Tag Archives: WPDiversity

jillbinder 1:48 am on October 3, 2023
Tags: WPDiversity   

For the Community: WordPress Diversity #WPDiversity Resources

Permalink of this material: https://tiny.cc/wpdiversity (https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/event-formats/diversity-speaker-training-workshop/)

Video

A video walk-through of these #WPDiversity resources

What is the Diverse Speaker Training Group (#WPDiversity)?

  • We are a working group within the WordPress Community team
  • Our mission is to create diverse speaker lineups and inclusive, diverse WP events for official WordPress MeetupsMeetup 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.

Our Programs and how to get involved

Running a #WPDiversity group meeting


Resources for WordPress MeetupMeetup 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 WordCampWordCamp 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. Organizers

Creating a Diverse Speaker Lineup

Creating a Diverse, Inclusive, Welcoming WordPress Meetup or WordCamp

Resources for Underrepresented Speakers in WordPress

Resources for Underrepresented Speakers in WordPress

Resources to Hold a Diversity Workshop

Hold An Underrepresented Speaker workshop (aka “How to Own Your Expertise and Start Speaking at WordPress Events”)

Hold an “Organizing Diverse and Inclusive WordPress Events” workshop

Resources for WordPress Diversity and Community Workshop Organizers

Template of workshop background admin tasks for a successful workshop and to collect data

Resources for WPDiversity Material Translators

Instructions to translate WPDiversity material

Have you run a diversity event or workshop?

Have you run a diversity event or workshop? Tell us here!

Cate De Rosia 5:30 pm on September 22, 2023
Tags: , , , , , WPDiversity   

Meetup Organizer Newsletter: September 2023

It’s September and a lot has happened recently in the WordPress community. Sit back, relax, and read on to discover this month’s highlights. But first, meet these Marlborough, MA USA meetupMeetup 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. members!

7 members of the Marlborough, MA meetup standing in a restaurant.

Community Summit Notes are Published – Leave Your Feedback

Let’s keep the discussions going! The in-person phase of the WordPress Community Summit  was only the beginning of very important conversations around issues impacting our global WordPress community. Fortunately, the intention is always that these conversations would continue long after the in-person phase concluded.

In Phase Two, everyone can now read and comment upon the session notes. Visit the full list of Community Summit 2023 sessions to find a link to the corresponding session notes. Read and comment to share your unique and valuable perspective on these important issues.

Don’t Miss the Upcoming Diverse Speaker Workshop

Meetup organizers in India! Would you like to encourage more women to speak at your WordPress MeetupsMeetup 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., WordCamps, and Next Gen events? Then this upcoming #WPDiversity workshop is for you. Invite your community to share this opportunity and sign up for the Speaker Workshop for Indian Women in the WordPress Community, September 23–24, 2023.

Not in India, but still interested in growing the diversity of your speaker lineup? Reach out to the #WPDiversity team to schedule an event for your community. You can find them on Making WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. in either the #diverse-speaker-support or in the #community-team channels.

More from the WP Community

Next Generation WordPress Events: Looking for a new way to engage your community? A new WordPress event format might be just what you need! Use this form to share your idea with the Community Team.

Learn WordPress: The Training team is creating new material and resources – don’t miss their latest updates.

Reaching Out to Include New Meetups in the Chapter Program

In partnership with Meetup.com, we tested a 13-day, 3-touch email campaign to invite 144 groups related to WordPress to join the WordPress Chapter Meetup program, and we contacted the entire leadership team of each group to increase our chance of success. 

How did it work? Of the 144 groups contacted, 5 or 6 groups confirmed they submitted an application. We also had a nearly 40% open rate which means that approximately 35 meetups were informed of the program. Who knows what the future holds; they may join yet!

Meetup Tip of the Month – Optimize Your Topics

If you’re looking to maximize your reach on Meetup, evaluate the topics listed for your events and for your group.

Topics are a key element of the Meetup algorithm – the more topics you include, the more members will learn about your events & group. When WordPress Community SupportWordPress Community Support WordPress Community Support PBC is a subsidiary of WordPress Foundation. It is created specifically to be the financial and legal support for WordCamps, WordPress Meetup groups, and any additional “official” events organized within the WordPress Community Events program. creates a new Meetup group, we apply our best guess as to what topics you will cover. You can change these listed topics at any time to best represent your specific community and focus. 

Additionally, meetups evolve overtime. The topics that fit at the beginning may no longer be relevant to your group.

Now, you can take advantage of the Event and Group topics to optimize your presence on Meetup. You can add up to 5 topics for each event you schedule and up to 15 topics for your group. Follow these instructions for Meetup to see how. 

A special thank you to our Global Sponsors: GoDaddy, Bluehost, Automattic, SiteGround, Weglot, and WooCommerce!

If you have any questions, Community Team deputiesProgram Supporter Community Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. are here to help. Please email us at support@wordcamp.org or join the #community-events Slack channel. Thanks for everything you do to grow and support the WordPress community—let’s keep sharing knowledge and inspiring each other with our contributions!

See you online soon!The following people contributed to this edition of the Meetup newsletter: @mysweetcate, @peiraisotta, @juliarosia, @bjmcsherry

#meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

jillbinder 3:40 am on September 20, 2023
Tags: WPDiversity,   

Attention WordPress women in India and those who support you: This important workshop this weekend is for you!

Speaker Workshop for Indian Women in the WordPress Community

Speaker Workshop for Indian Women in the WordPress Community

September 23 and 24, 2023
9:30am-12:00pm IST
check your time

This is a 2-day workshop (2.5 hours each day) for women in India (other countries are welcome to join us, too) who are thinking about speaking at a WordPress MeetupMeetup 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 WordCampWordCamp 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..

When we say women, we include anyone who identifies as a woman some or all of the time.

Does the thought of speaking at a WordPress Meetup or WordCamp intrigue you? The focus of this hands-on, online workshop will be to generate WordPress-related topics for a talk, boost your speaking confidence, and allow you to practice speaking in a safe space. At the end of the workshop you will have a few ideas for talks, an outline on one topic, a title, a pitch/proposal for applying to events, and a chance to practice speaking.

***You do NOT have to have any experience in public speaking. This workshop is for all levels of experience.

WordPress Meetup and WordCamp organizers in India: Want to empower the women in your community? Invite them to this workshop! Promo materials

Register now

P.S. Plus be sure to bookmark this resource! You can find all of our upcoming #WPDiversity events on our handbook page.

#wpdiversity, #wpdiversityworkshops

jillbinder 6:02 am on September 13, 2023
Tags: DEIB, , WPDiversity   

Report: #WPDiversity Inclusion and Diverse Speaker Workshops July to August 2023

In July and August 2023, the #WPDiversity group held several DEI workshops and knowledge-sharing events.

July 2023

July 2, 2023:  “How to Own Your Expertise & Start Speaking at WordPress Events APAC”

We held a 2-hour interactive watch party to help boost speaking confidence, which included exercises for speaking topics and real-time feedback. The attendees were supported by speaker mentorsEvent Supporter Event Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. who shared their expertise through the experience.

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended: 15
  • From number of cities: 12
  • From number of countries: 9 (Bangladesh, Cameroon, Egypt, India, Italy, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, USA)
  • Self-reported increase in public speaking confidence: 72%!

July 20, 2023: “Organizing Diverse & Inclusive WordPress Events #WPDiversity”

An interactive watch party workshop to help MeetupMeetup 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 WordCampWordCamp 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. organizers, as well as anyone in WordPress who would like to champion this work, create diverse and inclusive events. We added new material: 1. Why do we care about diversity in WordPress?  2. What does diversity look like in your part of the world? 3. How do we move towards that?

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended: 21
  • From number of cities: 21
  • From number of countries: 11 (Canada, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Nepal, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, The Netherlands, United States)
  • Self-reported increase in preparedness to run an inclusive event: 32%

This material is available online:

  1. Diversity in WordPress: Why and what is it in your part of the world?
  2. Creating a Welcoming and Diverse Space Part 1
  3. Creating a Welcoming and Diverse Space Part 2

Testimonials:

“I recommend that you attend this workshop if you want to expand your understanding of what diversity means and how to begin to think about it.”
~ Dave Margowsky, Project Manager, Washington, United States

“This workshop is a safe place for people of all creeds to be they’re utter, vulnerable selves and to be heard and listened to! It’s too easy to get caught up in the technical and business aspects of WordPress, forgetting the greatly diverse human element that makes the WordPress Community really stand out.”
~ Christos Paloukas, Proud Weird Human, Athens, Greece

“My point of view was broadened, and I’m more aware of what we’re trying to do as a community to improve DEI in WordPress events. We all got personal insights on what we’re trying to do as a community, which tools are available and what’s our general approach about improving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at WordPress events, and ultimately make our community even more friendly and welcoming.”
~ Piermario Orecchioni, Web Designer, Olbia, Italy

“I really liked the new section on what diversity looks like in WordPress. It was important for setting the stage. Many of us were surprised when we looked up our region’s actual diversity data! All meetup organizers should attend this workshop – you’re missing out if you don’t!”
~ Sallie Goetsch, WP consultant and meetup organizer, California, USA

“This workshop was fantastic. It is tailored for WordPress event organizers, but it would also be helpful for sponsors and volunteers on WordCamps to attend a similar workshop.”
~ Birgit Olzem, Freelancer, #DEIB advocate, Germany

“In two short hours, I learned tools I’ll use for a lifetime to make events better by being more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming.”
~ Eric Amundson, Web Developer

“This a great starting point to open up to being more inclusive and helping diversity flourish.”
~ Wendie Huis in ‘t Veld, Lead Organiser WordCamp Europe 2024

July 30, 2023: Contributor Mentorship: A Primer for DEIB at WordPress Events (#WPDiversity)

@jillbinder held a workshop for @harishanker‘s Contributor Membership Pilot program to talk about: what does diversity mean in the context of WordPress and why does it matter?

This workshop is available online: A Primer for DEIB at WordPress Events (#WPDiversity) (video)

August 2023

August 17, 2023: Inclusion Follow-up SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. Chat

We hold a “Follow-up Slack chat” a month after the Inclusion workshop to help people with their diversity efforts at WordPress events ongingly.

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended online: 8
  • From number of cities: 8
  • From number of countries: 5 (Cameroon, Germany, India, Spain, USA)

August 30, 2023: #WPDiversity Resources Walk-Through Workshop

@jillbinder held a walk-through of all of the #WPDiversity workshops, systems, and resources available on https://tiny.cc/wpdiversity

This information is available now and is good for:

  • Event Supporters
  • #WPDiversity Members
  • WordPress Meetup and WordCamp organizers
  • Translators
  • Community organizers of any workshop in WordPress
  • Anyone who cares about diversity in WordPress

The video will be available online soon. This post will be updated with the link when it is available.

Thank you

A lot of people contribute to making these workshops successful. Thank you to each and every one!

Upcoming Workshop

Speaker Workshop for Indian Women in the WordPress Community
Saturday, September 23, 2023 and Sunday, September 24, 2023
9:30am-12:00pm IST
For women in India
Register now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/speaker-workshop-for-indian-women-in-the-wordpress-community-sept-23-24-tickets-633636773647

The list of upcoming #WPDiversity events is posted on the Diverse Speaker Group (#WPDiversity) page in the Community handbook. Please check there for upcoming events.

#diversespeakerworkshopsreports

jillbinder 6:17 am on September 11, 2023
Tags: , WPDiversity   

Report: #WPDiversity Inclusion Workshops April to June 2023

In April to June 2023, the #WPDiversity group held 3 “Organizing Diverse and Inclusive WordPress events” events.

Organizing Diverse & Inclusive WordPress Events

An interactive watch party workshop to help MeetupMeetup 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 WordCampWordCamp 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. organizers, as well as anyone in WordPress who would like to champion this work, create diverse and inclusive events. We hold a “Follow-up SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. chat” a month later.

April 20, 2023: Follow-Up Slack chat

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended online: 14
  • From number of cities: 14
  • From number of countries: 6 (India, Luxembourg, Mexico, Philippines, Uganda, United States)

May 13, 2023: Organizing Diverse & Inclusive WordPress Events APAC

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended online: 8
  • From number of cities: 8
  • From number of countries: 5 (Indonesia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, United States)
  • Self-reported increase in preparedness to run an inclusive event: 50%

Testimonials

“Everything about the workshop was mind-blowing. People should take this workshop because it will open their minds to what’s possible in organising successful WordPress Meetup events.” – Emmanuel Ekanem, Web Developer, Calabar, Nigeria

June 17, 2023: Follow-Up Slack chat

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended online: 7
  • From number of cities: 6
  • From number of countries: 6 (Australia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Philippines, United States)

Diverse Speaker Support Channel

We have a Slack channel (#diverse-speaker-support) in the Make WordPress Slack for:

  • getting to know other speakers and event organizers
  • workshopping talks with each other and with mentorsEvent Supporter Event Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues.
  • finding out about WordPress speaking opportunities from WordPress MeetupsMeetup 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
  • getting connected with support for speaker travel expenses

Wins these months:

A win counts as:

  • Applying to speak at an event
  • Speaking at an event
  • Getting speaker mentorship in the channel

There have been so many of these (but most of them not reported in the channel itself) that it’s been hard to keep on tracking. We created a form for this that has not been well used.

Thank you

A lot of people contribute to making these workshops successful. Thank you to each and every one!

Upcoming Workshops

The list of upcoming #WPDiversity events is posted on the Diverse Speaker Group (#WPDiversity) page in the Community handbook. Please check there for upcoming events.

#diversespeakerworkshopsreports

jillbinder 7:16 pm on August 23, 2023
Tags: , WPDiversity   

Recap of the Diverse Speaker Training group (#WPDiversity) AMER/EMEA on August 23, 2023

Attending: @coachbirgit , @franrosa, @jillbinder, @martatorre, @onealtr

Host: @jillbinder

Start: wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1692810111358429

Summary

0 – Check-ins (everyone)

1 – First time here

Information for newcomers

2 – Who we are (@jillbinder)

Our goals, our 3 initiatives, how people can help

3 – WPDiversity Member Updates (everyone)

@martatorre starting to prepare material for diversity in Spain

4 – New DEIB group (@jillbinder on @coachbirgit’s behalf)

Please join #deib-working-group

5 – Setting you up for my time away (@jillbinder)

6 – Bonus meeting next week! Zoom call (@jillbinder )

  • @jillbinder will be holding a Zoom call next week
  • Walk-through of all of the #WPDiversity workshops, systems, and resources.
    • All of the material is available for the whole WordPress community to keep doing our material in 2023 and beyond.
  • Wednesday, August 30, 2023 @ 5pm-6:30pm UTC  (just in case there are a lot of questions)
  • Ask me for an invite. I also might put it up on Meetup Learn.

7 – Workshops (@jillbinder)

8 – Comments, questions, ideas (anyone)

End: wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1692813789894869

jillbinder 6:35 pm on August 9, 2023
Tags: WPDiversity   

Recap of the Diverse Speaker Training group (#WPDiversity) AMER/EMEA on August 9, 2023

Attending: @coachbirgit, @franrosa, @jasonways, @jillbinder, @martatorre, @onealtr, @sc0ttkclark, @wpfangirl

Host: @jillbinder

Start: https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1691600448570469

Summary

0 – Check-ins (everyone)

1 – First time here

Info for newcomers

2 – Who we are (@jillbinder)

Our goals, our 3 initiatives, how people can help

3 – WPDiversity Member Updates (everyone)

@coachbirgit:

  • Reached out to diverse groups of speakers for the upcoming WordCampWordCamp 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. Germany
  • Working on organizing a global DEIB working group team on the WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/.
  • Will facilitate a session on DEIB in WordPress at the WordPress Community Summit

@martatorre:

  • interviewed on a podcast and we talked about the DEIB diversity initiative and this group 


4 – Setting you up for my time away: (@jillbinder)

  • @jillbinder is taking an extended break for 4 months, starting September 1, 2023
  • Jill invited the group to keep the work going:
    • these 2nd and 4th Wednesday #WPDiversity Slack meetings
    • our 2 workshops -> especially for local WordCamps / meetupsMeetup 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.. There is a growing need for more localized help.
    • How to Own Your Expertise & Start Speaking at WordPress Events
    • Organizing Diverse & Inclusive WordPress Events



5 – Shorter version of our Inclusion workshop with the Training team – who can take this on? (@jillbinder)

We are looking for someone to:

  • Work with @webtechpooja in the Training Team to put it into the format that the Training Team needs it in – to make it into shorter, more digestible content.
  • Create quiz questions
  • Work with the Training Team on creating polished videos –> you don’t need to be in the videos yourself, but you would be the contact leading finding the person/people to be in them



6 – Diversity in Spain projects (@martatorre)

  • Marta will be working on materials next week with @franrosa
  • Next year Marta will organise an event specialising in accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility)



7 – Diversity in Asia (@onealtr)

  • Lots of events coming up in Asia: Meetups and WordCamps are in full swing.
  • Some WordCamps are already announcing their speaker lineup and you can clearly see the diversity in the selection!


8 – Comments, questions, ideas (anyone)

End: https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1691603997037569

jillbinder 8:41 pm on August 1, 2023
Tags: , , WPDiversity   

Recap of the Diverse Speaker Training group (#WPDiversity) AMER/EMEA on July 26, 2023

Attending: @askdesign, @coachbirgit, @franrosa, @jasonnickerson, @jillbinder, @margheweb, @martatorre, @oneal

Host: @jillbinder

Start: https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1690390843642729

Summary

1 – First time here

2 – Who we are (@jillbinder)

  • Our goals, our 3 initiatives, how people can help


3 – WPDiversity Member Updates (everyone)

  • No updates today


4 – Workshops (@jillbinder)

5 – Volunteer Dashboard! (@jillbinder)

  • @jillbinder shared the new dashboard to empower volunteers and asked for feedback


6 – Diversity in Spain projects (@martatorre)

7 – Diversity in Asia (@onealtr)

  • @onealtr shared what the additional diversity concerns are at our WP events in Asia, as well as dates of upcoming WordCamps in Asia.

8 – Project updates (@jillbinder)

@jillbinder gave updates on:


9 – Comments, questions, ideas (anyone)

  • @jillbinder shared about being called in on a tweet she wrote
  • @martatorre asked for ideas on how to get more women and other underrepresented groups onto the pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party review team

End: https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1690394396187739

jillbinder 11:18 pm on July 13, 2023
Tags: WPDiversity   

Recap of the Diverse Speaker Training group (#WPDiversity) AMER/EMEA on July 12, 2023

Attending: @coachbirgit, @franrosa, @jillbinder, @martatorre, @onealtr

Host: @jillbinder

Start: https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1689181333018259

Summary

1 – First time here

2 – Who we are (@jillbinder)

3 – WPDiversity Member Updates (everyone)

4 – Workshops (@jillbinder)

5 – WordCampWordCamp 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. Speaker Selection & wpspeakers.com (@jillbinder)

6 – Volunteer Dashboard! (@jillbinder)

7 – Marketing (@bjmcsherry)

8 – Diversity in Spain projects (@martatorre)

9 – Comments, questions, ideas (anyone)

End: https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1689184876915369

#wpdiversity

jillbinder 10:30 am on July 13, 2023
Tags: WPDiversity   

New handbook page for WordCamp Organizers: WordCamp Speaker Selection (for content AND diversity)

This is a new page created by the #WPDiversity group for the WordCampWordCamp 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. Handbook – WordCamp Speaker Selection

How you choose the speakers for your WordCamp matters!

WordCamps are a big part of community building. It is often a place where new members start to interact and actively take part in the project. Speaker representation will affect how attendees and future speakers feel about your event. If speakers or attendees feel outnumbered or not represented, they are less likely to engage with the event and less likely to return next year.

Choosing the speaker lineup for your WordCamp is a big deal. It’s one of the main attractions of the conference. It’s also one of the main elements that people will notice and comment on.

You have quite a few factors to consider when selecting your WordCamp speakers:

  • Interesting mix of topics that will make for an engaging and cohesive event
  • Topics and speakers that will draw a crowd and generate ticket sales
  • Percentage of local speakers vs out of town speakers
  • Ratio of male speakers vs women / non-binary / other genders
  • How the demographics of your region compare to those of your event’s speakers, organizers, and attendees. Ensuring you have a significant mix of different underrepresented groups: races, ethnicities, sexualities, physical abilities, neurological abilities, cultures, class, caste, countries, age, etc.
  • A balance of fresh, new voices vs seasoned speakers
  • Reflective of your WordCamp’s audience: Developers, designers, implementers, users, spoken languages, attendees from different regions, etc.

Read more about all of the considerations and the recommended method to select speakers:

Continue reading →