2025

Pre-Conference Sessions

Do you want to go deeper at the Speak Up Conference? Sign-up to attend one pre-conference session. Sessions will take place in person on July 10th at 10:00 AM. You can go through the pre-recorded sessions at your own pace.

Buy live Session $100-$250 Buy Pre-recorded $50 BUY PERSONAL WRITING CRITIQUE $50-$100

If you have a Plus or VIP ticket, one live pre-conference session valued at $100 is included.

In-Person Session Options

All live sessions cost $100 each; the special session opportunity for a Speaker Sizzle Reel is $250. Attendees can only attend one session. If you have purchased a Plus or VIP ticket, one pre-conference session was included.

Click on a purple title to learn more about what each session will cover!

Special Session ($250)

Create Your Speaker Sizzle Reel

$250
15-minute Blocks with Mary R. Snyder

Feeling like your speaker video is as outdated as dial-up internet?  Do you struggle when someone asks for your video because you know it’s not your best!  Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

 “Create Your Speaker Sizzle Reel” – a fast-track solution to getting a video that actually represents the best of you. We’ve brought in a top-notch video editor who will be using his professional skills to give your content the high-quality polish it deserves, ensuring every second is visually compelling, engaging, and perfectly you.

And here’s the best part – no clunky self-editing here! Mary is leading several virtual workshops to help you refine and enhance your content in real-time. Show up ready with your ideas, and she’ll guide you to create an engaging 3-minute script that shines. By the end, you’ll be set for a top-quality recording that captures your essence, angles, and latest offerings in crystal-clear, professional style.

Don’t wait to give your speaker reel the glow-up it deserves! Sign up now and get ready to make an impact – not just a video. Because this isn’t just a sizzle reel; it’s your new calling card for more visibility, engagement, and the speaking opportunities you’ve been aiming for.  Limited spots available. 

Purchase

Sessions For Speakers ($100)

Those Who Tell The Stories Will Change the World

$100
3 hours with Karen Porter

After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are what we need most. Story captivates your audiences and makes your writing a page turner. Nothing connects with audiences and readers like story. Jesus understood this idea and taught his most important lessons in parable form. In this pre-conference class, master storyteller Karen Porter will teach you how to craft a story and use language, vocalization, body language, narrative, and style to make the story great. You can learn the methods and techniques to use story in ways you never dreamed. Inside you is a storyteller, waiting to be released!

Masterful, Memorable Messaging for Speakers (3 hours)

$100
3 hours with Lisa Saruga & Peg Arnold

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how God formed our minds and the effectiveness and impact of engaging the senses as we speak to audiences. Peg Arnold and Lisa Saruga, both counselors and educators, will talk about how the brain reacts to various stimuli and how we can use this knowledge to bring our messages to life as we speak. Discover how drama, props, and visual aids can be used to help illustrate scriptural analogies, capture attention, trigger emotion, and improve retention. Participants will be empowered and equipped with various teaching techniques and tools to implement and ignite their personal, God-given message. Expect to have some laugh-out-loud fun in this three-hour session.

Sessions For Writers ($100)

Book Proposal Intensive Clinic

$100
3-hour session with Dave & Cindy Lambert

This session is limited to 25 registrants

Prerequisite:

Complete and bring with you a working proposal. Please download and use one of the following templates, or you may use a proposal model you’ve found on your own.

A winning book proposal is a tool that entices seven audiences to grasp a contagious vision for a book and then equips them to successfully play their parts in placing the book into the hands of its ideal readership.

In this three-hour intensive clinic, you will be introduced to the following:

  • The business side of publishing decisions
  • The real details behind the closed doors of editors and publishing boards
  • The craftsmanship to write an enticing proposal that captures the interest of publishing professionals.

Developing a Well-Crafted Christian Living Book

$100
3 hours with Janet McHenry

Writing a Christian living book that attracts the attention of an agent, editor, and audience requires careful planning. It requires a shift from our personal experience to an understanding of those needing help and hope. In this pre-conference session Janet will teach the following:

  • Storyboarding an entire book through a dynamic group exercise
  • Understanding potential audience and felt need
  • Crafting a winning title, hook, and summary
  • Evaluating the potential competition
  • Planning the chapter outline from a problem through a process to the promise behind the book
  • Understanding how to design chapter material through a hands-on practicum
  • Preparing correct citations

Writing Bible Studies

$100
3 hours with Carol Tetzlaff

Do you have a love for the Word and want to share it with others? Let’s take all you are studying and transform your ideas from conception to launch. This hands-on workshop is designed to guide you through the essential steps of creating a powerful Bible study.

  • Session One: Preparation – Dive into the transformative power of scripture as you enhance your study techniques and explore new resources. Build a solid foundation that will anchor your work.
  • Session Two: Planning – Uncover the best structure for your study that aligns with your goals and personal writing style. Craft a blueprint that will guide your journey.
  • Session Three: Process – Step through each component of your study with practical guidance. Develop compelling content that resonates with your audience.
  • Session Four: Promotion – Start your marketing journey now! Learn to craft a strategic plan to market and sell your study in bulk, alongside other valuable resources for your readers.

Whether you’re looking to deepen your own understanding or inspire others with your insights, this session will equip you with the tools and confidence to succeed. Don’t miss this opportunity to bring your Bible study vision to life!

Sessions For Ministry Development ($100)

Create Lasting Impact and Sustainable Income

$100
3-hour session with Robyn Dykstra

There will always be people who will want to keep your voice and wisdom flowing into their life. How can you serve them well and also create a secondary income stream that helps support your ministry? Do you have a book or an online course that would help them? Or could you offer to lead a virtual Bible study or do mentoring?

Let me help you come up with your idea and give you next steps to create it and offer it to your audiences.

Social Media Basics for Today’s Speaker & Writer

$100
3-hour session with EDIE Melson

Most writers have a love/hate relationship with social media. In this workshop Edie shares how to overcome the frustration of this medium and build a solid foundation that helps grow digital connections without taking valuable time away from writing. She dives deep into the trap of chasing numbers and shows writers the value of focusing on serving those God puts in their paths. She has shared her techniques with thousands of writers and helped them create a digital reach that has led to platform growth and ultimately book contracts.

Social media is continuing to evolve and change. The one thing that’s not changing is the necessity of writers to be able to reach readers. In this workshop Edie will share how to use social media to build real connections, serve those God puts in your path, and build your email list. Included will be:

  • How to evaluate new platforms and their impact for writers & authors
  • Finding your why and using social media as part of your writing ministry
  • Tips for working with platform algorithms
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • The basics of using hashtags
  • Pinterest
  • Up to date information on scams & tips to stay safe online
  • How building an email list is enhanced by a growing social media presence

Personal Writing Critique ($50-$100)

First Step Manuscript Review with Blythe Daniel

$50
First Step Manuscript Review with Blythe Daniel

Literary agent Blythe Daniel is offering to do critiques for up to twenty attendees prior to the conference. She will read ten pages of a book proposal or manuscript, whichever you prefer, in Word format. She will provide detailed feedback with comments and recommendations for the next steps. Submissions are due before June 1, and critiques will be returned by email by June 15. The conference director will connect you to Blythe for your manuscript submission upon purchase.

Deep Dive Manuscript Review with Shelley Arnold

$100
First Step Manuscript Review with SHELLEY ARNOLD

Pre-conference Manuscript Review: Available for up to fifteen Speak UP attendees who will pre-submit their manuscript synopsis, outline, and/or up to the first ten pages between June 1, and June 10, 2025. Shellie will meet virtually with each writer for one hour and edit a portion of the manuscript. She will evaluate for clarity, focus, continuity, market viability, and presentation, and return to the author no later than July 5. Cost: $100

Pre-Recorded Session Options

All pre-recorded sessions cost $50 each. Pre-recorded pre-conference sessions are NOT included in the basic, plus or VIP tickets and should be purchased separately. Attendees can purchase as many pre-recorded sessions as they want.

Click on a purple title to learn more about what each session will cover!

Book Proposal Intensive Clinic

$50
3 hour session | Presented By Dave & Cindy Lambert

We’ve all heard it said, “Write to your audience, not to yourself.” Good advice! Many authors, however, may know the audience of their book but have no understanding of the true audience of their book proposal.

In this three-hour intensive clinic, you will be introduced to the business side of publishing decisions, discover what really happens behind the closed doors of editors’ meetings and publishing boards, and learn how to craft an enticing proposal that captures the interest of editors and publishers.

Broken into four segments, this hands-on interactive clinic will begin with an in-depth presentation, then offer individual time to work on and refine specific proposal elements of your own, then break into small groups for fiction and nonfiction personal feedback and critique, and finally come together again for advice and guidance to launch you into the world of meeting with editors.

Increase Your Influence and Find Your Stage

$50
Presented By Jill Savage

Years ago, a speaker’s primary stage was one he or she actually stood on in front of an audience sitting in chairs. The internet and social media have completely changed that. There are dozens of stages you can “stand” on each and every day. In this 3-hour pre-conference session, you will:

  • Expand your understanding of what a stage is.
  • Identify next steps to embrace each kind of stage.
  • Discover different audiences who need your message and influence.
  • Learn the language of online marketing and educational platforms.
  • Be inspired to broaden your influence.
  • Strengthen your ability to deliver a power-packed message on any stage.

Upon purchase, you will receive video link instructions automatically via digital download/pdf.

Marketing and Platform: Turning These Twin Dreads into Your Biggest Assets

$50
Presented By Cheri Cowell

They ask, “What is Your Platform?” and “What is Your Marketing Plan?” These two dreaded questions are part of the publishing reality. But how do you get a platform if you don’t have one, and what are you to do when the whole marketing thing overwhelms you? In this class you will learn to build on your strengths while tapping into a plan any writer can put into place. You will leave this class with a step-by-step course of action so you can confidently answer the twin questions with, “Yes, I have a platform and marketing plan, let me show you.”

Key concepts we will cover:

  • Are you a speaker or someone with a message?
  • Becoming the “expert”
  • Getting the gigs
  • The business side of writing- dollars and cents
  • Marketing verses Promotion
  • Getting more done with templates
  • Social Media, Article Writing, Networking
  • Begin before the book is written
  • A blueprint for action

Upon purchase, you will receive video link instructions automatically via digital download/pdf.

Prepping and Polishing your Pitch

$50
Presented By Katie Reid & Michelle Nietert

In this hands-on workshop you will learn how to prepare and design each element of your One Sheet. Authors, speakers, and marketers, Katie M. Reid and Michelle Nietert will also help you find a unique angle and give you time to practice and polish your elevator pitch. As a result of this interactive session, you will have a professional-looking One Sheet and a game-plan for standing out during your one-on-one appointments. 

Upon purchase, you will receive video link instructions automatically via digital download/pdf.