Who is Lessons Learned For?
Women who are ambitious and kind. Our speakers range from fresh college graduates to CMOs to startup founders. The commonality is an inclusive attitude and a desire to learn from others and share what you know.
Our past speakers come from Apple, Gap Inc, Bank of America, UCSF, Sharethrough, Deutsche Bank, eBay, 23andMe, Aspire Public Schools, New York City Ballet, Percolate, Swarovski, Del Monte, and other orgs.
Our past speakers come from Apple, Gap Inc, Bank of America, UCSF, Sharethrough, Deutsche Bank, eBay, 23andMe, Aspire Public Schools, New York City Ballet, Percolate, Swarovski, Del Monte, and other orgs.
Are there Any criteria for stories?
Your story should be career/work related, 5 minutes long, and rooted in personal experience (i.e. something that actually happened to you).
What is your story framework?
(a) Personal story
Something that you experienced firsthand. Not something that happened to your cousin's friend's sister. The story should have a narrative arc -- this helps to bring the reader to the scene with you and it makes your talk more memorable.
(b) A takeaway for the audience
What lessons did you learn? People can interpret stories in different ways, so share what your takeaway was and what you think the audience should learn from your story.
(c) 5 minutes
5 minutes is not a long time, so narrow the scope of your topic. The more specific the better. With a narrower scope, you can take the time to bring the story to life with details that bring the audience right there with you, versus trying to cover too much and having to stay high level.
Something that you experienced firsthand. Not something that happened to your cousin's friend's sister. The story should have a narrative arc -- this helps to bring the reader to the scene with you and it makes your talk more memorable.
(b) A takeaway for the audience
What lessons did you learn? People can interpret stories in different ways, so share what your takeaway was and what you think the audience should learn from your story.
(c) 5 minutes
5 minutes is not a long time, so narrow the scope of your topic. The more specific the better. With a narrower scope, you can take the time to bring the story to life with details that bring the audience right there with you, versus trying to cover too much and having to stay high level.
What have previous speakers talked about?
Previous speakers have shared talks about:
- The importance of body language when giving feedback
- How to handle passive-aggressive coworkers
- Asking for favors without appearing desperate
- Establishing credibility when joining a new company
- Understanding your direct report's learning style
- Taking charge during crises
Do you have more examples of stories?
Alright, here's a longer list of topics that previous speakers have tackled:
- Using experiments to test your fears and assumptions
- Importance of fun and downtime as it relates to work
- Managing a performance review throughout the year so you don't get a bomb dropped on you
- Finding an advocate at work who cares about you more than the company
- Speaking up about a bad manager and telling the truth during exit interview
- Don't act too casually with senior leadership, even if they joke with you
- False promises about salary or promotions
- Always have a succession plan so you can get promoted and take PTO days
- Establishing credibility when you're the most junior person in the room without being overly deferential
- Bullying in the workplace
- How to handle power plays in email threads
- Letting people opt out when asking for favors so there's less pressure
- Issues women have to consider that men don't re: mentorship/ sponsorship
- Chief resident at major hospital - taking charge in the emergency room
- What you can/can't do with a remote manager in a global corporation
- Importance of body language when providing negative feedback to coworkers
- Leaving architecture in Moscow and discovering passion for design in the US
- Sometimes you can try really hard and it still won't work out - laid off after a lifetime of never failing at anything
- How to say no to a job offer, and suggest another position within org without burning bridges
- Getting an offer retracted for being "too aggressive" with negotiation
- To change behavior of a direct report, tailor to their learning style - teaching at UC Berkeley
- Human rights attorney on speaking up when you realize something has gone wrong with your plan
- Making the decision to leave the corporate world and become a freelancer
- Former ballerina for NYC Ballet on missing her chance when the perfect opportunity struck
- How an entrepreneur was undermined when she went on maternity leave
- Finding a way to bring empathy and authenticity to the workplace
- Finding the humility to ask for help at work
- How an Ivy League education led to waitressing, and eventually a fulfilling corporate job
- How to recover when your company is suddenly aqcuired and you get laid off
- Pushing through rejections in love and the workplace to get what you want
- Pediatric emergency medicine physician on dealing with setbacks on her way to becoming a doctor
How do I decide which story to tell?
You probably have a ton of stories, so choosing a topic is the hardest part.
You can start with broad topic areas--setting boundaries, confidence, speaking up--and think of specific lessons that you've felt like have most impacted you.
You can also go with a lesson you learned recently, or something you wish you had handled differently.
You can start with broad topic areas--setting boundaries, confidence, speaking up--and think of specific lessons that you've felt like have most impacted you.
You can also go with a lesson you learned recently, or something you wish you had handled differently.
How specific should my story be?
The more specific, the better. Narrowing the scope allows you bring in details that make a story vivid and helpful for your audience. We've found that the most powerful stories tend to have one narrative and one takeaway. Keep it simple, so you can enjoy telling the story, and the audience can imagine being in that moment with you.
