Welcome to the database! We know every woman signing up has a unique story and we hope the database will build to reflect the diversity of experience and skills within the broad Christian community. Event organisers will be invited to use the site to search for speakers that may fit their events. We will not be involved in introducing speakers to organisers, arranging contact or speaking opportunities, following up unanswered messages or slow contact, or doing anything an agent would do – we simply provide the platform!
If you already have a public standing, thank you for adding your information here. Filling in a profile helps to increase the visibility and credibility of female speakers available for conferences, events, festivals, media appearances, and more.
If you’re new to speaking or speak occasionally, welcome! By adding your details, you are giving event organisers the opportunity to find out about you, and help raise awareness overall of how many talented and knowledgeable women have experience to contribute to important conversations.
Here are a few things it’s useful to think about when filling it in:
The format The profile is made up of a few simple areas: bio, photo, expertise and your external links. For consistency across the database these can not be moved. Your profile will be assigned a random colour once live.
Your bio. Most fields are simple click-and-tick options. Where you need to add information in your own words, think about how you describe yourself and your experience. This could be a third person biography an event organiser could copy and paste, or it could be a first person description of your experience and areas of expertise. Add in words and phrases that best represent what you’re able to talk about as these may be search terms used by organisers. Keep the overall bio concise and easy to read.
Your location. The database is intended primarily as a resource for UK-based events, and therefore we’d ask you are a UK resident all or some of the time. This manages the expectations of event organisers who will be searching for speakers on that basis.
Your own website If you already have your own website add the link into your bio. If not, we recommend using a free site like WordPress to create a simple blog where you can add more info about yourself. It’s not crucial to do this, but can help develop and capture your experience and work.
Photo Try to have a clear, high-ish resolution image so it can also be downloaded from the site, should an event organiser want to use it after inviting you to speak. There are guides online to taking your own headshot at home like this one here. If you prefer not to use a picture of you – though we recommend that – please upload a relevant picture, for example a cover of a book you have written, your logo or something that belongs to you. Please check once uploaded, your photo is the right way up!
Previous experience We know women of very different levels of experience will complete a database profile, and we’ve listed several options to reflect this. Tick as many as apply. If you have worked on a specific project, media outlet, TV show or for a particular organisation, it would be helpful to include this in your bio so this is visible to event organisers and will show up in searches. If this is your first foray into speaking please don’t be intimidated (everybody started somewhere!); just tick the relevant areas of experience, and make sure your bio explains who you are, what you’re able to speak about, and the kinds of events you’d feel comfortable being involved in (maybe a local church event or women’s breakfast).
Areas of specialism or interest These will be displayed alphabetically on your profile, with a drop down list if you have ticked more than six options. Please include as many as apply to you, and make sure your written bio reflects this and expands on it so event organisers can get a full picture of what you can offer.
External links. If you don’t already have social media accounts, it could be useful to set up one or two you know you will use. If you have a sample of previous speaking – video or audio – there is a space to add one link and a very brief description of the content.
Following up messages. This is important! We ask that if you receive a message from an event organiser you do your best to respond in good time. Please be aware we will not be involved in any stage of the process, so it is up to you to agree all terms with the event organiser including payment, travel, childcare (if relevant), dietary requirements, technical requirements, any mobility or other needs, details of the event and any sessions you might take part in, including how the content may be used afterwards.
Any issues. Please contact us if you come across any technical issues while using the site, and please let us know immediately if you receive any messages that are not related to legitimate speaking opportunities.
Thanks for being part of the database!