Dynamic(s) Women in Tech Webinar Breaks Down How to “Put Yourself Out There”
Dynamics Communities hosted its Dynamic(s) Women in Tech webinar, moderated by Lenore Flower, Chief Data Plumber, Data Plumber, LLC, and Lakshmi Ponnurasan, Product Lead, Truviz, Inc. The webinar was titled “From ‘Who, Me?’ to ‘Why Not Me?’ — Learning to Put Yourself Out There,” with discussions covering what holds us back from putting ourselves out there, navigating awkward interactions, and finding the confidence to take a step forward.
Moving Past What Holds Us Back
Feeling scared. The pressure to be perfect. Imposter syndrome. The list could go on if we were to name everything that holds us back from taking risks.
As women, there are a lot of things we have to unlearn, Lenore noted. It’s easy to slip into the mindset that you’re the only one who can mess up or be nervous. It’s easy to think that just because you’re standing behind a podium means that you have to know everything. But other speakers are in the same boat. We have to learn to brush things off and keep going. It’s okay to say “I don’t know” and follow up later on a question.
There are many misconceptions around being confident. It doesn’t mean being perfect or knowing everything. Confidence means that although you may be scared, you do it anyways. Being nervous about something means that you care. Lakshmi reminded, “You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to have everything sorted out. You can just keep going.”
Overcoming Awkward Situations
Encountering uncomfortable moments happens to all of us. We forget people’s names right after they introduce themselves. We stumble over our words. Someone doesn’t like something that you said. The good thing? You’re not the only one. “It’s an inherent part of human interaction,” Lenore said.
Lakshmi and Lenore shared some helpful tips for addressing awkwardness:
- Remember: You might not be for everybody, but you’re definitely there for some people. Don’t hold yourself back just because you’re worried about what others think, because what you bring to the table will resonate and help someone.
- Accept that the upside of these situations is that you’re both awkward — and that’s okay. Sometimes good conversations require a pause of awkward silence…and it’s okay to ask someone to repeat their name.
- Having a supportive community, like Dynamics Communities, is a game-changer for putting yourself out there. The community is full of people with great insights who also want to learn from you and encourage you. Having support can give you confidence to push through experiences, making them less scary and more fun.
A Step Forward
Leaving attendees with actionable steps, Lakshmi and Lenore provided small ways for women to start putting themselves out there:
- Share a lesson that you learned, such as through a post on LinkedIn, or contribute something meaningful by commenting on someone else’s post.
- Record a video just for yourself. You create space for yourself to grow as you build confidence to speak and share your insights with others.
- Brag about yourself. If you have something special, you should tell people!
- Join communities (like Dynamics Communities). Jump into a chat, introduce yourself, and you’ll start getting connected.
You don’t have to write a 500-word blog to start putting yourself out there. These are simple, small steps that you can take today to build up to bigger steps in the future.
Final Thoughts
The webinar concluded with breakout room discussions. Groups discussed common hesitations, what’s holding them back, and how we can help each other overcome hurdles.
By speaking up, showing up, and persevering, we can continue creating space for others to be more vulnerable, do it scared, and grow confidence to take risks.
