allypalanzi/wespeaktoo

DC area women and non-binary people interested in speaking at data and tech events. Add your name!

weSpeakToo

###DC is often cited as #1 for women in tech. Yet women, along with non-binary people, are woefully underrepresented as speakers at area professional events.

###http://wespeaktoo.org/ hopes to help close that gap. It is a list of DC-area women and non-binary people who are interested in speaking at professional data and tech events. Please share this website and encourage women and non-binary people in your life to add themselves!

###How can I add my name to the list? You can fork this repo and add your name directly. You can also email me your information.

Why should I be on this list?

Public speaking is a great skill to have. Speaking at a professional event can help establish yourself in the field, expand your skill base, make new connections, and looks great on a resume to boot. Giving a talk is also one of the best ways to solidify knowledge. Beyond personal benefits, the very presence of women and non-binary speakers at professional events can help promote diversity, dispel notions of what an "expert" looks like, and encourage others to join the field or take a more visible role.

Dispelling some common myths

• You don't need to be an expert to speak on a subject. In fact, sometimes it's the best way to learn something new! You might not even have found your footing yet. One recent tech meetup was a fresh-out-of-undergrad giving a talk on finding a job and his way in the industry.
• You don't need to have ever column filled to be on this list. Don't have a twitter account? Don't have a language or software to add? That's okay!
• There is no baseline for a talk to be "techy" enough. Don't think your talk or knowledge is "techy" enough? Nonsense! There are many, many backgrounds fit for a good data or tech talk - project management, media, design, and more.
• Public speaking isn't as scary as you think, and you might even like it. I promise! Practice can prove that. Start where you like, maybe a smaller meetup or roundtable discussion. It defnitely won't be a nightmare, you definitely won't be naked.