Speaker Guide

Speaker guide for PyLadies Conference 2025

Congratulations on speaking at the PyLadies Conference! We are excited about your talk. To make your talk successful, we have put together this guide so you will know what to expect and the technical requirements to deliver your talk.

Check back to this page often as we will be updating it with more information.

If you have any questions, contact us at [email protected]

Important Dates to Remember

  • Ensure your photo and bio are up to date on Pretalx by November 7, 2025.

  • Review the talk schedule once we publish it.

  • Submit your video to Google Drive by November 7, 2025

  • Check if you would like to participate in Q&A session with session moderator ASAP.

  • Register your conference ticket and platform by TBD

What You need to Submit

  1. A recorded video of your presentaion in mp4, mkv or mov format, maximum 20 minutes long
  2. Optional: A transcript of your talk in a text file. (.srt) format.

Recording Your Presentation

All the talks are required to be recorded and should be maximum 20 minutes long, any length between 15 minutes to 20 minutes is good.

If your video is longer than 20 minutes, we will cut it at 20 minutes without notifying. We sincerely request that you check your video and do the necessary edits before submitting.

If you are a Panelist or a Keynote Speaker, you do not need to record anything. Your session will be conducted live on the scheduled conference time.

Checklist before you submit your video to PyLadiesCon

  1. Ensure your presentation is created in widescreen format(16:9 format) and recorded in mp4, mkv or mov.

  2. The duration of your presentation should not exceed 20 minutes.

  3. Name your file under your registered name (example: Mary_Long )

  4. Submit your video to GDrive. You will receive an email to the shared GDrive folder.

Recording Settings

Uploading Video

The videos will be uploaded to Google Drive with restricted access. It does not support Power Point presentations with recorded audio. Please record in either mp4, mkv or mov only.

You will receive an email with the link to the PyLadiesCon GDrive folder specifically for you.

If you cannot upload your video this way, please contact PyLadiesCon organizer: [email protected]

You will need to access the folder using a Google Account. If you have trouble accessing the folder, please get in touch.

Presentation Content

Each talk is allotted not more than 20 minutes. Please check that your video is shorter than 20 minutes! We have had to cut videos in the past that were too long, so please be sure to check the recording before submitting.

If you accept the Q&A, it will be conducted live on Discord. Attendees are able to either send their questions in the channel

Unbiased and Non-Promotional Content

Presentation content must be unbiased and not disparage, promote, or market any individual’s or company’s products or services. Program materials may not include any proprietary information, must be educational and generic in nature, and must reinforce the learning objectives.

Please keep in mind that we do not encourage you to include your company logo or name on all slides of the template except on the first and the last slide of the presentation.

Recording Tools Suggestions

Video Recording Software

Below are some suggestions on tools for recording your video.

OBS Studio

There are open source software that are available for free, one of them is OBS Studio which is available in multiple OS. There is a quick start guide at their knowledge base.

Advantage: Free and open source, available on multiple platforms

Disadvantage: Can be complicated to set up if you are not familiar with it.

QuickTime Player

With Quicktime Player not only you can record a video, you can also record your computer screen. It is free and included with Mac OS.

Advantages: Free, and included with Mac OS. Allows you to record video, audio, and computer screen.

Disadvantages: Not available in other operating platform. Very basic and limited video recording capability.

StreamYard or Riverside

You can record your presentation on the browser using services like StreamYard, which some users might find it to be quite user-friendly. However, there is a watermark added if you use the free version.

The PyPodcats team has paid subscription to Riverside, and could help with recording your session using their account. If you’d like to record using Riverside, please contact one of the members from PyPodcats.

Website: https://streamyard.com/, https://riverside.fm/

Advantages: Easy to use, on the browser, no installation needed

Disadvantages: Video is watermarked with StreamYard logo on the free tier. Limited features on the Free tier.

Zoom/Google Meet/Microsoft Teams

These are online video conferencing tools, which allows you to record yourself, as well as adding a presentation to your recorded video. These tools can be used for recording, and if you can use other video editing tools to further edit and adjust your videos.

Website: https://zoom.us/, https://meet.google.com, https://teams.microsoft.com

Advantages: Free to record. You can record yourself and your presentation.

Disadvantages: Requires an account with them.

Video Editing Software

After recording your video, you might want to edit or adjust the video, maybe adding, or removing some bloopers. Below are some recommendations of tools you can use to edit your video.

VLC Media Player

Since we love open source software, one of the recommendations is VLC Media Player which is free and open source. Although the name is “media player” it comes with some basic video editing features. It allows you to cut, rotate, crop, merge videos, and more. However, it is not very straightforward and not very easy to use. You may have to do some research online to find some tutorial to learn how to use it.

Website: https://www.videolan.org/

Advantage: Free and Open Source, support multiple platforms

Disadvantage: Limited functionalities, not easy to use.

iMovie

If you are a Mac user, the most accessible software that you would edit a video is by using iMovie that comes with you Mac OS. If you do not have one in your MacOS, you can probably download it for free on the App Store. However, this option is limited to Mac users and the functionality of iMovie is limited compare to a professional editing software.

Website: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/imovie

Advantage: Free since it comes with MacOS

Disadvantage: Limited functionalities, only available to Mac users

Canva

With Canva, you can create design, presentations, and even edit videos right on your browser. It has intuitive UI, and comes with many free templates and graphics. You can edit your design quickly by simply drag-and-drop. You can start for free.

Website: https://www.canva.com/

Advantages: You can edit videos on the browser, lots of templates and stock photos/graphics available.

Disadvantage: Requires subscription for premium content.

Veed.io

Veed.io is a similar service to Canva, it lets you edit and create videos on your browser, and it comes with a stock design library. One powerful tool within Veed.io is for transcribing videos and adding subtitles. The free plan lets you export videos up to 10 minutes.

Website: https://www.veed.io/

Advantages: You can transcribe and subtitle your video.

Disadvantages: Need paid subscription for exporting videos longer than 10 minutes.

Note: The PyPodcats team has paid access to veed.ioand the team will be happy to transcribe videos for you. Contact [email protected] with your finished video and we will handle it.

FFmpeg

FFmpeg is an open source tool for video and audio editing. It supports various audio and video formats, and works on various operating systems including Linux, Mac OS, Microsoft Windows, the BSDs, etc.

Website: https://www.ffmpeg.org/

Advantages: the command line tool is powerful, works on many platform

Disadvantages: requires installation, and familiarity with command lines

Equipment Recommendation

We recommend several equipments to make you feel confident in your presentation:

Webcam

A camera with a resolution of at least 1080p.

Examples:

Microphone

Do not use the built-in microphone that comes with your laptop/webcam/phone. The built-in audio quality is really poor, and it will affect the overall quality of your presentation. In the past, we have had to request our speaker t re-record their presentation because of the poor audio quality.

Instead, please use one of the following options:

  • An external USB microphone, or
  • A headset with microphone, or
  • A lavalier microphone

Examples:

Ring light or light panel
  • Proper lightning can improve video quality

Instructions on how to use your Smartphone for video recording

If you have smartphones (from within the last 3-4 years), it would likely have a really good camera for recording videos. If you do not have a good webcam, we highly recommend this option.

Android phone with PC

  • Use the DroidCam app: you’ll need to install the app on your phone and on your PC

  • Read more at https://droidcam.app/

Android phone with MacOS

Android phone with PC

iPhone with macbook

Video Recording Support

If you don’t have adequate equipment to deliver your talk, or if you need to purchase a new mic or camera, we can help! Submit your request for our Speaker Equipment Grant by through this form.

We may be able to recommend some equipment to purchase and reimburse you the cost of the equipment.

This will be approved on a case-by-case basis.

Talk Tips and Tricks

If you’re new to recorded video presentation, here are a few tips below.

How to give a successful talk

Here are some tips to help you to deliver a successful talk.

Slides

Avoid putting too much text on a slide, try to use point forms, diagrams, or pictures. Consider that your audience may be watching on a small screen or even a phone.

Opening slide

This slide should include your presentation title and speaker’s names. This is one of the 2 slides that you can include your company logo if you want to.

Learning Objectives Outline

If you’re explaining a new tool or a how-to, it is always nice to provide a slide stating clear and actionable learning objectives. Learning objectives are statements that provide a context for what will be shared during the presentation.

What you are saying is the key and the slide is only there to supplement what you are talking about.

Social media handles

Adding your your social media handles helps people who are inspired by your talk reach out to you if they have more questions regarding your talk.

Accessibility

Also, check out the accessibility session below to make the slides more accessible to audiences.

Self introduction

Many speakers prefer to have one slide to introduce themselves, you can use this opportunity to explain why you are the best person to give this talk, or make yourself relatable to the audience.

Telling a story

Giving a talk is like telling a story, try to think of what is your “story” that you are going to tell? Usually a story will have a beginning, middle and the end. The beginning can be, for example, I have a problem that I want to solve, or this is how I discover this library. The middle can be the technical part that you want to explain something, for example, how to solve the problem, how you learn something, what library to use etc. For the end, it could be a summary of the points that you made in your talk, and/or it could be a call for an action item.

Questions or no questions

After your talk, we have 5 minutes allocated for questions and answers. During the Q&A session, remember that we are all human, and no one knows all the answer to everything. It is OK if you say “I don’t know right now, but you can get in touch with me, and we can find the answers together”.

If you prefer not to do Q&A at all, let the session chair know. You can offer a method to engage in discussion with you online (i.e on Discord, social media, GitHub repo, etc)

Rehearse your talk

Some speakers prefer to rehearse their talk so they know if the timing for the talk is right. You can either practice by yourself or find a friend to help. If you would like help from any of the PyLadiesCon volunteers, please do not hesitate and let us know, and we will get you set up. We’re here to make you feel confident about your talk.

We do find new and first-time speakers would benefit from rehearsal. Other speakers may rehearse but not too much, so the talk can be more organic. This all depends on the talk and your own presentation style.

Speaker Notes / Script

Giving a presentation can be nerve-wracking, and you might feel worried about forgetting your speech. You can write speaker notes or talk scripts to help you feel more confident about giving your presentation. Some speakers use a talk script, some people don’t. This is totally optional, and you can decide whether this will be useful to you.

Recording Demo

If you would like to record a demo for your talk, there are free screen capture software available: if you are using macOS you can use Quicktime Player (comes with your macOS by default), if your demo is less than 5 mins, loom.com is free to use if your recording is under 5 mins.

Remember to remain hydrated

No matter the length of your talk, it is smart to keep a glass of water with you during your talk. So if you need a few seconds to take a break, or just to gather some thoughts, or something got stuck in the throat, a glass of water is your best friend.

Making it accessible

Here are a few points that can help to make your talk more accessible

  • Slides would be high contrast and have large enough font size. Light background and dark text work the best.

  • You can check on the contrast using this link: https://colourcontrast.cc/ or other

  • similar sites that help you with color contrast check.

  • Use accessible fonts if possible

  • Extra information about accessible designs: https://accessibility.uncg.edu/getting-started-with-accessibility/accessible-design/

  • No flashing animation

  • Not all attendees are native English (or any other language) speakers, so try to speak clearly and slowly

  • If there are images or videos on your slides, add the description to it, and mention it as you present the image.

  • This way, those who are blind can read the description, and those who are deaf can hear the description from you.

Consider using good contrasting colors so that they are friendly for people with visual disabilities.

Transcribing your talk

We highly recommend that you provide a transcript of your talk for accessibility reasons.

You can use various tools to transcribe your talk.

Some of the tools mentioned above also provide transcription functionalities:

You can also use OpenAI Whisper to transcribe your talk. There are various tutorials online on how to use it, for example:

Please submit the transcript in .srt format along with your video.

Speaker Cancellation

If you have to withdraw your presentation for any reason, please do so by November 6, 2025 at the latest and contact [email protected]

If you have to withdraw after the deadline, kindly include a brief remark on the reason you have to withdraw your presentation. Your remark will be considered when the decision about the no-show status is made.

Video Submission Extension Policy

We may not be able to accommodate all requests for extensions. If you have some unforeseen circumstance that prevents you from submitting your video on time, please contact us immediately so that we can work it out with you.

Our volunteers need time to process and review all the videos before the conference, and we will also be translating and transcribing your videos. Any delay in submission will affect our ability to prepare your video for the event.

If we do not receive your video by the end of November 7, 2025, we will consider that you have withdrawn your talk and will remove it from the schedule.

Speaker Mentors

If you are new to public speaking and would love to get a friendly mentor to help you prepare your presentation, please contact us at [email protected]. We will do our best to support you.

Currently, we have the following mentors:

  • Mariatta (English speaking)
  • Denny Perez (English and Spanish speaking)
  • Lorena Mesa (English and Spanish speaking)
  • Maria Jose Molina-Contreras (English and Spanish speaking)

Thank you

THANK YOU FOR MAKING PYLADIESCON HAPPEN!

PyLadiesCon reserves the right at all times to make changes in the time schedule, dates, format, concept of the event.