Speakers Bureau - Become a Speaker
Why become a Weave speaker?
If we are going to heal ourselves, our communities, and our country, we need to become a nation of weavers. We need to inspire everyone to start weaving. That’s why we created the Weave Speakers Bureau and that’s why you should join it.The formula is simple. We work to get weavers like you on stages to share the story of how you became a weaver and how weaving is helping heal your community. The stage might be a local church or a Rotary Club, or it might be a college or major conference like SXSW.
Stories help us share who we are, what we have lived through, and what we care about. They touch hearts and move people to action. Share yours. It’s the best way we can create a nation of weavers.
If you don’t think you are ready or have a good story, take a chance. Weave will support you with training, custom coaching, and a peer group of other speakers.
What can I expect as a speaker?
Weave will work to get you opportunities to speak or be interviewed. We will teach you how to seek local speaking opportunities yourself. We support you with training and personal coaching. Some engagements will offer honoraria, while others will offer mainly experience, exposure, and impact.
As a member of the Weave Speakers Bureau, you will have a public profile, so event organizers and media can learn about you. Weave is a matchmaker, not a middleperson. We connect you to opportunities. We don’t collect any fees. We can’t guarantee you’ll get opportunities, but nearly all our speakers have had at least one engagement in our first year.
What will I commit to as a speaker?
You must attend 10-11 hours of training and onboarding sessions over several months. You will work with an editor to create your speaker profile. You should be open to talking to any audience, though you don’t have to accept every speaking opportunity. You will tell your story within the context of Weave’s mission to build social trust and weave a strong, inclusive social fabric.
You should be able to attend all of these one-hour onboarding sessions. We can allow up to one absence:
- Speaker Orientation: Tues, October 10 at 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT
- Story of Self Workshop: Tues, October 17 at 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT
- Weave Message Workshop: Tues, October 24 at 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT
- Pitching Workshop: Tues, November 14 at 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT
Additionally, you will need to complete Weave’s six-part training series called Becoming a Great Speaker: How to Weave With Words. These one-hour live sessions are offered once a month and will also be available soon to do at your own pace in the Weave Learning Center.
Finally, we expect you to be a member of the Online Weave Community and to share your experience and expertise with other weavers as your time allows. You will need to sign the following Weave speaker agreement.
What makes a good Weave speaker?
The most important quality is that you are actively weaving in your community and are excited to share your story to inspire others to weave. You don’t have to be an experienced speaker, though experience helps. Beyond that, you must be able to commit to the training and onboarding work described above and in the speaker agreement above.
Weave will select a group of 8-12 people for our next cohort of speakers. We are looking for people who:
- are willing to engage with all types of audiences
- see their work and life experience in terms of weaving
- have already engaged with Weave, whether by attending events or trainings, participating in the Weave Awards, being active in the online Weave Community, using the Weaver Network, etc.
- are interested in approaching local contacts, with Weave support, to pitch talks to faith groups, civic groups, schools, or other local organizations
- have computer access with strong wifi to participate in trainings and virtual speaking opportunities
- can travel with reasonable accommodation, if requested
- Ability to travel as needed with reasonable accommodation.
How do I apply to be a speaker?
You will fill out an application that includes information about you, your community, and your experience. You will need to record a 2-3 minute informal video of you talking to your phone and sharing a story of your weaving.
A group of Weave staff and community advisors will select speakers. The process may include an interview. The group will look to select a cohort that comes from a range of communities spread around the country and from a range of different life experiences (age, ethnic background, type of weaving work, etc.)