Recently, I had the honor of participating in the North America Women Developer’s Academy (WDA) 2023, facilitated by Women Techmakers and the Google Developer Experts. This six-week virtual program focused on strengthening technical women in various aspects, including skill development and community involvement. As a Women Techmakers Ambassador, my main goal was to improve my technical prsentation skills. The program included weekly workshops, mentorship sessions, and coursework. One of the highlights was crafting a 15-minute presentation under expert guidance, aimed at future speaking events.
Nailing Technical Presentations
Jen Person, a Developer Relations Engineer at Google, led our first workshop. The session provided a clear roadmap for creating well-structured technical talks. From understanding your audience to quantifying success, Jen guided us step-by-step. She suggested a clear outline, including sections like Introduction, Problem Description, Solution, and Conclusion. The session even touched on how to effectively use elements like code snippets and architecture diagrams. Homework? Creating our speaker bios and presentation decks. The focus was straightforward: arming us with what we need to give impactful tech talks.
Mastering Presentation Delivery
In the second workshop, Junnet Ali, a Google Community Program Manager, focused on the delivery aspect. Tailoring messages to your audience is key, she stressed. Through a structured approach that included research and practice, we learned how to keep our audience engaged. We also received tips on improving our virtual presence and delivering with confidence. Final steps included refining our presentation decks, obtaining mentor feedback, and practicing with recording tools like Nimbus, Zoom, or Meet.
Selling Yourself as a Speaker
Heather McCormick from Google Cloud Training & Certification took us through the art of effective self-promotion. This involved learning how to write talk proposals that catch the eye of conference organizers. Heather broke down the elements that make a proposal stand out: focus on the audience, clarity, and a compelling tone. We discussed how to draft impactful titles, abstracts, and leverage social media to establish credibility. The session concluded with actionable steps like proposal submissions and feedback gathering.
Building Confidence for Career Growth
Joana Carrasqueira, Manager of AI Developer Relations at Google, closed the series by focusing on the importance of confidence. Joana emphasized that confidence is a skill anyone can learn, crucial for performance and well-being. We explored tactics for boosting self-confidence, such as positive self-talk and setting achievable goals. She advised us to align our career plans with our core values and skills, encouraging us to seek mentorship and engage with communities for continuous growth.
Impact of Mentorship
I had the privilege of being mentored by Madona Wambua, an accomplished author, keynote speaker, and Android lead engineer. With her extensive background, including being a Google Developer Expert for Android and a GDG NYC Lead, Madona provided unparalleled guidance throughout the course. She hosts “Tech Talks with Madona” and is keen on sharing her wealth of Android knowledge. Our mentorship sessions started with getting to know each other and defining the objectives I wanted to achieve during the program. Under her guidance, I honed my presentation skills and refined my topics. Her mentorship was a cornerstone of my learning experience, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her insights and encouragement.
Conclusion
In summary, the North America Women Developer’s Academy has been an enriching experience that offered more than just technical know-how. I had the chance to connect with remarkable women in the field, each contributing invaluable perspectives and insights. This empowering environment has fine-tuned my public speaking abilities and provided me with actionable tools to share knowledge effectively. I’m excited to put these skills to use at upcoming DevFest events hosted by Google Developer Groups (GDG). This journey has not only equipped me with essential skills but also expanded my professional network, and I eagerly look forward to contributing to the tech community in meaningful ways.