The Diverse Speaker Training group (#WPDiversity) is holding workshops this summer to support diverse voices to share knowledge and stories at online WordPress meetups Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. and WordCamps.
This is a reminder about the July workshops next week and an announcement about the workshops in August.
Workshop: Who am I to be speaking? & Finding a topic that people would love to hear
Tuesday, July 28 @ 5-6pm UTC
Tuesday, August 18 @ 5-6pm UTC
Do you identify as part of a marginalized or underrepresented group in WordPress? Are you intrigued at the thought of speaking at a WordPress event online but are thinking things like, “What would I talk about?” “I’m not an expert, who would want to hear from me?”
In this workshop, we will dispel some myths about being a speaker and answer your questions about speaking. Together we will work on overcoming the thought, “But I’m not an expert in anything”.
Via hands-on exercises and small group discussions, we will help you come up with topics and show you how to choose one. Everyone has something they can talk about – let’s find yours.
Workshop: Creating a great pitch
Wednesday, July 29 @ 5-6pm UTC
Wednesday, August 19 @ 5-6pm UTC
Do you identify as part of a marginalized or underrepresented group in WordPress? Do you want to submit a talk to a WordPress meetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. or WordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. but aren’t sure how? Or you know how and want to work on writing a pitch that has a better chance of being accepted?
Together we will write a meetup description or WordCamp pitch for your talk. This also doubles as helping you start to write your talk!
Prerequisite: Please come with an idea for a talk. If you don’t have one, then please make sure you attend the workshop on Tuesday!
Workshop: What if someone asks me a difficult question? (new!)
Thursday, July 30 @ 5-6pm UTC
This addition to our series is by request!
Do you identify as part of a marginalized or underrepresented group in WordPress? Do you feel nervous about being asked tricky questions at your WordPress talk?
With events moving online, there has been a wider audience. As a result, some of the questions during the Question and Answer (Q&A) period at online meetups and WordCamps have been harder for presenters to answer or even off-topic.
We will discuss strategies for answering and give you scripts you can use for these and other tricky questions. We may also practise, if there is time.
Workshop: Online Stage Presence
Thursday, August 20 @ 5-6pm UTC
Do you identify as part of a marginalized or underrepresented group in WordPress? We would like to help you with public speaking online.
Speaking online is not the same as speaking on stage! Some important items cross over, and there are also differences. We will give you tips for public speaking and being on camera. We will be making the improvements together in the call.
Open Practise Sessions
Tuesday, August 25 @ 5-6pm UTC
Thursday, August 27 @ 5-6pm UTC
This is open practise time for you! There will be no prepared lessons.
Examples of what you can use this time for:
- Practise parts of your presentation in a supportive space
- Get feedback on your topic, pitch, or any other part of your presentation
- Ask your questions about public speaking, applying to speak, etc.
Attending previous workshops are recommended but not required to attend these practise sessions.
—
You are encouraged to attend all 3 workshops in a week and one practise session, but you are also welcome to attend only the events you wish.
—
Tickets for July: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wordpress-diverse-speaker-workshops-july-2020-tickets-111846987350
Tickets for August: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wordpress-diverse-speaker-workshops-august-2020-tickets-114603750904
—
P.S. Others who like to attend these sessions because you want to learn how to be a good ally, please note that this is a closed workshop for members of marginalized or underrepresented groups only. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion material is not covered in these workshops. If there is enough interest, we could hold a different workshop for you in the future.
We do have a few resources available for you: Building A Diverse Speaker Roster, Inclusive and Welcoming Events, and (new!) Encouraging Diversity in Meetups and WordCamps.
#wpdiversity, #wpdiversityworkshops
