SPEAKER FAQs: 

1. What type of content are you looking for? Is there a theme? At Config 2021, we want to take an honest look into what it takes to ship great products, from ideation to production. We’re looking to hear from teams that are establishing scalable systems, overcoming roadblocks, and fostering a culture of openness and inclusivity. Here are some of the stories we’re interested in showcasing, along with some questions and considerations to get you started:

In the file: A deep-dive into the tactics, processes, and systems that keep teams running

• Was there a seemingly-small detail that turned out to be a big deal?
• What systems and processes contributed to the project’s success (or failure!)?
• What can attendees implement immediately after watching your talk?

Embracing the mess: Stories about the challenges, obstacles, and difficult moments that ultimately make products better

• Was there a specific moment in which things took a turn?
• How might we think about fostering a culture that embraces iteration and in-progress work?
• What does it mean — and look like — to celebrate failure?

Shifting team culture: A look at how teams shift from a culture of “my ideas” to “our ideas,” and why bringing more people into the design process moves the work forward

• The specific functions and teams you brought into the process
• The cultural shift required to make other teams feel welcome into the design process
• Reflections on working more collaboratively with other functions vs. doing more independent work

Again, if you have idea outside of the themes above, we’d love to hear it —these are just suggestions to get you started. 

2. Is previous speaking experience required? 
Absolutely not, first time speakers welcome and encouraged! Have questions before submitting? Feel free to ask us at community@figma.com. 

3. If selected, what is the time commitment? 
We expect the total time commitment to be 4-5 hours. Your session would take place on the event day. All presentations will be presented live through our virtual conference platform (no pre-recorded sessions). You’ll need to schedule a 30min prep session a few weeks prior to the event with a Figma Design Advocate, be available during our practice session the week before (time tbd) and your session slot day-of. Additionally, we ask that all speakers log onto the virtual conference platform one hour before your session to make sure AV works.

4. What language should the content be in?
While we hope to expand language support in the future, we ask that all content be in English. We will provide closed captioning and translations of talks as much as possible.

5. What makes for a good submission?
Submissions should be no more than 250 words long. We’ll look at submissions using these criteria:

• Personal - sharing your own experiences and learnings
• Specific - dives beyond the surface level
• Relevant - applies to the themes and the community
• Hands-on - allows attendees to participate
• Practical - able to be implemented easily and instantly

We’ll reject submissions that are incongruent with our Code of Conduct or contain material that is vague, inauthentic, or plagiarized. 

6. If selected, can I get help on my content & what equipment do I need?
Absolutely, our content team is here to help. We will want to touch base with you 1-2 times to help you with any content questions you may need. Config 2021 will be a virtual, live event and we’ll provide you with mic and camera if needed (and lots of IT help along the way) for your session. Need something else? Let us know and we’ll do our best.