Cephalocon 2022 Speaker Guide

Welcome!

Thank you for speaking at Cephalocon 2022, taking place both in-person and virtually in Portland, Oregon from Monday, July 11 – Wednesday, July 13, 2022.

This is your official event speaker guide. Please bookmark this page for easy reference and continue to check back as the event gets closer as we will be adding additional speaker information, such as on-site details, as they are available. If you have any questions, please email Jennifer Crowley at jcrowley@linuxfoundation.org

Please click through the tabs on this page to access information.

Deadlines

All Speakers Registration Deadline: Friday, March 11. You should have received registration information in your speaker notification email. Please email jcrowley@linuxfoundation.org if you need this information.
In-Person Speaker AV Requests Due: Friday, June 10
Virtual Speaker Pre-Recorded Video Due Date: Friday, June 24
All Speaker Presentation Slides Due: Friday, July 1
Event Dates: Monday, July 11 – Wednesday, July 13

Visa Letter Requests & Travel Fund Information

If you require a visa letter, please register for the event, and then complete the visa letter request form.

We also ask that you please note the following:

Provision of a visa letter by The Linux Foundation does not guarantee visa approval as final approval is made at the sole discretion of the government of the event’s host country.
The Linux Foundation strongly recommends requesting a visa letter at your earliest possible convenience and to contact your local Embassy/Consulate with any visa questions you may have.
The Linux Foundation processes most visa letter requests in (3) business days.

If you are applying for the Ceph Foundation travel fund/scholarship and have not submitted your request, please do so as soon as possible and no later than May 20. You can access the form here.

*Talk acceptance does not guarantee travel funding.

Venue & Hotel Information

Cephalocon 2022 will be held at Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR.

Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center
375 NE Holladay Street
Portland, OR. 97232

Hotel Accommodations

We have negotiated a discounted rate at the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center. Please visit our Venue & Travel page for more information.

Rooms will likely sell out in advance of the room block close date of June 17 – we encourage you to book early to secure a room at the conference rate.

Schedule, Timing & Speaker Profiles

The schedule has been announced and posted on our website using sched.com. You will receive an email directly from sched.com asking you to create your account; please make sure to upload your bio and photo.

Session presentations are 40 minutes in length
Panel presentations are 40 minutes in length
Birds of a Feather sessions are 40 minutes in length
Lightning talks are a maximum of 10 minutes in length

If you have a conflict with the timing of your talk or find that it conflicts with the content of another talk; or are having problems uploading your bio and photo, please contact Jennifer Crowley at jcrowley@linuxfoundation.org.

AV Details + Requirements

Any additional AV requests are due by Friday, June 10

The room will include a screen, projector, and (1) microphone per speaker. Required: All speakers will need to supply their own computer and necessary adaptors to use during their session.

NOTE: The projectors have both VGA and HDMI capabilities/outputs and can accommodate either. If you require any additional AV, please Jennifer Crowley at jcrowley@linuxfoundation.org with those needs by June 10.. Cephalocoon will make every effort to accommodate additional AV needs; however, final approval for additional AV requests will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Presentation Slides Information + Template

Due by Friday, July 1

All speakers are required to submit their final presentation slides ahead of the event. In addition to providing a hard copy for accessibility purposes, we find that adding the presentations before the event helps to drive interest in attending the session.

Please note that your presentation slides should be submitted in PDF format to Sched.com and must be formatted in 16:9.

If you would like to use the Cephalocon PowerPoint template for your presentation, you can download it here. (Please note it is not required to use the presentation template.)

To upload slides:

Log into your Cephalocon 2022 speaker profile through Sched.com or via the mobile site
On the top of the page, click “Manage and Promote Your Session”
Click “Add Presentation”
Click in the “Select a File” box and add the PDF document (note: there is a 50MB size limit)
Click “Upload” and your slides will automatically be saved
Or send to jcrowley@linuxfoundation.org who will upload them on your behalf

Pre-recorded Videos

Due Date: Friday, June 24

All virtual speakers are required to submit a pre-recorded video of their presentations in mp4 format.

Some suggested tools to use for recording are Quicktime, Google Hangouts, Zoom, a screen recorder, or something similar. The recording should show your slides/screen as well as you presenting using a picture in picture style format. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Uploading Instructions for Pre-recorded Sessions

We have multiple options for uploading your pre-recorded presentation:

Add your recording directly into the Google folder (please email jcrowley@linuxfoundation.org to confirm we received your file)
Share your file with jcrowley@linuxfoundation.org
Or let us know if you have an alternate method (DropBox, file sharing service, etc)

Videos need to be received no later than Friday, June 24.

Technical Tips for Virtual Presentations

Audio – as counterintuitive as it may sound, the single most important factor in a good video, is the audio quality.
Eliminate ambient noise – close the doors and windows. You’d be surprised how much environmental noise gets picked up.
Lighting – Do not put lights overhead and don’t put any lights or windows behind you as they will alter the light levels in your videos and create shadows.
Background – don’t be afraid to show your natural environment – bookcases, plants, paintings – as long as they are not too distracting.
Framing – place yourself slightly off-center to the left or right rather than directly in the middle of the frame.
Camera Height – the lens should either be directly level or pointing ever so slightly downwards towards your face.
Stand – we recommend you stand during your presentation to help project your voice and improve your posture. However, if you’re more comfortable sitting, then please do.
Timer – Have a clock to keep track of the time you have remaining.

From: https://www.greatspeech.co/video-presentations/

Lighting, Webcam and Microphone Best Practices

Best Practices for Lighting

For best results, use natural light and supplement with additional light as needed.
Keep natural light in front of you to avoid shadows. A bright window behind you can make you appear as a dark silhouette.
Interior rooms with no natural light source may require additional targeted lighting, such as a ring light, to brighten the speaker’s face.

Best Practices for Webcams

To ensure the speaker is looking directly at the audience, place the webcam at eye level.
Avoid distracting backgrounds by checking the surroundings behind you to make sure there are no distracting colors or movement.
Presenters should use chairs that are adjustable for height but do not swivel. Swiveling on camera creates a poor attendee experience and can be distracting.

Best Practices for Microphones

Use external microphones whenever available, as microphones built into computers and cameras often have lower quality.
An external microphone allows the speaker to place it in the optimal location for sound.
Place the microphone close to the speaker’s mouth, but not in the camera view.
Test audio levels in advance.
Manage noise by turning off fans, phones, or speakers and keep ambient noise to a minimum.
Do not touch the microphone while unmuted.

Dress Code

There is no dress code for presentations, and we encourage you to be comfortable. That said, you must be aware the Cephalocon Code of Conduct applies to this space, both in terms of what you show on camera and what you say. We ask that you be tasteful and considerate in choosing your clothing and surroundings. Keep in mind that we are a global community. Please refrain from wearing shirts with global brand logos that are not your own. Solid colors (not white) also work best instead of prints.

Tips to Keep Your Virtual Audience Engaged

Learn the Content: Familiarity with the content allows a speaker to focus on presenting, rather than trying to remember the points to make. To minimize worry about forgetting elements of the presentation, include notes in your presentation file and have a printout of your script or talking points.
Practice Makes Perfect: Speakers should practice their content delivery in the environment in which they will deliver it, such as in front of a computer. Presenting alone to a computer can be awkward at first. To make speakers more comfortable, ask colleagues, roommates, or family to sit in front so they can present to familiar faces.
Understand the Tools: Speakers should understand and utilize the content options available to them, to maximize the effectiveness of the presentation technology. It’s important to know the basic functions of the software, e.g. how to advance slides, manage Q&A or chats, before the presentation.
Speak Up: Check audio levels before presenting, but also make sure to breathe at regular intervals to speak audibly and clearly. Maintaining a clear, even tone throughout the presentation will allow the audience to hear it without adjusting their volume settings.
Look at Your Camera: If presenting via video, remember, the webcam is your link to your audience. Make eye contact with the camera so it appears to the audience that you are speaking directly to them.
Don’t Fear Mistakes: Humans make mistakes, even during presentations. Realize that flubs happen and they won’t derail your presentation – unless you let them. Just keep going in your planned presentation and remember, the audience is forgiving.
Be Prepared: During the presentation, have a glass of water nearby to sip as needed. Also, keep handy a printout of your slides or notes in case you need to refer to them.

From: https://www.inxpo.com/assets/pdfs/litepapers/How-To-Be-An-Engaging-Speaker.pdf

Inclusive Speaker Orientation Online Course

The Linux Foundation, in collaboration with the National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT), has created an online course designed to teach the viewer about inclusion, diversity, and unconscious bias. We highly recommend all of our speakers watch the course to learn tips/tools to use when speaking to encourage inclusivity in presentations and messaging.

Code of Conduct

Please read, and abide, by our code of conduct, which can be found here. Our code of conduct is strictly enforced. We ask that speakers especially review this code of conduct and are careful to be inclusive in the words and images used during their presentations.

Additional Resources

Best Gear for Online Meetings – Webcams, lights, mics, tripods and more

19 Video Presentation Tips to help you give a great presentation (even if you hate the way you look on camera)

9 Tips for Giving Engaging Virtual Presentations – This article gives 9 tips and within each tip has folks from the tech world giving their advice in a fun/relatable way.

PACE Acronym for Virtual Presentations

Checklist for Speakers – this article provides checklists applicable for speakers that are live streaming.

Contact Us

Do you have a speaker or schedule-related question?

Please contact Jennifer Crowley at jcrowley@linuxfoundation.org

This event has passed. Please visit the upcoming Cephalocon.