On day one of the 2023 European Women in Tech Conference, Janet Maldonado, Head of Engineering, Boehringer Ingelheim, stepped onto the stage to deliver her talk, “Disrupt or Be Disrupted: Embracing Change to Thrive in the New Frontiers of Technology.”

Women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are no strangers to seeing paths blocked and doors shut because of gender bias. While women have made inroads into these fields, they’re still in the minority . . .

Just 33% of the world’s researchers are women and this under representation occurs worldwide. — Unesco Science Report 2021 

Only 5% of leadership positions in the technology sector are held by women. —  PriceWaterhouseCooper (PwC) UK

Minority women are still grossly underrepresented in the U.S. STEM workforce:  13% Asian, 9% Black, 8% Hispanic. — Pew Research Center 2021 

Despite these dismal numbers I’m hopeful for change, for two reasons. First, I’m inspired by the amazing work being done by countless organizations and individuals for gender parity and drawing more women to STEM careers.

I love the message of confidence and hope from young women like this student at Carnegie Mellon Africa . . .

We’ve all been there: Sitting in a meeting and feeling hesitant or afraid to bring up an idea, ask a question, or (yikes!) disagree with a participant’s viewpoint. Or, as in my case, holding off on speaking up because my temperament is to listen and give myself time to process information before joining in (and that sometimes takes longer than the meeting allows!).

The next time the voice in your head says, “They’ll think my idea is stupid,” or “If I ask that question, someone might get upset,” think again. Your voice matters, and the world is not going to end if someone doesn’t like your idea or if another doesn’t like being disagreed with.

“Great speakers are not born, they are trained.” 

This Dale Carnegie quote is never more true than when you’re speaking at a conference—especially if it’s virtual.

With so many distractions, competing events, and potential technology glitches, virtual conferences are a place where you have to work extra hard to prepare for and wow your audience.