TIPS FOR CHOOSING A TOPIC TO PRESENT AT MID STATES

Ask your supervisor and colleagues about what you do well!
Who else would know what you are most skilled at better than your supervisor and coworkers? These folks are going to be able to point out what you do well and what they look to you as the expert on. Some solid prompting questions can help you collect concrete topic ideas for your proposal. Examples include:

• What parts of our/my work do you think I excel in? 
• What parts of my job do you think I could teach others how to do because of my experience and knowledge?
• What do you believe has been my best idea since starting here?
• What topics do you believe I could speak on and provide expert advice to other camp pros?

Ask yourself: what brings you joy?
The most effective and favorite speakers we have often are presenting on topics that they have deep passion and joy for. Presenting at conferences should be challenging and fun for you, the speaker. Pick topics that interest you. You’ll shine more and the audience will appreciate your presentation if it’s something you find interesting to share. (This means if your boss tells you that you are very good at budgets but you find zero joy or have zero interest in the subject matter - find another topic.) 

What do you wish you would have known more about?
Our attendees love to hear from speakers who developed their craft through trial and error. What task or skill did you have to work hard to achieve your goals? What did you learn along the way - both positive and negative? What do you wish you had known prior to going into a project or task? Often our best presentations come from a place of exploration, innovation, and problem-solving. 

Just start writing!
If you want to present, just take the first step! Then, each step will come after another and before you know it- you'll have a proposal! Here are some suggestions of things to consider when submitting a proposal for Mid States:

1. The session length is 1 hour or 60 minutes. This will go by quickly, so the more narrow the topic, the better. Instead of “Human Resources at Camp,” a more effective topic could be “best interviewing practices for seasonal camp staff.” Attendees prefer to learn a lot about one idea than a little about a million ideas.
2. Clear titles! Catchy titles are fun and we encourage them, but they should also clearly state the overall topic of the session. Many attendees won't read a description if they don’t feel like the title sounds interesting or pertains to them. 
3. Descriptions should tell the attendees and committee three key messages: an overview of what will be covered, how the session will be presented (hands-on, lecture, etc.) and how your camp will be better because of it.  
4. Write a bio you’d include on your resume! Your bio will be used to help sell your session proposal to the committee, and then if picked, to the attendee. Everyone reads the bio. We recommend including the following in your bio: current role and type of camp/organization (nonprofit, private, day camp, etc.) current involvement in organizations and committee that increase your knowledge base (like ACA, NPRA, etc.) overview of past experience (not super detailed but broad statements,) education and training on this topic (what makes you qualified to share your knowledge?) Feel free to get creative, so long as it includes the important information that will help the committee and attendee know you are an expert on your topic. 

Still want to present at Mid States but need more help? Give us a call at 312-343-1070 x3 or x1 or email us at kim@acail.org or colette@acail.org. 

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Ready to Submit a Proposal? Click here!