Women's History Month: Looking Back, Moving Forward
Douglas Ferguson
President @ Voltage Control | Facilitation Academy | Author | Educator
March is Women's History Month, a time to celebrate and honor the achievements of women and their significant impact on society. For our industry, we celebrate the tremendous contributions and innovations that women in DEI and facilitation continue to make.
We personally want to give a big shout-out to all of the women who have completed our Facilitation Certification program and encourage everyone who has considered becoming certified to apply. This program is an excellent way to sharpen your leadership skills and take your career to the next level.
Leaders like?Joy Buolamwini and Rana el Kaliouby?are two of many incredible women at the forefront of advancements that transform our daily lives - one being Artificial Intelligence. Not only are they leading the charge in advancing AI, but they are also ensuring that AI remains as inclusive and socially responsible as possible.
In recent times, we’ve seen extreme gender bias in apps like?Lensa AI. While society is still in the discovery phase of this new AI technology, these brilliant women are holding programmers accountable for transparency and challenging algorithms that exhibit bias.?
This is a momentous time with powerful technology readily available for us to make work more efficient. But this is also a time for us to be acutely aware of the harm and stereotypes bias technology perpetuates. As leaders, we should?all?hold one another accountable to ensure that AI is properly reviewed and tested for equity. Our goals should be to?approach this technological evolution with humanity, curiosity, and excitement so that AI is not only a tool but also a collaborator. For more support on successfully integrating AI into your workflow and routines,?register for our new AI 101 educational course.
In addition to AI, 2023 Control the Room Conference speakers like Sana Akhand, Renita Joyce Smith, and Florentine Versteeg are pushing our industry forward by demonstrating new pathways toward greater impact. From building energetic connections to exploring authenticity, these facilitators show us that EQ isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have - especially in facilitation.?Check out the conference recap?to learn more about their reflections on making a true impact.
Throughout March (and really beyond!) we will spotlight women who continue to contribute to our growth and support initiatives that strive for a more just and equitable world.
Douglas Ferguson | President, Voltage Control
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Facilitation Certification
We have extended the deadline to apply for our next Facilitation Certification cohort! Applications are due this Friday, March 17th, at 5 pm CST.
This comprehensive program will guide you through key facilitation foundation skills aligned with the International Association of Facilitators (IAF)?competencies?and provide you with ample opportunities to practice.
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AI 101
Students of this course will learn how to identify good opportunities for integrated AI into their organization.
In addition, they will learn how best to structure a team and problem to minimize risk. Lastly, they will gain the ability to understand the perspective of a machine learning engineer in order to most effectively communicate and collaborate with them.
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Control the Room Insights
From Rose, Thorn, and Buds from our community about the event (we are always striving to be better, grow further, and learn more!) to wonderful and kind messages from presenters and attendees alike, we wanted to share some insights about the event with you all.