Lining up speakers for your monthly tech meetup
A real situation from the OGIMA community · Expat Life
The scene
You're coordinating three maybe-speakers for next month's meetup over DMs and a shared spreadsheet. One needs a twenty-minute slot, one keeps dodging the date, and the third just pitched a topic you're not sure fits the crowd.
Why this moment is tricky in Germany
Berlin's expat-and-tech meetup scene runs on volunteer organizers who juggle speakers the week of, not the month of — and no-shows are absorbed with grace rather than drama, because everyone's holding down day jobs. Regulars know to over-invite and under-announce. In more formal conference cultures with budgets and honoraria, the same logistics happen months in advance through an MC or dedicated event lead.
Rehearse it before it happens
This situation is practised out loud in OGIMA: you speak, an AI conversation partner answers back, and you rerun it until the real thing feels routine.
Prefer to read first? Our guide covers this territory: How to Practice Speaking German