Amplifying New Voices trains diverse professionals to be great speakers and leaders

You could think of it as Toastmasters for diverse professionals. Amplifying New Voices is a program where veteran professionals in the game, virtual reality, or augmented reality industries train new people who are up-and-comers.

Last year, the group of six coaches trained 36 people among the developer, artist, and programming communities, giving them a little more polish and poise when speaking publicly or to the media.

Unlock premium content and VIP community perks with GB M A X!
Join now to enjoy our free and premium membership perks.
Already a member? Sign in

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.