Speaking 101: Tips and Tricks
Lee Copeland, Software Quality Engineering

Are you a new STARWEST speaker or aspiring to be one in the future? Join us at this workshop on making effective conference presentations. Learn the secrets of developing content, identifying the Big Message, preparing slides with just the right words and images, presenting your message, handling questions from the audience, and being ready when things go wrong. Lee Copeland, a professional speaker since birth, shares ideas that will help you become a better speaker, no matter what the occasion.

Learn more about Lee Copeland

Using the Secrets of Improv to Improve Your Testing  
Michael Bolton, DevelopSense


When testing, you're often working with a minimum amount of information in conditions of uncertainty under extreme pressure. Improvisational theatre has these attributes—acting without preparation, without a script, and without a net. Like improv, testing requires congruent and immediate action, interaction, and activity. Improv challenges you to sharpen your ability to observe, follow subtle clues, make offers, and accept them as you create, develop, and participate rapidly in a new reality—just as you do while testing software. In this experiential, double session, you’ll scratch the surface of improvisational theatre through a series of simple and powerful exercises. Practice seeing things from a different perspective:  switching roles, thinking on your feet, and acting in the moment. Experience on-the-spot learning, creativity, missteps, successes, and empathy-building. Observe the often-hidden relationships and motivations of people—including yourself. Join in and you’ll be a better tester for it.

Note: We’ll try to establish safety, such that people need not feel awkward or silly—unless it's part of the act. If you attend, we encourage you to participate or observe as your comfort level permits. 

Learn more about Michael Bolton

The Agile Testing Movement:  Are Today’s Test Automation Tools Still Relevant?
An Interactive Panel Discussion Brought to you by Borland - a Micro Focus Company

As software projects transition to Agile from traditional, waterfall development, there are many QA professionals who have built their careers on commercial test tools. Some testers have found limitations to using test management, functional, and performance testing tools on Agile teams. Others have noticed that within Agile there is still a need for these solutions in order to meet the demands of more advanced, complex software projects. Which camp do you fall into?  What challenges are you wrestling with as you try to merge traditional tools into an Agile environment? 

Attend and gain perspective on how automation can still play a powerful role in your testing process.  If you are transitioning to Agile, this is a session you don’t want to miss!

Testing Dialogues: Management Issues
Rob Sabourin , AmiBug.com, and Lee Copeland, Software Quality Engineering

What is the biggest management problem you are facing in 2009? Doing more with less? Demonstrating the value of testing to your company? Improving your team’s skills while keeping up with projects? Automating more tests? Testing Dialogues is a unique platform for you to learn from experienced test managers like yourself and share your ideas and experiences at the same time. Facilitated by Rob Sabourin and Lee Copeland, this double session focuses on test management issues that you face every day. Share your expertise and successes and benefit from others' challenges and lessons learned. Rob and Lee help participants generate topics in real-time and structure discussions in a framework so that everyone will receive a summary of the work product after the conference. Many past participants in Testing Dialogues have rated this session their best experience at the STAR conference.

Learn more about Rob Sabourin
Learn more about Lee Copeland