Application now open for Mozilla Tech Speakers 2020 Cohort

[Michael_Ellis]

Hello, everybody!

The Mozilla Tech Speakers team is pleased to announce that the application period for a new onboarding cohort in 2020 is now open!

Mozilla Tech Speakers is a program aimed at creating a community of technical specialists interested in promoting the open web by speaking in public, giving demos, and delivering workshops.

Most of our Tech Speakers already have experience serving in their communities as technical evangelists and/or educators before they join the program. Many, but not all, also contribute to Mozilla. All support the open web.

Who: Anybody interested in becoming a Mozilla Tech Speaker is welcome to apply. We are looking for people who are interested in technical communication and who are speaking about issues and technologies that align with Mozilla’s mission and values. This includes, but is certainly not limited to, speaking about Mozilla or Mozilla Products.

The Tech Speakers program is a diverse, global community of passionate contributors. As such, we encourage individuals from all over the world to apply and participate. This year we aim to continue improving our program’s diversity and to identify qualified candidates from locations where we have less representation, including Eastern and Central Asia, South and Central America, and Africa.

When: All applicants will receive and official reply from the Tech Speakers team by January 15, 2020, informing them if they have been selected to continue onboarding into the program. The onboarding itself will take place from late January through March, 2020. The detailed schedule will be communicated to all accepted applicants.

Deadline: Applications will close on December 15th, 2019 at 11 pm Pacific Time

What to do: to apply, you need to fill the application form. In this application form, we will ask for some information about you, your online presence, your speaking experience, about your goals & motivations, and the topics you hope to present on. If you do not already have one, you may wish to create a Mozillians account before you begin your application.

Every applicant is required to provide a url to a video that shows them speaking about Firefox, Mozilla, or the open web from a technical perspective. This should be a published video on any website or video hosting platform; as you will not be able to upload your recording via the application form. This video doesn’t have to be long or fancy. It can be a 60-second pitch recorded on your mobile phone while sitting at the bus stop about why we should select your talk, or a simple description of who you are and why you are qualified to be a Tech Speaker. Or, you can share a link to a recorded talk you’ve already delivered. We want to know that you are comfortable speaking publicly, since that’s what this program is all about! If we can’t see you on video, we can’t admit you to the program.

To get the full benefit of the experience, participants in this program should expect to commit roughly 3-4 hours weekly during the onboarding period. This includes active real-time participation in scheduled group sessions (Labs), viewing of all the relevant “Masterclass” videos associated with the 6-part program; and completing weekly assignments designed to stretch your skills as a presenter and move you closer to your personal speaking goals.

All completed applications will be evaluated and considered; we will select candidates that show potential, talent, expertise, and an ability to advocate on behalf of Mozilla & the open web.

Best of luck,

The Mozilla Tech Speakers Team

[teoli (Jean-Yves Perrier)]

Hello, everybody!

As you probably know, we have opened applications for our next cohort of Tech Speakers.

I would like to give you some extra information about what will be asked in the application form.

1. You can only fill the application once. If you fill it several times, only the first application will be considered. This is done voluntarily as conferences will often not allow you to amend a proposal you submit.
2. We will first ask you some basic data: name, email address and country are mandatory, but other information, like a Mozillian.org pseudo or your LinkedIn profile, can be also given.
3. We will ask you to post a link to a video of you speaking. We want to have a sense of your level, with at least 60 seconds of you speaking. It doesn’t need to be a public event, but a link to you giving a talk is perfectly fine. You can create a video of you speaking for this. Just use your mobile phone, it is perfectly fine. It can be a technical presentation, a personal presentation, a pitch. Remember: we want to see you speaking in front of a camera, and it needs to be at least 60 seconds.
4. We want to know about your activities: you will be asked for your GitHub repo (if you have one), to more links to you speaking or having written blog posts or presentation about tech. You can link slide decks you have produced and available online, videos, blogs, … Our goal is to know what is your activity: most tech speakers are already active in their community.
5. We will ask you to pitch yourself: a small text explaining why you think you are a good fit for the program.
6. Finally, we will ask you a few questions about your goals: what are the topics of interest that you would like to speak about, why you want to join the program.
7. We are also curious to know how you heard about us and any other feedback: we want to improve!

I recommend you to record the video before starting to fill the form, as well to think about the answer to the different questions.

If you have any question, feel free to ask them here on Discourse, or to e-mail us (ts-staff@mozilla.com)

Cheers,

Jean-Yves, for the Tech Speaker Program

FAQ

• Do I need to speak English?
  We are eager to have speaker that will speak in other languages than English. So perfect English is not a requirement at all.

But, you need a certain level of English: all the communication in the program happens in English, as well as the sessions, meetings and meetups. You need to be able to read English and understand spoken English. You don’t need to be absolutely fluent when speaking in English: a tech speaker can be active in another language than English. Nevertheless, we need to evaluate your content, so for your application, if you want to submit your demo video in another language, please contact us in advance so we can check that somebody who will understand your language can assess you.

• Can I re-submit my application?
  If you have already submitted your application during this year application process, you can’t submit an amended version. If you do so, we will consider the first one! If you have submitted an application for another cohort: yes, please submit it again!
• What is the deadline for the submission?
  December 15th, 2019 at 11 pm Pacific Time
• What if I don’t have a video of me speaking on YouTube?
  We don’t need a video of you on YouTube, or even at a public event. You can record a 60-second (or longer) video of you, even with your phone, and put it in the cloud (that is, a place that providing a URL to the video, so that we can go there and watch it (several times as there are several of us evaluated candidates), and share this URL with us (we should have access to it, though!). Also don’t store it in a place that will delete it too early, we need to be able to access it at least until the onboarding is over!
• What if I don’t have a video of me publicly speaking?
  To assess you, we need to see you speak, but not necessarily in public. You can record a 60-second (or longer) video of you, even with your phone, and put in the cloud (that is a place providing a URL to access the video), and share this URL with us (we should have access to it, though!)
• When will I know if I’m accepted?
  We will contact all applicants by January 15th, 2020 and tell them if they are accepted.