People

Laura North, Director, Speaking Out

I founded Speaking Out in 2009 after many years of successfully avoiding most forms of public speaking.

I was working as a writer and website editor for a number of years before becoming interested in start-ups and innovation.

In 2008, I went to Social Innovation Camp and was part of the team that co-founded AccessCity in just 48 hours. But when it came to presenting the business in front of a crowd of 100, I quickly shrank into the background. It struck me then: How many opportunities am I missing because I avoid public speaking? Pitching ideas, speaking in big meetings, presenting my work at events. The list is long. And the truth is: if you speak, then you get noticed.

But it was the fact that there were lots of other people in the same position that made me want to do something about it. Other women at Social Innovation Camp (who were definitely in the minority) also said they didn’t feel comfortable presenting an idea to a crowd. I spoke to my friend and colleague Christian Heilmann, who is a great speaker – informal, compelling and always himself – and we agreed some action was needed. So I organised the very first Speaking Out event in February 2010.

It’s grown from there really. We were commissioned to run an event and workshops at City Hall, and we’ve delivered many events since in collaboration with organisations such as the Girl Geeks, Sense Worldwide, the University of the Arts London and FutureMap. We also won a Future100 Award in 2011 and an UnLtd Award in 2011.

The plan is for Speaking Out to help me and other people find better ways of communicating in public, facilitating more enjoyable, honest and constructive conversations.

Speaking Out Trainers

Katie Streten, Head of Digital Strategy, Imagination

Katie is the lead trainer for Speaking Out, part of her never-ending quest to see more women represented at conferences and events.

She has spoken at several Speaking Out events and delivered training at City Hall and the University of the Arts London, where she also created a series of video top tips to help with public speaking. Her approach is informal, practical and user-centred.

Katie’s role at the design agency Imagination includes responsibility for developing insight, constructing narratives for/with brands, and making them happen in a digital environment – online or offline.

She has 12 years experience of managing sites and communities online, including working for companies such as Thomson International, The Science Museum in London and most recently at Channel 4. She was Managing Editor of 4Learning, managing the provision of creative educational projects, and responsible for all of the channel’s factual output on the web from News and Sport to Culture, History and Science.

Christian Heilmann, Developer Evangelist, Yahoo!

Chris is a prolific speaker and an inspiring example of how to be a great public speaker while being yourself. He’s been a Web Developer for almost 10 years and is currently a developer evangelist for Yahoo! which means he travels around the world speaking about his work.

His list of speaking engagements would make even the most seasoned and confident speaker shake with anxiety, even if only due to lack of sleep and jet lag.

Chris has got many practical ideas about how to engage an audience, ways to reduce pressure on yourself as a speaker and, most of all, how to be yourself.

He was voted Most Inspiring Speaker in the Slideshare Zeitgeist competition 2009. He wrote his first book because he was bored on the tube, and he’s written a chapter about how to make a good presentation as part of his Developer Evangelist book.