Conferences On Trial: who is to blame for the lack of diversity?
I really liked the format of the documentary, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" It went through all of the possible suspects for the death of the car (the consumers, the auto companies, the policy makers, the oil companies, etc.) that worked perfectly well and didn't leave anyone innocent (except for that adorable couple and their batteries...whew!).
I'm not nearly as thorough, well researched and thought out.
However...I do suspect that in the case of conferences vs. diversity (ie. where the heck are the women?), we would find a similarly complex 'culprit' (meaning just about everyone) when it comes to this recurring issue.
The lineup of suspects are:
- Conference organizers (mostly men, who only know men 'experts')
- Ourselves (women themselves for being meek and not standing up)
- Other Women (women competing and being one another's biggest critics)
- Conference goers (who won't pay for conferences without 'big names')
- Conference sponsors (who won't sponsor conferences without 'big names' that nobody will pay for)
- Other speakers (mostly men who don't raise the issue)
- Society (which really means social mores, values and stereotypes that have been ingrained for ages)
- The System (a little different than 'society', it is the way we structure business)
- That cute couple with the super batteries ('cause someone has to be blameless)
I could give examples of women who have broken through the glass ceiling, but it isn't necessarily fair to hold them accountable for the rest of our futures...
I could talk about how the social world (in North America, anyway) we build our lives upon is severely mired in the value of money over human beings and that, like it or not, women often speak to the 'human being' side of things (or are presumed to)...and if they don't they are punished for it.
I probably should mention that those who speak out - men and women - are punished by this same system, that there are strong incentives to apologize and shut up, but that would be an entirely futile argument given that these structures run deep into the fabric of our lives.
I won't even start to talk about the vicious circle that is perpetuated by this notion that mass demand must be met...that success is measured by the size of the audience and ticket...that taking chances with 'lesser knowns' who provide great knowledge rather than pomp and circumstance will probably end up netting an organizer empty seats.
I won't point the finger at myself for shying away from putting myself forward...because, like Kathy, I wretch each time I think of standing in front of an audience (even to ask an effing question!), but I should know better because I have something valuable to add to the conversation.
[note: even at BarCamp, it is difficult to get women to speak...well, show up first...then speak]
And I won't even start in on how, when we bring up gender, that it is all of a sudden filed into a barrage of inequalities to deal with. That, yes, we all recognize that race and geography and class and sexual orientation etc etc are equally (if not moreso) issues...but why are you switching the subject?
Hey, while I'm at it...I hate to point out that it is pretty much the same group of people blogging about this...again...eg. ElisaC | Shelley | Anne 2.0 | Jeneane | Head Lemur
And I could go on and on and on...but I have a company to run...
It is kind of like how I felt emerging from Syriana. Sick. Confused. Don't know where to begin. Everything is connected...indeed.
10 Comments:
Yeah, usual suspects on stage, usual suspects complaining about it, huh? Me included.
I do want to speak to the issue of new voices. Public speaking is the #1 fear adults have...men and women I presume.
But it's that vicious cycle that exists in business generally: can't get the experience without the experience.
Inviting unknown speakers is a pretty scary thing to do...for them and for the organizer. Of our 90+ speakers at BlogHer only 15% had spoken for us before. Some had spoken elsewhere, but many weren't really regular public speakers, they're just people who knew their shit about the topic at hand.
Well, yeah, there is a difference between knowing your shit and communicating it effectively. We got a ton of feedback saying that we ought to give speaker training sessions. Great idea. But not a trivial effort.
Funny, I just watched Syriana last weekend too. And I didn't emerge knowing any answers from there either! But I believe Susan Getgood is right: the worst ting to do is to ignore it. :)
If I wasn't on the East Coast, broke, and busy with a toddler and a newborn, you can bet I'd be a woman happy to go to pretty much any tech conference in the Valley. Here in Western PA, we see either self-congratulatory low-tech conferences which are sausage-centric or "special" business conferences for women, including the soon-to-be-held Pennsylvania Governor's Conference for Women here in Pittsburgh. For as much flack as BlogHer (the media coverage, not the conference iself) got from some quarters, I have to say that your recent posts sadly highlight why it's such a necessity. It's very easy to exist in a comfortable bubble and forget about that glass ceiling until you accidentally smash your nose up against it.
As for public speaking, how sad is it that I was the captain of the debate team back in high school and now I've gotten so far away from public speaking I'm loathe to call to order a pizza? I guess it's part of the double-edged sword of telecommuting and running your own miniscule company where the world is dealt with via email.
Hi Tara,
If you would be interested to set some examples for college students by speaking at CUTC (Canadian Undergrad Technology Conference), please drop me a line.
nice to meet you,
Tim.
Has it occurred to you that the word blame helps no-one deal with responsibility?
On retching: I schmooze badly, so I bring a camera to these things and have a role. In high school, I shook so much when I had to answer a question in class that I joined the debate team to cure myself the hard way.
I have already blogged about the Testosteroni here , but when I came back here and read your thoughts, I remembered something I saw earlier this week:
Psychiatry by Prescription (Harvard Magazine)
By the time he reached his early thirties, James was a promising scientist who had all the makings of an academic star. He had earned a stream of fellowships and was on the path to tenure at one of Boston’s preeminent universities. But James had a problem: he dreaded speaking in public. Academic conferences terrified him, so he avoided them whenever possible. He rarely interacted with colleagues. As a result, his ideas didn’t circulate and his career stalled.
In frustration, James sought help from a psychiatrist, who diagnosed him with a mental disorder known as “social phobia” and prescribed a well-known antidepressant effective in the treatment of extreme inhibition. The medication alleviated his severe anxiety and enabled him to do the things he previously couldn’t do. His work gained public recognition, and he has subsequently risen to the top of his profession....
...and it came to me in a forehead-slapping blinding flash: A man with this problem just does drugs.
Tara, I'm curious at FOO what was the ratio of women and men? Were women here scared to speak or not?
@Hollyster
Interesting observation. We calculating that there were about 20% women at FOO...around 50 of us. And, yes, it felt way safer at that number to, indeed, step forward, sign up and speak. I'm pretty sure that there were non-speakers from both sides (there weren't enough slots for everyone because of the amount of people), but the amount of women speakers I saw on the board were high and, I figure that 40% of the sessions I went to were led by women (and participation by women was high in the other sessions).
I wonder if there is a magic number?
Tara,
Thanks for your response. Hmmm I have heard of the 80/20 ratio rule applied to management, design, churches, etc... Maybe it's applied here too, you know 20% (the women) creating 80% of the results =). Yes, a very debatable ratio indeed ;).
Hello Tara: I love to speak. I speak quite a bit. Corporate audiences. Some people love me. Some people don't. It's that dynamic tension that says they are listening. Problem is with women they can't take the heat. I am dynamic on stage--I pace, I raise and drop my voice for drama, etc... But most important is the underpinning content. Although I am chairing a web 2.0 Conference and Exhibition this May in Canada, sometimes I am the show. i am teaching corporations about neur-marketing (not FMRIs) and within a contact of integrity. It's called Mindmathcing. Yep my world is marketing. And web 2.0 figures prominently. Our corporate customers have a real appetite for this event. Hey with me with now have 3 women on stage including you. There are so many women that are talented, knowledgeable--but many are afraid of the stage. It is the greatest fear in America. I can tell you that many moons ago I was the most frightened public speaker--now, one must cut me off.
All they need is a few events under their belts--that will take the fear away. They will realize that they will not die and be pretty proud to have faced their fears. I was.
The best person to do speaker training with - Lucy Allen from LEWIS PR. You will walk away forever changed and able to handle anyone and anything. And you will want to go and speak everywhere you will not be able to help yourself. The women is amazing.
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