Finding your first speaking oppotunity

Grab the slides:
slides.com/cheukting_ho/1st-speaking-opp

Hello I am Cheuk

• Open-Source contributor
  
  
   
• Organisers of community events
  
  
   
• PSF director and fellow
   
• Advocate for OSS security

Why do I want to start speaking publicly?

Specifically in tech

Personal gain

Personal gain

• Show your knowledge
  (potentially future employer)
• Build up credibility
• Voice your opinion in certain topics
• Make friends in the field
• Make it a career - developer relations

My journey

• I was a data scientist
• Found a supportive community
• Submit my first talk - rejected
• Try again at another one
• So addicted that I want to be full-time doing it
• Switch career - Become a developer advocate 

Community gain

"Menfrence" and "Menal"

Have you head of

Conference or Panel that consists of only CIS white males

Excuses I have heard...

• Hard to find female speakers that are as good as all the ones (CIS white males) that we found
• We select them based on their merit, not gender
• We have to cater what our audience wants

As if...

• speakers other than CIS white males do not exist
• female (or non CIS white male) speakers are inferior
• No one is interested in female (or non CIS white male) speakers' opnion

hopefully things are changing and

Please prove them wrong

btw, tell our allies not to participates in menference or menal

So how do I start?

Finding a safe enviroment

Find a safe enviroment

• Local meetups with supportive audiences
• Internal events at workplace (if it is a supportive env)
• Communities that support inclusion and diversity
• Events that have an effective Code of Conduct (CoC)
• Online events that accept recorded talks

Find a mentor

Find a mentor

• Mentorship program (e.g. EuroPython)
• Ask a colleague or friend
• Ask in a supportive community

Your first talk

Your first talk

• Lightning talk (3-5 mins)
• Recorded or live
• Do not do live demos
• Reherse with a mentor or friend

Submitting proposals

Submitting proposals

• Do it before the deadline
• Talk about something that you care about
• Usecase at work may be a good start
• Avoid sale pitches
• Deliver the educational value of the talk
  (why should people attend your talk)
• State that you are identify as a minority in tech

And remember, it's common to have proposal rejected

Don't give up and try again

Grab the slides:
slides.com/cheukting_ho/1st-speaking-opp

Good luck ☺️