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]