Find your Tempo amidst the chaos
What we’re bringing you this year — and why
The last eighteen months has sent content design into tailspin. I think it’s fair to say as leaders, many of us are just trying to keep our heads above water.
We’ve dealt with lay-offs, and even those who’ve kept their jobs have seen their team sizes reduced considerably. The expectation to do more with less has never been greater.
We’re continually at the mercy of conversations about AI — how are we using it, why aren’t we using it, when can our teams be replaced by it? We face-palm each time we see another senior business leader wowed by some flawed bit of generated output, knowing full-well the quality and integrity won’t be a patch on what our teams can create.
Among this, is the pressure to keep up with industry changes and trends — from new Figma functionality to the latest debate on content job titles — it’s a lot.
And this is on top of our day jobs — overseeing quality standards, coaching, operations, advocating for content design and managing teams through change (and supporting team members through their own uncertainties).
When life gives us lemons…we throw them back
Content folks are resilient if nothing else. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need a little help now and again.
So we decided this year’s Tempo conference would be a little different. It will provide some consistency with previous years, because people seek familiarity in an uncertain world. However this year we wanted to make sure we definitely had an in-person option. Support from peers is so important for leaders who often don’t have another content person at the same level within their organisation, and of course, nothing beats a face-to-face chat.
The topics we’re covering this year will offer every leader validation and advice, and give them the confidence to tackle their current challenges head-on. Our amazing speakers are already doing so much in our community to support and raise others, so they felt like the perfect mix of people to help us learn, grow and thrive.
Here’s a taster of their talks:
Making meaning (our purpose, our future, ourselves)
Sara Wachter-Boettcher (Active Voice) will help us find a way forward without overwhelm and overwork. A way that provides clarity on how to show up in uncertainty, and reconnect with our full selves.
Letting go of the words: how and why content designers should aim for impact
Elaine Short (Volvo Cars) will share how she helped her team do more with less — setting them up for success by focusing on the high-priority problems.
Say no to get a yes
Anna Söderbom (House of UX) will explain how she helped her team move away from surface-level work, by learning to say no more often.
We can’t be everywhere: introducing generative AI to your content design workflow
Danielle Small (Pinterest) will share how she embraced AI to help scale the impact of her content team.
The future of content is not what you think it is
Nicole Michaelis (Wolt for Doordash) helps us ready ourselves and our teams for the future, considering skillsets, org changes and more.
We’re all in this together: how local communities of practice can have a global impact
Community leader Mario Ferrer (Shopify) will talk about the value of communities and how to build them.
360 degree leadership: the art of managing up and across
Jen Schaefer (Netflix) shares how to communicate more effectively with everyone (from peers to the CEO) to help convey the value of your team.
Managing your mental health as a manager
Heldiney Pereira (Monzo and Samaritans) shares his experience of managing his own mental health, with tips and advice for us all.
Unveiling the myth(s) of the perfect content leader
Candi Williams (Bumble) will help us recognise our worth, and relieve the pressure we put on ourselves to continually be doing more.
We need this content now!
We know, right! This content is so relevant. Luckily June really isn’t that long to wait.
As well as all this, we’ll be hosting panel sessions for audience questions with all our speakers, and of course there’ll be opportunities to chat with speakers and fellow attendees in the breaks. We’re even working on offering some mini speed-coaching sessions for those that join us in-person — watch this space!
The venue we’ve picked is one of the best, where brutalist architecture meets welcoming and vibrant spaces. And of course there’ll be refreshments and lunch served throughout the day.
If you lead content teams, you’ll find this day invaluable. And if you don’t yet lead, but hope to in the future, you’ll also get so much from it. Our speakers are warm, open, and generously sharing tips and advice you won’t get anywhere else. Why not join us in-person or online, and face the future with a little more certainty.
Tickets to Lead with Tempo are on sale now and start from £299.
