Original post on YFS Magazine here.
It’s 2018, people. How are we still curating panels of all straight, white men? Every industry is a mosaic of different people with different experiences, but when you squint to see only one piece you miss the immense beauty and gravity of the entire work of art.
The manel is an old-school approach that will drag you down and prevent your company from innovating and being the game-changers we all hope to be. Diversifying your panels and speakers will allow you and your team to see your industry in its entirety. And whether or not you invite women, members of the LGBTQ community, people of color or indigenous people to sit on your panel, they still exist and they’re still killing it in your industry.
Here are some do’s and don’ts in creating a diverse panel.
Make sure your planning committee is diverse
Studies show that panels, more often than not, mirror the team that created them. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that including just one woman on the planning committee will raise the percentage of female speakers on the panel from 25 percent to 43 percent.
This replication of the planning team can also be seen in everything from age and generation to differing mindsets and worldviews. Keeping a diverse team will ensure their varying opinions and views have a chance to be articulated by an expert.
Provide travel funds and child care
A big part of breaking up the manel is including women from all backgrounds and races. The Family Caregiver Alliance found that between 58-68 percent of caregivers are women, so while they’re disrupting your industry they are likely also caring for one or more kids at home. By providing child care and travel expenses you are creating the flexibility needed for mothers (and fathers alike) to attend your event.
And wouldn’t you rather hear from a powerhouse whose perspective has been influenced by juggling a career and a family?
Start from scratch
Start new instead of pulling from past events. With the new and progressive times, there’s a good chance what you were doing last year–let alone five years ago–is stale. You strive to constantly innovate your company. An easy place to spark the creative process of innovation is through the minds you place on your panel.
Don’t ask a woman, person of color, member of LGBTQ community, or indigenous person to speak about diversity
If you have singled these people out, it’s most likely because they are experts in their fields and their work has caught your eye. SO TREAT THEM LIKE EXPERTS. Do not ask a woman with a PhD. in BioChem to speak about diversity in the workplace. Do not ask a transgender person who founded a prosperous business to speak about gender equality.
Diversifying your panel is supposed to help your team learn about your industry from another perspective. Listen to the insights they have to share about your discipline.
There are people who specialize in diversity, gender equality, and anything else you may be curious about. Often times, speaking bureaus or talent agencies will have a section dedicated to diversity experts. And sometimes experts in their field enjoy talking about their experiences with diversity or inequality and they’ll gladly speak on it, but don’t assume every expert who is a minority wants to discuss this.
Don’t exploit your inclusivity
Remember, your diverse panel is not a charitable act. By treating minorities as equals to white, straight men you are giving them the most basic decency you could. Even if your panels in the past were so white everyone left the event blinded by the glare, you do not deserve a trophy for adding diversity to the group.
So make sure your marketing, advertising, and emceeing don’t suggest you do. Once again, focus on the accolades and accomplishments that brought the speakers to your attention in the first place.
To help you find a diverse group of individuals across many industries who believe in the power of diversification, check out “Plz Diversify Your Panel” for a list of speakers who refuse to sit on an exclusively white, straight male panel.
