Fireside with Voxgig

Andrew Grill calls himself a ‘practical futurist’. He is a professional writer, blogger and conference speaker—which means he gets paid to talk. And he wants to help you do the same.

You’ll learn why the first 90 seconds of a talk are vital, how clichés kill your talk, and how to tell when you’ve hooked your audience. Andrew also gives us tips on how to survive when the tech lets you down (something many of us can identify with). He shares his insights on why Blackberry failed, why we need to broaden our understanding of quotas, and why digital diversity is the next big idea in tech.

Learn more about Andrew here.

To get a weekly dose of public speaking tips, information, videos of great talks, conference news, book reviews and more, sign up to the Voxgig newsletter.

View all show notes, links, and more brilliant public speaking resources at voxgig.com.

If you like what you hear on Fireside with Voxgig, don’t be shy―tell everyone! Use  #firesidewithvoxgig on your social media.

In this episode, Richard sits down with Debbie Forster, CEO of the Tech Talent Charter. Debbie is an American who has lived in England for over 30 years. Her fascinating career is full of twists and turns, from being a head teacher to her current high-profile role. She tells Richard about her eventful journey, and explains how all her experiences have influenced her public speaking and have helped her create her career.

Debbie gives us her insights into why it’s important to always bring yourself into your performance, and how to deal with and learn from negative speaking experiences. She goes through an interesting history of diversity (or lack of it) in tech and explains why transparency around this issue is so important.

All of this ties in with the Tech Talent Charter, a UK-based initiative that drives organizations to commit a set of undertakings that aim to deliver greater diversity in the tech workforce (Voxgig has taken the pledge, as have many other tech companies).

Learn more about Debbie here.

To get a weekly dose of public speaking tips, information, videos of great talks, conference news, book reviews and more, sign up to the Voxgig newsletter.

View all show notes, links, and more brilliant public speaking resources at voxgig.com.

If you like what you hear on Fireside with Voxgig, don’t be shy―tell everyone! Use  #firesidewithvoxgig on your social media.