: They allocate rooms to speakers based on pre-camp interest in the sessions. So, please head over to the Podcamp Nashville site, and select the sessions you think sound interesting. It’s not a commitment to attend, but it gives them an idea of how to spend the space.
Here are our sessions — and if you’re interested, please log in to the Podcamp site to give us a vote!
Talk Down to Your Audience: Why You Need Plain Language
Laura Creekmore
It’s easy to assume that you have an educated audience — that your audience knows what you’re talking about — and that you don’t have to spend a lot of time worrying about making your language accessible.
But we all secretly know that’s not the whole story, don’t we? Our audiences are varied in their education levels, and let’s face it: A lot of the concepts we’re dealing with — no matter what our industry — are complex. This session focuses on the need for understandability in your content, and helps you create strategies that will make your content understandable, no matter who your audience is.
- How to assess your audience
- How to evaluate your content for understanding
- Creating heuristics that all your content creators can use to measure understandability
Where Creativity and Tech Skills Meet: How To Be a Good Editor in 2013
Megan Pacella
The word “editor” used to conjure up images of a bespectacled man or woman poring over important documents with a red pen. And while some of us are still rocking nerdy glasses these days, our job description has changed considerably. In a world where every organization is a content provider, editors have to bridge the gap between creative prowess and technical know-how.
If you’re wondering what it means to be a good editor in 2013, or how you can develop the skills needed to include “editing” on the skills section of your resume, this session is for you.
Things you’ll learn in my session:
- The characteristics of a good editor in 2013 (hint: It’s more than just proofreading)
- How to change your mindset about editing
- What it takes to advocate for good content
- Tips for curating your content to enhance your brand
- How to jump back and forth between all of these jobs without losing your concentration