How can you create an inclusive speaker lineup for your live event?

1 Define your inclusion criteria

Before you start looking for speakers, you need to have a clear idea of what kind of inclusion you want to achieve and why. For example, do you want to include speakers from different genders, races, ethnicities, ages, abilities, sexual orientations, religions, cultures, or disciplines? How do these aspects relate to your event's topic, purpose, and target audience? How will you measure and evaluate your inclusion efforts? Having a set of criteria and objectives will help you narrow down your search, avoid tokenism, and align your speaker lineup with your event's vision and values.

2 Expand your network and sources

One of the main barriers to creating an inclusive speaker lineup is the lack of access and exposure to potential speakers from underrepresented or marginalized groups. To overcome this, you need to actively seek out and connect with speakers from different communities, organizations, platforms, and channels. For example, you can use social media, podcasts, blogs, newsletters, or online directories to find and follow speakers who are experts or influencers in your field or topic. You can also ask for referrals or recommendations from your existing network, partners, sponsors, or attendees. Additionally, you can invite speakers to apply or nominate themselves or others through a call for proposals or an open submission form.

3 Communicate your inclusion values

Another challenge to creating an inclusive speaker lineup is convincing speakers from diverse backgrounds to participate and share their insights and stories. To do this, you need to communicate your inclusion values and expectations clearly and authentically. For example, you can create a speaker guide or policy that outlines your event's mission, goals, audience, format, and benefits. You can also highlight how you value and respect the speakers' expertise, time, and contribution, and how you will support them throughout the process. Furthermore, you can provide feedback, coaching, mentoring, or training to help the speakers prepare and deliver their presentations effectively and confidently.