Spark Presentations – Changemakers Forum 2025
We’re thrilled to have you as a speaker for the “Spark” presentations at The NAPD changemakers Forum. Your contribution is vital in our pursuit to engage deeply with the challenges facing public defense today.
We encourage you to draw upon your unique experiences, insights, or research to craft a message that resonates and spurs action or deeper inquiry. Whether through storytelling, presenting data, or posing provocative questions, your goal is to leave the audience inspired, informed, and ready to delve into more in-depth conversations.
See below for more details and recommendations for preparing your Spark Presentation. We are still working out the details of the schedule and will add the topics of each presentation soon. Click here to see structure of the event.
We will have 80 Public Defense Thought Leaders from throughout the country. They were selected through an application process to attend this unique event.
The conference is in the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel.
Our sessions are in the Chesapeake Ballroom.
The audience will be in a U shape facing the longer wall. You will be feet away from the front room. There is no stage. You will have a large monitor available to you for slides.
Why 5-8 minutes?
Our goal is to use these talks to generate discussion and ideas for the Open Space Session.
But, really, can I go over 8 minutes?
No. And remember: Shorter talks are not lesser talks. It may only take 5 minutes to make your point unforgettably. Like this one: Joe Smith: How to use a paper towel
Can my talk topic be a session of discussion in the Open Space?
Yes, please!
You can and are encouraged to then make the topic of you talk into one or more of the sessions in the Open Space. This will give you and our audience the opportunity to go much deeper into the topic to brainstorm and generate solutions to the intractable issues facing public defense.
Focus on Impact: Your goal is to provoke thought and discussion. Choose a topic that’s not just informative but also evokes an emotional or intellectual response.
Be Concise: With just 5-8 minutes, every second counts. Be sure you can fit all aspects of your talk into the timeframe without rushing.
Craft a Precise Script: Due to the concise timing and pace of Spark talks, scripting your speech can help ensure your message is clear and that your delivery aligns with the automatic slide transitions. Precision in wording is key.
Engage Your Audience: Start with a compelling story or question to grab attention. Consider what matters to your audience and how your topic affects them.
Embrace Storytelling: Engage your audience with a compelling story relevant to your presentation’s core message. A well-chosen narrative can make your talk more memorable and impactful.
Visuals and Aids: Use slides or visuals effectively. Visuals should be bold and straightforward to support your message and clarify information for your audience, not distract from your message.
End with a Bang: Conclude with a powerful call to action or a challenging question to spark discussion and reflection.
Feedback is Your Friend: If possible, present to a friend or colleague beforehand and ask for honest feedback, especially on clarity and engagement.
Introduction (1 minute): Start with a hook—a startling statistic, a compelling story, or a provocative question—to grab attention immediately.
Problem Statement (1-2 minutes): Clearly define the challenge you’re addressing. Explain why it’s relevant to your audience and the broader public defense community.
Your Proposition (2-3 minutes): Introduce your main ideas, solutions, or questions. Use data, experiences, or theoretical frameworks to support your propositions. Make it clear, concise, and compelling.
Impact and Benefits (1 minute): Discuss the potential impact of your ideas. How could they change practices, improve outcomes, or challenge existing paradigms?
Call to Action/Question (1 minute): End with a powerful call to action or a thought-provoking question. This should invite discussion, reflection, or action, setting the stage for the conversation to continue beyond your presentation.
Should I use slides?
Slides can be helpful for the audience, but they are by no means necessary or relevant to every talk. Ask yourself: Would my slides help and clarify information for the audience, or would they distract and confuse them? Some great examples of slides can be found in the talks by Dan Phillips, Jarrett Krosoczka and Rick Guidotti on TED.com.
The most important rule for slides:
Keep it simple. I’ve never made slides before.
Where do I start? Assess your own skill level. You can make great simple slides if you stick to photographic images, running edge-to-edge. If your slide ideas are more complex and involve type, consider working with a designer.
What goes in my slides?
• Images and photos: To help the audience remember a person, place or thing you mention, you might use images or photos. – People will understand that the images represent what you’re saying, so there is no need to verbally describe the images onscreen.
• Graphs and infographics – Keep graphs visually clear, even if the content is complex. Each graph should make only one point.
• No slide should support more than one point.
What should the slides look like?
• Use as little text as possible — if your audience is reading, they are not listening.
• Avoid using bullet points. Consider putting different points on different slides. How should the slides be formatted?
• Use the broadcast-safe zones in PowerPoint or Keynote. Don’t put any information or visuals in the far corners of your slides.
• Use font size 42 points or larger.
• Choose a common sans serif font (like Helvetica or Verdana) over a serif font (like Times)
We encourage you to rehearse multiple times to get used to the format and to be sure to manage the time restriction.
If you would like to do a virtual rehearsal before coming to Baltimore to get feedback, you can see up a time to meet with Jeff Sherr, NAPD’s Training Director at this booking link
As we get close to the event, we will be sending you more information about what time the space will be available for you to rehearse in before your presentation.