Speak Easy is a voluntary program designed to increase diversity in tech conferences through dedicated conference spots, mentoring and events

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Diversity at Testing Conferences
Fiona Charles & Anne-Marie Charrett

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Previous Experience
We both had worked on the program
committee for CAST2012 and so had personal
experience of the difficulty in sourcing
speakers for Conferences.
When it came to Let’s Test Oz in Australia,
Anne-Marie worked hard to encourage female
speakers and inexperienced speakers to try
their luck speaking with limited success

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But is this true?

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Perhaps program committee?

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REASON 1
It’s a reflection of the number of
women in IT

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Vizuri 2006

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REASON 2
Women don’t want to speak

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REASON 3
Conferences try but Women don’t
APPLY to Speak

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REASON 4
Women don’t want tokenism

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Reason 5
We take people on merit only

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What is Merit?
• You have spoken before?
• You are known by the community?
• You are a member of the program committee’s tribe?
• You are good at speaking?
• You have speaker credibility?
• You have a reputation as a good tester?
• You are entertaining?
• You are loud and noisy?

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Moving Forward
• The way to improve the pool of women
speakers is through personal one on one
mentoring.
• The program integrated with conferences so
that women being mentored had a specific
goal in mind.
• We wanted conferences to secure a
speaking spot – (inspired by the Yow!
Women in Tech competition)

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Ways to increase Female Participation
•Female Organisers
•Female Program Committees
•Strong Presence in Female Community
•Conscious Effort by Program
Committee to encourage Diversity
(CAST2014)
•Early Action (CAST 2015)

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‘if you are going to wait until you
feel
like you are an expert,
you are never going to do it’

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One thing I know for sure, I would
not have done that first 5 minute
lightning talk at CAST weren’t for
the support of some amazing
people.

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What you can do
• Become a Volunteer
• Become a mentor
• Conference allocate a Speak Easy Spot
• Companies can donate and support
Ru Cindrea Lee Hawkins

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QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS?

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