[Inpycon] [Discussion] Guidelines for Keynote speaker

[Noufal Ibrahim KV]

On Tue, May 02 2017, Abhaya Agarwal wrote:


[...]

> To offer a counter point, organizers need to look at the speakers from the
> point of view of attendees. So the choice cannot be too personal. On the
> other hand, it needs to be wide enough in appeal.

[...]

I agree. Zen koans are useful for introspection and insight[1]. They're
bad for setting policy involving a large group of people because of how
subjective they are. They mean different things for different people and
leaving these assumptions unspoken is not helpful when it comes to a
discussion.

I think trying to tease out a few things that the people expect from a
keynote speaker and then putting it in black and white is a good
thing. It clarifies thought and creates consensus.

My personal "main criterion" for a keynote speaker is that he or she
should be a crowd puller. People should want to attend the event *just*
to see the person speak.



Footnotes: 
[1]  I'm probably in the minority here but, of late, I find popular koans
quite annoying. 

-- 
Cordially,
Noufal
http://nibrahim.net.in