For speakers
If we have asked you to speak, or you are wondering whether you would want to, this is what an evening involves.
The room
A restaurant and bar in Aundh, with ordinary tables and chairs, and sixty-odd people who have bought a ticket to hear you. They will be eating and drinking while you talk. They come from every background: engineers, doctors, teachers, retired professors, students, and usually two or three school children. Assume high-school science and nothing more.
The format
You have the floor from 7:15 to 8:30. Pick whichever of these suits you:
- A talk with slides. There is a projector, a microphone and speakers. Leave about 20 minutes for questions.
- A talk without slides, with questions as you go.
- A conversation. One of the organizers interviews you, and the audience joins in.
Before you start, at 7:00 sharp, we run a short quiz built around your subject to warm up the room. We stop at 8:30 sharp. If you can stay another 20 minutes, people will want to talk to you.
What we promise
- No recording. Nothing you say will be filmed or streamed.
- Chatham House Rule. People may repeat what they heard, without attributing it to you.
- Help, if you want it. One of the organizers is a storytelling coach and will go over your talk with you beforehand, for free.
- A poster and an announcement that you approve before they go out.
We do not pay a speaker’s fee. Nobody at KnOT is paid, including us.
What makes a good KnOT talk
Something you know deeply and can explain to a stranger over a drink. It should be non-fiction and grounded in fact. Past talks have covered a fat molecule in the brain, a newly found galaxy, the rocks of the Himalaya, Adam Smith, biofilms, theatre, and a road over a hill in Pune. See all the talks.
Suggest a speaker
Know someone we should invite, or want to speak yourself? Write to puneknot@gmail.com with the person’s name, what they would talk about, and where you have heard them speak. Or tell any organizer at the next talk.