When you have the privilege to be selective of which community and professional events you attend, it means that you can choose when to say 'No'. You can choose third-party events and speaking opportunities that align with your professional values of fairness and equity in a community space.
Even when I have accepted CFPs, not all of the information I use to make these decisions is available publicly. I created a simple standard response for event organizers to help me understand whether the event aligns with my corporate and personal values. (inspired by Ethan Marcotte's 2014 blog)
Hello [ORGANIZER WHO CONTACTED ME]!
Hooray! This is very exciting.
If you don’t mind, I have a few standard questions I like to send to organizers. Whenever you have a moment:
1/ How do you compensate your speakers?
2/ How does your team build a diverse lineup of speakers?
3/ How do you ensure that you have a wide range of perspectives in your speakers?
4/ What kind of audience would I be speaking to?
5/ What kind of talk would be most relevant?
6/ What would you like your attendees to walk away from after this session?
7/ Do you have a publicly posted Code of Conduct + reporting process?
8/ What accessibility compliance are you designing your event under?
Cheers,
[me]
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