Working with Agile Alliance First time Speaker Mentoring Initiative

This year Agile Alliance is working hard to support new voices at conferences by introducing a First-time Speaker Mentoring Initiative which will be supported by mentors from their community and we hope many of our own TechVoices mentors will get involved as well!

Are you looking to speak at Agile 2020 and would appreciated a mentor?

Come join us via our calendly link. We are accepting mentees throughout the month of January and would love to see you there!

What will the mentoring look like?

The mentoring will follow our onboarding strategy of hosting a 15 minute call where the mentor can help the mentee hone in on their most promising story to share in a conference submission. While 15 minutes may not polish the text of a proposal, it can provide focus and clarity for the mentee on what story they should share.

So knowing this, here are a few FAQ's you may be thinking about:

What makes a great candidate for mentoring through the first-time speaker mentoring initiative?

This initiative is set to pair experienced speakers and conference organisers/track chairs for 15 minute call to prepare people for submitting proposals. It can be scary to apply for your first talk or disheartening to apply over and over without an acceptance letter. Our mentors have all been in those positions in their past and want to help share their tips for how to structure and focus your written proposals to let your voice shine through.

You have experience sharing at work and in your community and aren’t sure what to focus on for an international conference talk?

Work with a mentor to identify one of your key stories to focus on and which details help showcase your passion best for writing the proposal.

Free time is at a premium and worried about starting mentoring in fear of what commitment it will be?

This is a one time only, 15 minute call. Once selected, you can focus on what's needed to prepare, but for now take advantage of a low risk way to get started!

Do you have a draft proposal that you have been working on and aren’t confident enough to submit yet?

Our mentors are experienced speakers/program chairs who know about past conferences & have ideas for what is needed in the future. The can help you gain confidence in your stories.

Previous conference proposals have been turned down and you are losing hope?

Every speaker has been rejected from many events. Selection requires teasing out the unique aspects of your story and our mentors are often experienced program reviewers and can share what they look for.

Not sure of the @AgileAlliance event is right for you?

The world of conferences is vast and while we would love for you to join us in Orlando, we care more that you share your story. Join us regardless of when or where you hope to use your proposal.

Proposals aren’t the problem? You are a confident writer but speaking on stage is a whole different game?

We want to help you submit to a conference. This can include understanding a possible journey of acceptance to speaking to build confidence to submit to @AgileAlliance

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