Hosting an in-person meetup for women podcasters in Singapore

On October 17, my friend Rhianne Lovell-Boland and I held our first-ever “Women in Podcasting Community ???” meet up in Singapore?

In total, there were ten of us who were able to make it and it was a FABULOUS time ?? ????

In this newsletter, I’d love to share some of my reflections post-event. I’ll also share some specific feedback from the awesome peeps who joined.?

I hope this might be interesting for you if you’re planning your own event, OR maybe you’re secretly hoping to join our next meet up ?? Let’s dive in:?

2 Things that were absolutely fantastic

? The conversations were simply fabulous. I personally gleaned insights from every person who shared their thoughts and experiences

• “It was a wonderful evening of sharing! I loved the intimacy of it and the open dialogue”
• “I loved how easy the conversation flowed and how open and honest people were in sharing their thoughts on what was working/what wasn’t”

? There was noticeable diversity among our attendees - Not just in terms of their level of podcasting experience, but also in terms of their expertise and professional industries, age, and culture.?

This was pretty cool because it shows us that podcasting is a medium that interests folks from different walks of life and that there is potential for a vibrant podcasting community here in Singapore.?

• “I loved the diversity and safe space you guys facilitated!”
• “It was a diverse group, allowing for great exchange — as a participant I love being in rooms where there’s a range of experiences and people learn from each other”

2 Things that didn’t go as expected

?? Not everyone got the same amount of “airtime”

While I understand some folks may need time to warm up to their new friends, I do believe everyone at the table had valuable insights to share. As I’d love to hold a space where everyone can feel comfortable and confident sharing as frequently as they’d like, I will structure the event differently next time to see how to better facilitate this.

• “I think it's important to ensure the less vocal persons were involved too”
• “Some people participated more than others. Some felt intimidated to talk unless directly asked. Maybe there could be an activity to try to include everyone in the conversation - or give everyone a specific time to share their podcasting story”

?? Not gonna lie, but the beginning was a bit awkward

Folks came to the venue and quietly sat down. We could have done a better job warming up the space and creating buzz at the table. Whether it be having an icebreaker at the beginning or creating an agenda for the event so attendees know exactly what to expect, there’s room for change here!

• “Perhaps an open concept (not everyone at one table) may be better for such a diverse group and relatively big group”
• “I wonder next time if we could have the questions before we meet so we could think of something before that we would like to share.”

2 Things that surprised us?

?? 2 Hours is a great duration for a 10-person meet up.?

?? It seems like our attendees are craving a space to make new friends, have interesting conversations, and overall, have a good time

This takes the pressure off of us (the hosts) to do extensive preparations or teach.?

2 Things to change or experiment with next time?

??? I’d love to experiment with the way the conversations are structured

Ex: Have an ice breaker to open, consider having smaller breakout sessions before reuniting as a larger group, etc

??? It would be helpful to create a sort of “central hub” (such as an Instagram page) where peeps can easily access information about the meetup and see photos from past events to gauge whether this is the space for them

Alternatively, we could explore using a private WhatsApp group.

All in all, I was BEAMING after the event came to a close last Thursday night. I am beyond excited to host and be part of communities like this as I continue on my own podcasting and entrepreneurial journey.?

Hope to see you at the next meet up - Stay tuned for details! ???

Sounds good? Awesome. Let’s get to work.

I help business leaders and organizations build a substantial and compelling body of work that matters.

How I can help you:

• 1:1 Podcast coaching: I help business owners, consultants, and creators build a podcast content strategy that resonates with their audience, differentiates their brand, and establishes their position in the industry.
• Corporate consulting: I work with organizations to direct your capstone content projects. From conceptualization to scripting to coaching your team on facilitating conversation, I am your go-to strategic partner to execute your content ideas.

Schedule a discovery call for us to explore what working together might look like: https://cheryllau.com/discovery