An extract is a brief paragraph that sets expectations around the value of your talk, and what the audience can expect to take away. (literal definition below.)
This often changes for me after the talk is fully written, but I do an extract early on because I find it helps me stay focused on the message I really want to deliver in my talk. And, whether you're already lined up to speak at a conference or you're planning to submit to speak at a conference, an extract is what they need from you.
Here's an example of one of my own works-in-progress:
Working Title: Kill Your Baby & Sell Your S#!%
Extract: A talk with a mission to help every designer and developer in the world let go a little bit and communicate their ideas much, much better. Salvation for the sanity in business, design & dev collaboration.
Image Source: https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=what%20is%20an%20extract
Note: All tips written for my #talktips #30days challenge are written in 5 minutes or less.
if you have more questions or would like more info about any of my #talktips, leave a comment!