PULSE 2026 Speaker Nomination Guide

Where Learning, Space, and Culture Converge

Organised by: Global Learning Space Network

Before it is a building, a timetable, or a curriculum, learning is something older and wilder: a culture in motion. It lives in how children explore a courtyard, how a teacher gathers a circle, how communities pass wisdom across generations. The spaces we design either nourish that motion… or quietly constrain it.

Across India and the world, educators, school owners, architects, and designers are at a shared crossroads: pedagogy outpaces campuses, budgets fight vision, and communities demand relevance. PULSE was born in that friction. As a place where these stakeholders meet, debate, co-create, and leave with practical change.

If your work blends learning and place — whether in a single small classroom or a system-wide strategy, we want to hear from you.

Practical tips for a standout submission

Start with the human story. Data matters — but a short narrative opens hearts.
Mention measurable outcomes (attendance, test metric, behaviour change, teacher retention, etc.).
Keep your public description crisp; save nuance for the extended abstract.
If proposing a live or interactive format, describe audience activities clearly.
Upload a 60–90 second intro video if you can — it helps reviewers judge stage presence and tone.

New voices get extra weight

We celebrate established leaders and rising practitioners alike. If you are a first-time speaker at PULSE or an emerging voice doing ground-up work, say so. We will give thoughtful consideration to new perspectives — PULSE’s vitality depends on them.

What we are seeking — the kind of work that moves us

We are curating ideas and experiences that do more than inform: they change practice.

Apply if your work does one or more of the following:

Re-reads learning as culture (how schools shape communities, civic life and relationship with nature).
Translates pedagogy into tangible, tested design decisions.
Demonstrates measurable learner or teacher outcomes (including small-scale interventions that scale in spirit).
Confronts failure: honest post-occupancy lessons, trade-offs, and real-world constraints.
Invites the community into design and learning (students, parents, neighbourhoods).
Proposes novel, participatory formats that put learners/educators at the centre of the experience.

Why speak at PULSE

Because PULSE is one of the rare occasions in India where the Architecture & Design community meets School Owners & Educators in an intentionally curated, high-trust setting. Here ideas meet implementers, and conversations produce commitments.

You’ll leave with:

Practical collaborations and pilot opportunities.
An audience of decision-makers who can act on your ideas.
Visibility across GLSN’s growing media ecosystem.
A space that values first-time voices as much as established names.

Notable speakers and contributors of PULSE 2024 and PULSE 2025 are mentioned here.

Session formats — be inventive, participatory, practical

We are not limited to podium lectures. We encourage inventive, participant-led formats that make the room an active laboratory. Examples we love:

Interactive workshops that result in a concrete takeaway (a brief, a sketch, an action plan).
Walkthroughs or “design autopsies” that examine a built space in detail.
Forum-style dialogues where the audience surfaces problems and co-designs next steps.
Short provocations + long-form fishbowl discussions.
Live demonstrations, small-group site simulations, or student-led showcases.

Your session should ideally leave attendees with questions that change practice. Not just applause.

What makes a compelling proposal — a checklist for your submission

When you fill the form, please keep these things front and centre:

Clear intent — What one shift will your session invite?
Concrete relevance — How does this affect learners, teachers, school leaders, designers or community?
Evidence or illustration — brief metrics, before/after, or real stories. If qualitative, show the change in human terms.
Format + engagement plan — explain how the audience will participate. List tools or tech needs.
Language preference & accessibility needs — tell us if you prefer to present in a language other than English and any support you need.
New voices encouraged — if this is your first time applying, say so. We actively weigh new participation positively.
Sales-driven presentations are discouraged, while concept pitches, market studies and research outcomes are welcome to be discussed beforehand.

Submission essentials — keep it simple

We’d love to understand who you are, the work you’re doing, and the perspective you bring to learning environments. Please share the following details thoughtfully—there’s no need to overthink, just be authentic.

Basic Contact Information

Full Name (Required)
Your full legal name as you would like it to appear in the PULSE program.

Preferred Pronouns (Optional)
If you’d like to share:
She/Her • He/Him • They/Them • Other

Email Address (Required)
Your primary point of contact for all communication related to your nomination.

Phone / WhatsApp (Optional)
We may reach out here only if something time-sensitive comes up regarding your session.

Organization / Affiliation (Required)
Your current institution, practice, or professional community.

Professional Title (Required)
For example: Lead Architect, School Leader, Founder, Researcher, Educator, Designer, Policymaker

City & Country
Where you are currently based.

Speaker Details — Your Journey & Perspective

Speaker Biography (100–150 words)
A short introduction to your work and journey.
You may highlight your areas of expertise, experiences, or the lens through which you approach learning and design.

Links to Work / Portfolio / Publications
Share anything that helps us understand your work better—projects, articles, research, talks, or documentation.

Social Media / LinkedIn Profile
(Helpful for us to explore your work and voice further.)

Session Proposal — Your Idea for PULSE

This is where your thinking begins to take shape. Don’t worry about sounding perfect—focus on clarity and intent.

Session Title (Required)
A single line that captures the essence of your session.
Clear, specific, and meaningful titles go a long way.

Session Format
Choose the format that best supports how you’d like to engage:

Keynote Presentation (30 minutes)
Interactive Session (25 minutes, multi-speaker)
Workshop / Hands-On Session (30 minutes)
Micro-talk (15 minutes)
Duo/Trio Session (20 minutes)

If you’re imagining something different or more experimental, feel free to indicate that—we welcome thoughtful, participant-led formats.

Intended Audience(Select all that apply)
Who do you believe will benefit most from your session?

Educators & School Leaders
Architects & Designers
Educational Consultants
Policy Makers & Administrators
Students & Researchers
Learning Space Product Partners
Other

Session Synopsis (300–400 words)
Tell us about your idea.

What are you exploring or questioning?
Why does it matter in today’s context?
How does it connect to learning, space, culture, or community?

Clarity is more valuable than complexity here.

What Will Stay With the Audience

Learning Outcomes — 3 Key Takeaways

What will participants walk away with?

This could be:

Something they can apply
A new way of thinking
A shift in perspective

Takeaway 1
Takeaway 2
Takeaway 3

A Glimpse Into Your Session

Mock Presentation Video (Required)

Please share a secure link (Google Drive, Dropbox, WeTransfer, or similar).

Accepted formats: MP4, MOV, AVI, M4V
Duration: 1–3 minutes
Language: English

Purpose
This short video helps us understand how your ideas translate into delivery—your clarity, presence, and way of engaging with an audience.

What to include
A brief overview of your session, what participants can expect, and at least one example of how you might involve them. Video Clips from your previous sessions or panels are also eligible for the review.

A small tip
Speak naturally, as if you’re already in the room with us. No need to be formal—just be real.

A Gentle Note

You don’t need to have all the answers.
What matters is that your work, your thinking, or your questions are honest, relevant, and meaningful.

We’re not just curating speakers.
We’re inviting voices that care deeply about how learning unfolds—in spaces, in people, and in the world around us.

Selection & curation — how decisions are made

We curate for depth, diversity, and practical value.

Submissions are reviewed by the GLSN curation team for relevance, evidence, audience value and diversity of voice.
Shortlisted applicants may be invited to refine format or share a brief pre-recorded sample.
Final invites are issued with clear guidance, technical checks and speaker onboarding.
Every nomination will be acknowledged and reviewed; we aim to provide respectful feedback wherever possible.

Please Note: GLSN also actively scouts ground-up changemakers beyond the open call and may invite additional participants whose work is creating quiet but real impact.

Accessibility, language & translation

PULSE is global and inclusive.

If you prefer a language other than English, please indicate this in your form. We’ll explore translation/interpretation feasibility.
Tell us about any accessibility needs (captions, transcripts, assistive tech) early — we’ll work to accommodate.
We encourage short, captioned video submissions for review if you can provide them.

Acceptance requirements (brief & respectful)

If your session is accepted, speakers will be asked to:

Register by the early-bird deadline (details shall be provided in the invite).
Share any presentation materials with GLSN in advance if required for curation.
Help us with your approval on a presenter agreement for session publication; GLSN will offer reasonable alternatives for sensitive material or special requests around recordings.
Communicate scheduling constraints (time zones, travel) during onboarding.

GLSN aims to make participation feasible and will consider travel support/waivers in select cases.

Recording, licensing & content sharing

We document sessions to amplify impact across the globe.

GLSN may record and publish sessions to reach wider audiences. Presenters will be informed of the release with due credits attributed to the speaker; we respect reasonable exceptions and will accommodate justified opt-outs.
Where recordings are published, GLSN aims for open access while protecting sensitive material and speaker rights. Specific terms will be shared in the presenter agreement.

Code of Conduct – Creating a Thoughtful & Respectful Space Together

At PULSE, we come together from diverse disciplines, cultures, and contexts. What makes this gathering meaningful is not just what we share, but how we hold space for one another.

We invite all participants and speakers to move with the following spirit:

Respect & Inclusion
We encourage a culture of mutual respect, where every individual feels seen, heard, and valued. We ask that all interactions remain free from harassment, discrimination, or behaviour that may feel diminishing to others.

Civility in Disagreement
Diverse perspectives are essential to meaningful dialogue. We welcome thoughtful debate, while ensuring that conversations remain constructive—centred on ideas, not individuals.

Cultural Sensitivity
Our community spans different regions and lived experiences. We invite everyone to engage with openness and humility, being mindful that contexts and realities may differ from our own.

Consent & Privacy
When sharing stories, images, or examples involving students, educators, or institutions, we request that consent is taken where needed, and identities are protected wherever appropriate.

Accessibility & Clarity
We encourage speakers to make their sessions as inclusive as possible—through clear communication, accessible materials, and mindful use of language—so that more people can meaningfully participate.

Support & Response
If you experience or observe something that feels inappropriate or concerning, please feel comfortable reaching out to the GLSN team. We are committed to responding with care, confidentiality, and prompt attention.

GLSN is committed to maintaining a vibrant, welcoming and safe environment.

(A fuller Code of Conduct will be provided during the onboarding stage; this is a succinct version to reassure global participants.)