Archives for October 2015

October 27, 2015 By Lisa Ghisolf Leave a Comment

The elephant in the room: Impostor Syndrome

This entry is in the series 2015 Scholarship Recipients

Many of us suffer from it, but it is rarely brought up, or even given a name. The quick definition is, a psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments. And for women especially, we tend to take this to heart, by staying in bad situations too long (remember that awful job, anyone?) or working too hard. Then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy filled with stress and eventual burnout.

Thankfully, Neha Batra has an action plan to rethink and recenter this conversation, rather than the usual platitudes. Because, at the end of the day, we all have something to say. We’re all experts. Recognizing this and owning it will take you much farther than never trying at all.

First, recognize the language you use with yourself. Thinking you’re lucky or just “fell into this,” isn’t really the self-talk you need. Next, separate facts from feelings – what would make it a good thing if it happened? Would it be good for your career, your client prospects?

Analyze the facts of your situation: What makes you qualified to do this talk, or to apply this job? Make a list of your accomplishments, the programming languages you know, the experiences that have brought you here. And, rewire; keep in mind, what’s the worst that could happen? I’ve heard it again and again (and again today) that your audience wants the best from you, they want to see you succeed. More often than not, you have something to share that others can benefit from, at any skill level. Is your perspective on an issue unique? Think about giving back to the community and those who are before you. Newbies can learn from pros, and vice versa.

Probably most important, do it. Put yourself out there, and try it. All the work to this point doesn’t mean much if you don’t step up and take the chance.

Finally, reflect once it’s over Were you right? What can you walk with with, for the future? And don’t forget to celebrate: You’ve accomplished something for yourself, and for your audience. And that’s reality.

Write to change the world

This entry is in the series 2015 Scholarship Recipients

Write day at the Write/Speak/Code conference commenced with the welcome and opening talk by Founder, Rebecca Miller Webster on overcoming stereotypes and imposter syndrome. She reflected on how and why Write/Speak/Code began.

Followed by Neha Batra’s “You are not your imposter syndrome”. She talked about how to identify and overcome imposter syndrome using following 6 steps.

Recognize (the language and that it’s happening again)
Separate (facts from feelings)
Analyze (facts only and expand them)
Rewire (base your decision on the facts)
Do it
Reflect and celebrate.

Own your expertise

Next we carried out a couple of activities and accomplished following things.

Crafted a high level and networking bio and framed ourselves as Experts.
Generated 20 topics that we can write/speak about
Drafted a blog post and got feedback from peers and experts

Writing for developers panel

Speakers Chiu-Ki Chan, Pam Selle, Debra Williams-Cauley, Julie Steele , and Corey Latislaw shared their experience and thoughts on writing opportunities and technical publishing. One of the important tips was, not to edit while writing. Writing and editing to be considered as two separate steps.

Topics to write about

Write about what did not work. So others don’t have to go down the same dead end.
Something you Googled/some problem had to solve recently
When you produce content, you don’t have to produce content you are not interested in.

Some of the appealing quotes from the write day talks included

Open source is like being an adult. It’s magical until no one knows what the hell they are doing.
We stay too long in demoralizing work situations. Life is too short to stick it out in a miserable job.
Being aware of your thoughts and intercepting them helps you change your behaviors. Do it anyway.
Leap with a safety net. Have someone in the audience to back you up.
Even if the risk is high, the experience of preparing itself is invaluable.
After you do something that’s out of your comfort zone, reflect on what you learned and tell yourself that you’re awesome.
Don’t let your fears stop you from giving your best effort (Dr. Klawe)
Experts are not people on pedestals. They are people who share what they know. Own your expertise. Share it.
Fake it until you make it.
If you mess up nobody knows! Because you have no readers.

Conclusion

The best part of the conference is executing lot of activities after each talk which involved teaming up with other attendees (different for each activity) and working in small groups directed by organizers which lead to spontaneous networking, thorough understanding and imbibing of the matter the speaker’s were presenting.

We came up with lot of new ideas on writing, understood how to write what strategies to use, what things to avoid, things which are blocking/holding back and how to get over that.

I think, I am awesome as I wrote my first ever blog post after the conference.

Conquering the CFP

This entry is in the series 2015 Scholarship Recipients

Calls for Proposals (CFPs) always seem to give me pause. Trying to fit one’s knowledge into a short time slot, selling it to the organizers as something their users will enjoy, and packaging oneself as an expert are all daunting, if indeed I take the time to apply.

Our Speak day panel of conference organizers Rebecca Miller-Webster, Rachel Ober, Celia La, Carol Willing, and Sarah Guido confronted this issue head on. With so many tech conferences starting up every day, there’s a very good chance that your expertise can be showcased.

Important to all organizers was specificity – not vague topics, but clearly outlined subjects along with how you will address them. Full slides usually aren’t required, but knowing how you’ll answer the questions you present will give the organizers more with which to work.

Coraline stressed that passion and personality are key, and a video of your past speaking experience – even from Meetups or other informal settings – can give a better idea of your presentation style and how engaged your audience will be.

Selling is a no-no across the board: Don’t pitch at organizers with marketing speak, but share how the attendees will benefit. Focus on the audience and what they will learn as opposed to what you will show them.

And organizers love it when you spin a topic to your own perspective – as a newbie coming in, or a specific situation you overcame.

The CFP isn’t as daunting as I’d previously thought – and with practice I’m sure to build my armor and my speaker cred.