Do you want to become a confident public speaker? Do you want to learn how to give a talk that is persuasive, engaging and memorable? Do you want to increase your chances of landing future speaking gigs?

If you answered yes to the above, please consider joining Product Speaker Idol.  This will be our second season of the program. You'll join a cohort of 12 participants who will meet together to learn, practice and give/receive feedback on a product-related talk. 

Our program will be divided into 3 sessions:

session 1 - Tuesday, May 14, 2019 (6-8 PM):  COACHING Workshop 

Lauren Weinstein, Instructor of Strategic Communication at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, will lead a private interactive public speaking workshop with our cohort.  Her coaching advice will provide you with an immediately actionable set of tools to engage and inspire an audience.

session 2 - MON, july 29, 2019 (5-9 PM):  practice session 

You'll give a 10 minute talk in front of a coaching panel of experienced public speakers (Dan Olsen, author of the Lean Product Playbook, Deb Liu, VP Marketplace, Facebook and Ha Nguyen, Partner, Spero Ventures).  After your talk, the coaches will give you feedback on your talk and tips to improve.  After the session, you'll have a video of your talk for your personal review.

session 3 - TUES, aug 27, 2019 (5-9 PM):  final session

You'll give a 10 minute talk in front of the coaching panel and your cohort.  After your talk, you'll receive verbal feedback from the coaching panel and written feedback from your cohort.  After the session, you'll receive a professional, edited video of your talk that you may share with others to help you land future speaking gigs. 

At their discretion, the coaching panel may also declare a "winner" of Product Speaker Idol. The "winner" may be asked to speak at the upcoming November 12, 2019 Women in Product conference or an upcoming Silicon Valley Lean Product Meetup.

Q&A

Who is putting together this program?  Product Speaker Idol is a "goodness of heart" project sponsored by Women in Product and hosted by Dan Olsen, author of The Lean Product Playbook; Deb Liu, VP Marketplace, Facebook; and Ha Nguyen, Partner, Spero Ventures. 

How many participants will be part of the program?  Our cohort will be limited to 12 participants.

Is there a cost to sign-up?  The fee is waived for those who were nominated through WIP’s NominateHer program, as you will be sponsored by Women in Product. For all others, a $149 registration fee helps us put on the program to defray the cost of food and professional videographer.  (Note: We think there's a decent chance that you can get reimbursed for the program by your company.)

Do I need to be in product to register for Product Speaker Idol?  No, although we'll give greater priority to product managers and product leaders.

Where will the program be held?  All 3 sessions of Product Speaker Idol will be held at Spero Ventures offices in Redwood City.

Do I need to attend all 3 sessions?  We strongly encourage in-person attendance at all 3 sessions to increase maximum benefit from the program.  We do not recommend that you sign-up if you know that you cannot make one or more of the sessions.

If I apply, will I be guaranteed a spot in the program?  No. The organizers will determine who will participate in the program based on criteria such as work experience, public speaking experience, talk topic, and why you want to participate in the program.  All applicants will be notified by May 1. 

What if I have other questions not answered here?  Feel free to send an email to productleadersummit@gmail.com