Write/Speak/Code: 10x Myself

I am very active in the Android community, blogging and speaking and sharing code, but I can only do so much as one person. To scale my efforts, I mentor others to do the same, which aligns with the goals of Write/Speak/Code exactly.

During Write day last year I shared my conference report blogging formula, I have seen it being adopted widely. Some examples:

• Big Android BBQ 2015 by Kelly Shuster
• What I learned from Google I/O 2016 by Margaret Maynard-Reid
• Write/Speak/Code 2016 Recap by Annyce Davis

For speaking, last year I met fellow Android developers Yash Prabhu and Danielle Vass at Write/Speak/Code, and I am delighted to see them start their speaking careers shortly afterwards.

This year, I was on the writing panel again, and also moderated the conference organizers panel. I hope to inspire many more women to go forth and share their knowledge. Storify:

• Writing for Developers Panel
• Conference Organizers Panel

Besides mentoring, I took the opportunity of being surrounded by amazing women to level up my own career as well. One of my 2016 speaking goals is to give a keynote, and during Write/Speak/Code I brainstormed and refined a topic that I am super excited about: The State of Android Testing.

The State of Android Testing https://t.co/q9pfkYcEmQ Like this tweet if you'd like to see me give this keynote at #DroidconNYC ❤

— Chiu-Ki Chan (@chiuki) June 26, 2016

I'd love to hear your Write/Speak/Code story. Did you get started on writing, speaking or open source because of it? Let me know!

Write/Speak/Code: Code

The third day of Write/Speak/Code is dedicated to contributing to open source.

Speaker buddies offsite

I have known my fellow writing panelist Corey Latislaw for a while, and we have always been speaking buddies, pushing and supporting each other. Rather than attending code day, we decided to have an offsite to catch up.

Brunching with @corey_latislaw at @feastnyc pic.twitter.com/aAXDaPCbfm

— Chiu-Ki Chan (@chiuki) March 21, 2015

Adorable snowman on the High Line pic.twitter.com/VoyC4mzP1q

— Chiu-Ki Chan (@chiuki) March 21, 2015

Yes, we played hooky for a leisurely brunch at Feast and a lovely walk on High Line. And we talked about our next steps as public speakers, brainstormed talk ideas, and plotted the steps to make it happen. This is the hallway track taken to the next level :)

The art of being awesome

We headed back to the conference just in time for Jen Myers's talk.

The awesome machine

"Awesomeness begets more awesomeness"- this perfectly sums up #WSC2015conf. Big congrats to the team! Looking forward to what comes next :D

— Asia Lindsay (@AsiaLindsay) March 21, 2015

Write/Speak/Code is a great combination of practical advice and dedicated time to write, to speak, and to contribute to open source. It is also a congregation of amazingly awesome women, pushing and supporting each other. Everybody is super charged with energy, ready to take their endeavors to the next level. Or as Buzz Lightyear puts it, to infinity and beyond!

This is a part of the Write/Speak/Code series. Read more: Intro, Write, Speak.

Write/Speak/Code: Speak

The second day of Write/Speak/Code is dedicated to speaking: writing a talk proposal, and giving a lightning talk.

Work in pairs

We started the day with a few exercise to brainstorm talk ideas and find a partner with similar interests. Each pair worked together throughout the day to write the talk proposal and prepare the lightning talk. Thisbuddy system is a brilliant idea, not only to bound off ideas during the day but also to hold each other accountable after the conference ended. I hope everyone will keep in touch with her partner and push each other to propose to conferences, help each other refine the talks, and cheer for each other as we all step on the stage!

Conference Organizer Panel

@sarah_guido has taken the stage as the moderator! So excited to hear her speak about speaking at confs! #wsc2015conf pic.twitter.com/qTm2IefOzC

— Elizabeth Ferrao (@MusingMurmurs) March 20, 2015

To help us write better proposals, Write/Speak/Code put together a panel of conference organizers, sharing their experience on the other side of the table.

After the panel, we split into small groups, and speaker mentors gave feedback to the talk proposals written earlier.

Speaking Effectively About Your Work

Next lecture is from Melissa Collom on how to create engaging presentations.

Lightning talks

Just like Write day ended with writing, Speak day ended speaking: give a lightning talk! Each talk was recorded, so everyone received feedback on the spot and can also go back to watch and review their talk.

This is a part of the Write/Speak/Code series. Read more: Intro, Write, Code.

Write/Speak/Code: Write

The first day of Write/Speak/Code is dedicated to establishing credibility, then sharing expertise through writing.

Impostor Syndrome

After the introduction from Write/Speak/Code founder Rebecca Miller-Webster, the first order of business was to address the impostor syndrome. Neha Batra gave us a 6-step formula to fight it:

Own your expertise

Next we went through a bunch of exercises to come up with our expertise based on our knowledge and experience.

Experts are not people on pedestals. They are ppl who share what they know. Own your expertise. Share it. - @rmillerwebster at #wsc2015conf

— Chiu-Ki Chan (@chiuki) March 19, 2015

With that, we crafted a bio and brainstormed ideas to write or speak about.

@rmillerwebster on a bio: break out the data in shiny baubles! How many people have you affected/helped? #wsc2015conf pic.twitter.com/oLd3qHGicD

— Elizabeth Ferrao (@MusingMurmurs) March 19, 2015

Nice list of topic types to consider writing or speaking about and getting the ideas flowing! #wsc2015conf pic.twitter.com/Occs9r5G40

— Melissa Xie (@mxie) March 19, 2015

Writing panel

I really like how Write/Speak/Code alternates between hands-on activities and lectures/panel. Next up is the writing panel, and I got to share my experience alongside Pam Selle, Debra Williams-Cauley, Julie Steele, and Corey Latislaw.

So inspiring to hear from these awesome ladies speaking, writing & making their voices heard in tech #wsc2015conf pic.twitter.com/QUsbN7K4xK

— LeeAnn Kinney (@_leekinney) March 19, 2015

"If you mess up nobody knows! Because you have no readers." - .@chiuki on starting to blog. #wsc2015conf

— gwendolyn weston (@purpleyay) March 19, 2015

"When you produce content, you don't have to produce the kind of content you're not interested in." .-@pamselle #wsc2015conf

— gwendolyn weston (@purpleyay) March 19, 2015

Writing sprint

We concluded Write day by writing a blog post. I just stepped off the writing panel, and realized that I forget to share my blogging formulas, so I ended up writing a blog post on how I write conference reports. Oh so very meta!

This is a part of the Write/Speak/Code series. Read more: Intro, Speak, Code.

Write/Speak/Code: Intro

When I heard about Write/Speak/Code, I know I want to be a part of it. My career has benefited tremendously from writing blog posts, speaking at conferences and sharing my code as open source, and I want to empower other women developers to do the same.

Make it happen

Once I decided that I want to help out at Write/Speak/Code, I need to figure out how to make it happen. I met Vanessa Hurst while we were both speaking at OSCON 2013, and she co-founded Write/Speak/Code, so I reached out to her. She put me in touch with the organizing committee, and while I was waiting for results from mentor nomination and selection, I decided to write a blog post in the spirit Write/Speak/Code and send that to the organizing committee. A few weeks later, they invited me to be on the writing panel and also be a speaker mentor. Yay!

I normally don't share stories like this, but I feel this is appropriate for Write/Speak/Code. If you want to speak at a conference, there are many ways to get in the door. Answering to an open CFP (Call For Proposals) is one way, but you can also reach out to the organizers directly. If you don't know them, get an introduction. Make it happen.

Write/Speak/Code

Write/Speak/Code is a 3-day conference, each day dedicated to Write, Speak and Code:

1. Write
2. Speak
3. Code

Yup, the conference is so jam-packed with action that I need to write a separate blog post for each day! Click on each link above to read more.