How did you celebrate International Women’s Day 2023?
The team at Marqeta International in London was pleased to mark the occasion with a special event titled the Female Breakthrough Forum, aimed at promoting confidence in public speaking.
Hosted by the brilliant coach and team trainer Octavia Phoebe Gilmore, the forum gathered together a small, intimate group of women from marketing and tech innovation at London’s Gridiron on March 8.
During the session, which required attendees to deliver several presentations, Octavia taught a series of effective strategies for making speeches, whether at an industry conference or during a new client pitch.
The Female Breakthrough Forum is part of Marqeta’s efforts to empower women at work and this inaugural event very much chimed with both the United Nations’ theme for IWD 2023 – DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality, and International Women’s Day’s #EmbraceEquity theme.
Delivering a show-stopping pitch or presentation
One of the first crucial pieces of advice to the group was to practise a presentation as many times as possible before the real event. Only by hearing the presentation over again is it possible to properly refine its content, pitch and timing.
If possible, ahead of a talk, try to assess the room while it’s empty and get a feel for speaking in that particular setting, practising pace and volume. Even better if a friendly colleague is able to listen, as they will be able to provide invaluable feedback from an audience perspective.
As the moment to present for real arrives, breathe out, consciously and deliberately.
During the presentation, it’s vital to be succinct. Octavia asked the group to imagine telling a 90-year-old what they did at work in no more than 20 seconds, resisting the temptation to find comfort in jargon or acronyms.
But it’s not just about content. Body language matters. Power pose, don’t slouch. Put hands on hips when standing and move towards the audience – connect positively.
As the presentation progresses, there’s always the risk of omitting a detail. Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world. Besides, how can anyone in the audience possibly know a piece of information was missing?
What matters more is sharp delivery, energetic projection and genuine enthusiasm for the topic.
As part of the preparation process, it’s worth considering how to answer any tricky queries. Here it’s important to ‘make your Point, give a Reason, provide Evidence and repeat your Point – PREP’. And then be quiet.
Inspiration from female leaders in financial technology
In addition to the superb public speaking skills workshop, the group was treated to an engrossing discussion between two of UK fintech’s most respected women – Liz Lumley, Deputy Editor of The Banker, and fintech and insurtech strategy consultant Sarah Kocianski.
Liz and Sarah talked at length about breaking through the glass ceiling, covering the various twists and turns of their careers, early speaking gigs and how enlightened male colleagues had made a difference.
The pair also offered their advice and guidance on delivering presentations, reinforcing the learnings of Phoebe’s session.
“In a world of dark suits, wear bright colours”. Stand out, differentiate and be memorable.
And whilst we’re recognising awesome Females In Fintech, here’s the latest ‘In Conversation With’ recording with Julie Chaterjee – Multitude Bank
If you’re a woman working in fintech, we’d love to hear from you.
Marqeta is keen to develop the Female Breakthrough Forum to help more women realise their potential in the world of financial services innovation. We’ll be staging events and sharing thought leadership content in the coming months. To find out more, get in touch here: dfernandez@marqeta.com
