Get Employer Support (Convince Your Boss)
Interested in taking our Present Yourself 8-week public speaking program?
Presenting is an important skill in just about every job and many employers will support professional development programs. If you are currently employed, we encourage you to ask your company for reimbursement for the Present Yourself program whether you can afford to pay the tuition out of pocket or not.
Need some support asking your boss? Here’s what we recommend to get the time and budget you need 👇
First, know your audience. Think about what’s important to your decision-maker and how they prefer to communicate then tailor your pitch to them.
Next, give them some information about the course and Women Talk Design:
- Women Talk Design is on a mission to see more women and nonbinary folks speaking up and being heard. We offer a platform to highlight incredible women and gender non-binary speakers so event organizers can easily find them. In addition, we organize training and events to empower new speakers and an online community to connect new and experienced speakers to ask questions, offer advice, and share opportunities.
- Present Yourself is an 8-week online program developed with experience from working with hundreds of new and experienced speakers and dozens of instructors over the years.
- In the course, you will learn the essentials of storytelling, a design framework for crafting compelling presentations, the importance of understanding your audience, practical tips for presenting, techniques to quiet your nerves, and the foundations of peer coaching and delivering feedback.
- In addition to lessons, you will have the opportunity to get peer coaching and feedback and gain access to a library of resources to keep learning and growing past the 8 weeks.
Then, highlight the benefits of taking the course and how it will impact you and your employer. Here are some key points:
- For less than the cost of a conference ticket, this online course can be completed on your own time and connects you with a whole community of support.
- We will give you necessary tools to be a better communicator and present your work and ideas with confidence internally.
- You will be better prepared to speak externally on your company’s behalf to stakeholders and at events.
- They are making an investment in the future of the company with professional development of current and future leaders.
- Supporting you and Women Talk Design works to elevate under-heard voices in your (and our) industry.
Finally, wrap it up by highlighting which aspects of the course you are most excited about and what your intended next steps are.
- Topics include getting clear about your why, identifying topics that matter, starting with story, brainstorming and structuring presentations, openings, closing, and transitions, showing up confidently, sharing your ideas widely, and presenting and getting feedback.
- Guest speakers include Denise Jacobs, Alla Weinberg, Christina Wodtke, Sara Wachter-Boettcher, Meena Kothandaraman, Tomomi Sasaki, Minal Bopaiah, StĂ©phanie Walter (she/her), Eleanor Reinholdt, Margot Bloomstein, Alexis Wong, & ‘Lade Tawak
- Identify at least one action you will take after completing the course to move yourself and your company forward. Examples include sharing key takeaways with your team or calling out a specific future event or presentation you’ll be better prepared for.
Don’t forget to include the cost of the course and key dates, such as the enrollment deadline and course kickoff. If they’d like any more information, point them to the course page.
Be sure to let us know if you’re using these tips, what questions you have, and what you find most successful when talking to your employer about professional development!