Central Coast Tech Girls
Speaker Guidelines
Central Coast
SPEAKERS GUIDELINES
2007
An AWISE / IBM Event
Aussie girls are opting out of IT!
The statistics show that the rate of uptake for I.T. subjects, both at school and in tertiary institutions is currently sitting around 20% and girls represent less than 20% of the I.T. workforce. Tech Girls is a special event aimed at making girls aware of the many career options open to them in I.T., as well as areas that require a high level use of technology such as Media production, Forensics and Biotechnology.
Girls attending the day will have the opportunity to listen to speakers from a range of fields and on topics from artificial intelligence to web design. They will also have time to explore and participate in mini-workshops in a Demonstration Zone that includes activities such as Lego Robotics, forensic science, digital story-telling, music-making and photography as well as web, ecommerce and graphics design.
There are great prizes on offer, too.
Tech Girls is not about excluding boys. It is about engaging girls with technology and raising awareness of the possibilities that are available to them. It is about encouraging girls to take up I.T. and science-based subjects at school and in tertiary studies. It is about leveling the playing field so that young women have the same sorts of opportunities for employment in the I.T. industry as men currently have.
Guidelines
These guidelines are intended to assist you in your preparation and presentation for this event, based on our previous experience. They are a guide only but do outline our expectations of you as a role model speaker.
Audience
The audience will primarily be girls from Years 8 –10 but may include some Yr 11 or 12 students. Please target your presentation at girls aged between 14 and 17 years.
We are expecting about 200 students to attend the day. They will be divided into 3 groups and assigned to a room for the role model sessions. Rather than have the students moving from room to room we are asking our speakers to move. We found this worked very well last year in this venue, saving time and avoiding confusion amongst the students.
It is important to note that the attention span of girls in this age group is approx 10-15 minutes. Successful speakers will use a range of strategies to engage the girls in their presentation including visual aids such as PowerPoint, open questions to which the girls can respond, humour, demonstrations which may involve audience participation and the use of rewards to encourage participation. We strongly suggest you avoid standing in front of a group and talking at them for 15 minutes.
Each speaker session will be 20 minutes duration and we suggest you allow approx
12 minutes to present, 5 minutes for questions and discussion and 3 minutes for finishing up and leaving the room. Each room will have a hostess who is responsible for ensuring your session finishes within the 20 minutes so please plan your presentation to suit the time you have. The hostess will give you a 5 minute warning leaving you enough time to wrap up and allow for a couple of questions. Unfortunately the program doesn’t allow us to be flexible and you will be politely requested to finish your presentation if you run over time (nicely, of course!)
Facilities
Each room will have a data projector and laptop available for you to use. There will be no Internet access available in the room. Microsoft PowerPoint will be available on the laptops, please contact Jacky Hunt if you require specialised software for your presentation.
Please email a copy of your presentation to on or before May 3, 2007 and bring a back-up copy with you on the day. All presentations will be loaded in each room prior to the event to save time and avoid technical difficulties. Please note, if speakers make last minute changes to their presentations it will need to be changed in three rooms, we suggest you either avoid last minute changes or arrive at 9am on the day so we can re-load your presentation.
Water coolers will be available in each room if you require water before, during or after your presentation.
Your Presentation
Be creative! We suggest that you start with a catchy title or tag line that will appeal to the girls and build your presentation from there.
Examples might be:
IT – what I didn’t know then but do know now
High heels, leather handbags and IT
Look good, feel great, get into IT
IT’s not all nerds, geeks and dorks - I found my partner working in IT
Me, myself and IT – starting your own business
We want to encourage girls to look at IT as a possible career path but we also want to raise awareness of the barriers they may face along the way. So share your experiences, both positive and negative, however, please be careful not to give your presentation a negative spin or use it to “male bash”.
We recommend you avoid using a formal business style presentation for this audience. A storytelling format, use of humour and images such as cartoons are more likely to engage them. Relax, be honest in what you share, enjoy the experience and your audience will respond.
The girls will be keen to learn from your experiences in IT and the path you have walked to arrive at where you are. Changes in jobs and career are a positive message since this generation is much more mobile than previous generations.
Many of the girls may not understand what IT actually is or how technology is used in your role so you may like to start your presentation with an overview of IT as it relates to you. Don’t forget that other speakers will be doing the same so make it specific to your role.
Program
Room /Lovelace
/ Holly / HopperHostess /
TBA
/ Lauren Ryder / TBA9:00am /
Registration
9:35am /Welcoming Address – Maree Roberts - DET
9:50am / Keynote speaker – Jenine Beekhuyzen10:20am / Morning Tea
10:50am / Michelle Allen / Lexmark Girls /
DEMO ZONE
11:10am / Bec Dorries / Sarah Ray11:30am / Sara Alag /
DEMO ZONE
/ TAFE Girls11:50am / Lexmark Girls / Sarah Ray
12:10pm /
DEMO ZONE
/ Michelle Allen / Bec Dorries12:30pm / TAFE Girls / Sara Alag
12:50pm / Prize Draw and Close
This is a draft program and there may be changes prior to the event. Please contact Jacky Hunt () should you have any queries regarding the program.
Biographies
Speaker profiles are included in the Central Coast Tech Girls booklet and on the DVD. If your profile has not already been submitted, please complete the attached form and return to Jacky Hunt before May 2nd along with a photo of yourself.
Sample Speaker Profile
Below is a sample of speaker profiles.
Job Title: Open Source Consultant
Job Description:
I predominantly work with Open Source Software like Linux, and Open Office and consult to large companies and Government agencies. I assist with Open Source strategic planning, research, industry development and infrastructure support. I also have my own consulting business called Waugh Partners and work part time for Macquarie University as a researcher looking at the use of Open Source in the Higher Education space on a project called ASK-OSS.
Best thing about job:
Flexible, fun, satisfying. I love working with Open Source and being able to do it full time on a variety of projects is always challenging and fun.
Best experience working in IT:
Being recognised as an expert in my field. I have been working with Open Source now for some time, and now have reached a point where I am a nationally and internationally recognised expert in my field.
Hints or Tips:
Find your passion, surround yourself with inspiring people, stand on the shoulders of giants and always make sure you are having fun doing it :) After all, if you love what you do, you will become great at it and every day will feel like a holiday.
Job Title: Service Desk Manager/Systems Engineer
Job Description:
Manage an internal IT support Service Desk. Maintain network/systems infrastructure and databases.
Best thing about job:
The interaction with the people you meet, and making them happy when you fix their problems, even if they’re on the other side of the world! Also seeing people’s reaction when a female turns up to fix their computer problem.
Best experience working in IT:
Supporting the computer systems for the Honda Formula 1 Team.
Hints or Tips:
Believe in yourself and just go for it. Don’t let the stereotype deter you - you can have brains and beauty.
Sample Images
Please try to choose a photo of yourself that has an uncluttered background. Your image will then be inserted into a gadget (let us know if you have a preference) and the final picture sent to you for approval before being used. Here are some examples of previous role models.
Prizes
Giveaways are a great way of encouraging the girls to participate in your presentation. We will have some prizes available in each of the rooms, but request that you encourage your employer and industry contacts to also contribute prizes. Prizes can be as simple as a lollypop or chocolate through to shirts, vouchers, posters and pens. We ask that any larger prizes are put aside and used in the final draw at the end of the day.
Timeframes
3 May -Profiles must be returned on or before May 3 so we have time to get
them printed
23 May-Presentations to be sent to Jacky Hunt ()
along with any technical requirements not outlined in this document
8 June-Arrive at venue by 9am so you have time to view the venue and
attend a speakers briefing at 9:15am. Please let Jacky know prior to the day if you will not be able to arrive until later in the morning or if you will need to leave before the event finishes
15 June-Return speaker survey
Contacts
Should you have any queries regarding Tech Girls or this document, please contact
Jacky Hunt 0409 621452
(Event Coordinator)
Please note I will be overseas and unable to be contacted from May 10th– 21st should you require assistance during this time, Debbie Thompson may be able to help you.
Debbie Thompson 4322
(Schools Coordinator)
Role Model Profile
(Return to on or before May 3, 2007)
Name:
Job Title:
Company/Institution:
Job Description:
Best thing about job:
Best experience working in IT:
Hints or Tips for Girls:
Contact details:
(optional)
Limit your profile to no more than one A4 page.
Please attach an image with your email that can be used in our booklet. The final image will be sent to you for approval before it is published.
Thankyou for contributing to Central Coast Tech Girls, 2007.
We hope you enjoy the day!
Speaker Guidelines v1.0 1