IN THIS ISSUE
THIS WEEK’S QUOTES
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Fortune favors the bold.
A NOTE FROM SHARÍ
WHERE I’VE BEEN
You may (or may not) have noticed that I’ve been a bit quiet for a few weeks on LinkedIn and here.
Well, I had a good reason.
I got married!
It was a very small, intimate wedding. And everything I hoped it would be.
Thankfully the Texas weather was kind to us. (Which was a big gamble for this time of year!)
And yes, in case you were wondering: I wrote the officiant's remarks. Of course I did. 🙃
We had a family member officiate, and he only had a few weeks’ notice. (There’s a story behind that, but moving on…) Writing a speech for a professional speechwriter? Could you imagine?!
That would have been putting too much pressure on him (and too much stress for me! lol)
One of our Stage & Strategy members even said this when sending well wishes in our community space and it made me laugh out loud:
"If I'm not mistaken, our illustrious host, guide and coach is getting married this week so I wanted to offer a really quick, but no less HUGE CONGRATULATIONS! I hope you're having a wonderful time and that all of the speeches are well trained and well delivered. 😆"
No training needed. Our officiant delivered everything perfectly. We were so happy to have him standing with us. He nailed it. Got everyone teary-eyed, too.
The day was absolutely perfect.
Now I'm back, refreshed, and ready to get you on more stages!
Today is our monthly call for speakers issue. And there are some good ones. Some organizations are already planning their 2027 events.
Plus, in the “Good Finds” section, you’ll find some commencement speech callouts, a big push from LinkedIn you’ll want to know about, and some interesting conversations about how events are evolving their experiences.
Enjoy!
— Sharí
P.S. Feel free to forward this to a friend if one of the speaking opportunities makes you think of them!
FEATURED ARTICLE
This Month's Open Calls for Speakers
Once a month, I send a roundup of open Calls for Speakers. This is that issue.
Event Name | Audience Description | Location | Event Dates | Submission Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Events and catering professionals | UK | 2027 (TBA) | June 30, 2026 | |
Marketers and business leaders in Pacific region | Irvine, CA | March 15-17, 2027 | Unlisted | |
Atlassian’s conference for admins, project managers, consultants, tech leads, and builders | Dallas, TX | October 27-28, 2026 | July 1, 2026 | |
Podcasters and creators — craft, growth, monetization (first-time speakers welcome; free pass) | New York, NY | September 17–18, 2026 | June 30, 2026 | |
Cybersecurity and IT security professionals (all industries; free admission + guest badge) | Davenport, IA | 2026 (TBA) | July 24, 2026 | |
Applied linguistics academics and educators | Atlanta, GA | In-person March 13-16; Virtual April 16th | July 15, 2026 | |
Learning and development professionals (first-time speakers welcome) | Virtual | October 22, 2026 | July 30, 2026 | |
HR and people leaders (offers stipend + registration) | Nashville, TN | November 15–18, 2026 | July 31, 2026 - scroll to bottom of page to “Tell Me More” | |
K–12 and higher-ed IT leaders — AI, cybersecurity, ed tech (first-time speakers welcome; free registration) | Virtual | September 23, 2026 | August 3, 2026 | |
Nonprofit and ministry leaders | Jacksonville, FL | April 6-8, 2027 | August 7, 2026 | |
Healthcare and patient-care professionals | Orlando, FL | March 7-11, 2027 | August 14, 2026 | |
Outdoor-industry brand marketers, media pros, and growth-stage CEOs | Asheville, NC | September 28–30, 2026 | (no deadline listed) | |
Anti-fraud and audit professionals | Virtual | Ongoing | Year-round (no deadline) |
ONE QUESTION, ONE ANSWER
"What do I need to have prepped before submitting for a Call for Speakers?"
We just had an implementation workshop for new Stage & Strategy members and this question came up. Here’s the short version:
Program Title, Description, & Key Takeaways: Each one is wildly important. Bring your copywriting A-game. Keep a file with titles, descriptions, and takeaways for 2-3 programs. It’ll make copy/paste and customization easier and faster.
Professional Headshot: Not an AI-generated one (personal opinion).
Speaker Bio: When submitting a CFS form, there might be a character limit. So have a full version and short version handy.
Misc: Some orgs might ask for additional speaking examples or materials. Don’t panic. You don’t need a high-production speaker reel to be accepted. Sharing clips and/or full recordings of webinars, podcasts, or past presentations is perfectly fine.
Keep a folder with these materials to streamline your CFS submissions and reply quickly when an event coordinator requests them.
MY QUESTION FOR YOU
Have you ever applied to speak somewhere because of this newsletter? I want to hear about it.
Reply and let me know.
Speaking isn’t just a performance, it’s your pipeline.
Speaking on stage or screen is one of the best (and most fulfilling) ways to connect with your target market and attract more clients.
Stage & Strategy is a community for B2B speakers who use stages to drive revenue, not just “awareness.”
Inside Stage & Strategy:
Work directly with a B2B speech strategist known for increasing leads‑per‑speech by 6x
Build your Speech‑to‑Sales System™ so every stage reliably creates warm leads, more speeches, and more clients
Collaborate with a curated room of founders and consultants running the same play in different markets
Implement proven frameworks and templates instead of guessing and overthinking
If you’re a founder, consultant, or executive using speaking to grow your business, you might be a great fit for the Stage & Strategy community.
THIS WEEK’S GOOD FINDS
Some links I thought you’d enjoy.
Commencement speeches have been circulating the interwebs. One made headlines when the graduates booed the speaker for her comments on AI. This is an interesting take from Tom Bilyeu on how the speech could have/should have gone.
Now for a commencement speech example from a 17-year-old demonstrating true artistry, humor, and storytelling that leads to a beautiful and profound point.
From Business Insider, LinkedIn wants to host thousands of creator-led events this year.
Some great conversation happening in this LI post about how meeting planners are thinking about networking and programming agendas. I also delved into how events (and speeches) should be evolving for today’s audiences HERE.
A lovely introspective review by David Adler on attendee experiences at events and ways to manage cognitive overload. (Written for meeting planners, but good reminders for speakers to empathize with attendees as well.)
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Welcome! In this newsletter, I help B2B speakers turn speaking opportunities into pipelines for client acquisition.