2027 Call for Speakers

To capture and hold your audience’s attention, consider the following:

• Discuss experiences and activities. Share insights on what attendees can see, do, or experience related to your topic, such as unique dive sites, photography techniques, or educational opportunities.
• Highlight dangers and safety. Address potential dangers to divers or the environment, including safety protocols, environmental threats, and ways to mitigate risks.
• Discuss solved problems. Show progress and innovation within your field.
• Identify ongoing challenges. Discuss problems that still need solutions and may inspire interest or collaboration.
• Present research and results. Share recent research and findings with attendees interested in new knowledge and discoveries.
• Explain technical challenges. Describe how challenges are being addressed and what future steps are needed.

What to avoid:

• Marketing content. Do not sell products, services, or trips during your talk. Focus on useful information and insight.
• Overt promotion. Leave out promotional material so the presentation does not feel like a sales pitch.

Tailoring your talk to these points will help it resonate with the audience’s diverse interests while keeping attendees engaged and informed.

To create a compelling and effective title:

• Be descriptive. Clearly describe the main topic and avoid vague or overly clever wording that may confuse attendees.
• Highlight uniqueness. Emphasize the perspective, expertise, or approach that sets your talk apart.
• Engage with a question. A useful question can invite attendees to seek the answer in your session.
• Focus on benefits. Convey what attendees will gain and the key takeaways they can expect.
• Be concise. Keep the title descriptive but direct; long titles can be difficult to remember.
• Consider your audience. Use language that reflects the interests and needs of the people you want to reach.

A clear, engaging title that reflects your distinct contribution will help attract attendees and set the stage for a successful presentation.

Consider including the following elements:

• Clear summary. Concisely explain the topic and the specific aspects you will cover.
• Relevant expertise. Establish your authority through applicable experience, qualifications, or a distinct perspective.
• Importance. Explain why the topic matters to the audience and the potential effect of your findings or insight.
• Key points. Outline the structure and particularly novel or interesting parts of the presentation.
• Prerequisites. State any background knowledge or skills attendees need. If the presentation is entry-level, say that it is accessible to beginners—we need those programs too.
• Expected outcomes. Identify the insight, skills, or knowledge attendees should gain.
• Engaging presentation. Write in a way that captures interest and makes readers eager to attend.
• Specificity. Avoid vague language that fails to show the value of the presentation or what attendees can expect.

Including these elements will improve the proposal’s chance of acceptance and help the resulting program attract attendees.

Learning objectives provide:

• Guidance for attendees. Clearly stated objectives help people understand what they will take away when choosing among sessions.
• Evidence of expertise. Well-defined objectives demonstrate your command of the subject and ability to make it accessible.
• Structure for the presentation. Objectives help you remain focused on the key points and keep the talk organized.
• An assessment of value. Clear objectives help organizers and attendees evaluate the potential value of the session.

Be specific and action-oriented. Instead of “Understand the basics of marine biology,” use an objective such as “Identify and describe the primary ecosystems within marine biology and their unique characteristics.” Specific wording sets clear expectations about the knowledge or skills attendees will gain.