Speaker Launchpad

Buckle up and start the launch sequence for your first (or fiftieth) tech talk

SIGN UP HERE

Note: we will contact applicants at the end of the month in which they applied

Many people struggle with speaking in public for all sorts of reasons. If that’s you, you are definitely not alone!

Speaker Launchpad is your mission support for accessing this great way of giving back to the engineering community and building your network and career in tech.

Coordinates locked. Destination: the stage.

Who is the programme for?

Speaker Launchpad is for adults based in Scotland who are getting ready to give a technical talk. You could be an experienced speaker who’d appreciate help to improve your speaking skills, or a complete newcomer who’ll be speaking for the first time.

Every astronaut was once just someone who said yes.

What is the programme?

You’ll work one-to-one with an experienced mentor to develop your presentation, which could be a:

• ⚡️5-minute lightning talk
• 🧑‍🏫a full 20-30 minute speech
• 🎬a video for YouTube

We can help you with things like:

• 🔎 Honing talk ideas
• 👷 Structuring and developing your talk
• 📣 Practicing your talk and receiving feedback
• 📢 Public-speaking style and confidence
• 👑 Support at your talk, including introducing you if desired
• 🙋🏾‍♀️ Answering questions (or deciding not to take them)
• 🌍 Post-talk networking

One small talk. One giant leap for your career.

What shape does the programme take?

Our standard structure is three sessions that guide you sequentially through:

• Honing your concept and pitch
• Refining structure and slides
• Practising with feedback

This format has emerged from our previous mentorships as a great starting point, but every talk is different and your mentor will work with you to tailor the programme to your exact needs.

Every rocket needs a launchpad. This is yours.

Fuel loaded. Slides done. All that's left is liftoff…

SIGN UP HERE

Your launch window is OPEN RIGHT NOW. (Okay, technically it's rolling - no strict cutoff - but why orbit the decision when you could just go?)

Who are Speaker Launchpad?

The core team are:

Fanny Demey

I’m a freelance mobile developer and an accessibility expert. I care about people and the planet and decided 4 years ago to work exclusively on projects with a positive impact. I’ve been involved in the French tech community since 2015, when I created a conference called Dev’Lille, which grew each year to reach 1,600 attendees. Through that experience, I learned a lot of things in many technical fields thanks to the community’s expertise. Later, I decided to give back by sharing my own knowledge. Over the past few years, I’ve given several talks, written articles and even a book. In 2023, I became a mentor to support underrepresented people in the industry to give their first talk.

James T. Harding (he/him)

Technical events were fuel for my own trajectory when I was career-changing into tech, so I'm passionate about helping others reach their own liftoff. Before landing as a full-stack web developer, I ran a publishing company, working closely with queer and Scots-language writers. I'm a trained public speaker, and I play a lot of tabletop roleplaying campaigns.

Louise Shambrook

I’m a software engineer working in the machine learning and data space. I switched careers in 2021 and moved into tech after completing a course at CodeClan. Having switched careers myself, I’m keen to support those entering the field, particularly from underrepresented backgrounds. I’m passionate about diversity and inclusion and I work to raise awareness of and address the challenges women in tech face.

Jamie McHale

I am the organiser of the Glasgow and Edinburgh JavaScript meetups, and write the weekly Scottish Technology Club bulletin. I have been a freelance developer and consultant for over fifteen years. I’m keen to build a supportive and engaging community of people so we can work on interesting projects and attract more and better opportunities to Scotland.