Is your communication with participants and speakers/artists clear and complete?

Communication with participants

* Points of attention that do not require much time/energy/money

  • Clearly communicate all accessibility information in advance. This includes: address, parking information, entrances, location of elevator(s), type of restrooms, whether a sign language interpreter is available,...
    • Please mention that participants can contact you if they need other things to participate.
    • Arrange this well in advance.
  • Provide contact information for organizers for last-minute problems. You can also designate a separate volunteer for this who can host people if needed - please provide his/her/their cell phone number.

** Points of attention that are a bit more difficult

  • Make sure participants know that you expect them to behave respectfully (possibly using the agreements for a safe(r) space, see below).
  • Send the evening's program and any powerpoints, handouts,... to participants in advance, if your speakers agree.
  • Before the event, send a reminder to everyone who registered.
  • Make slides and/or recording available for those who could not attend or want to review the event. Make sure these are accessible (see communication guidelines).

Communication with speakers/artists/...

* Points of attention that do not require much time/energy/money

  • Provide a diversity of speakers or performers. Especially for a panel discussion or debate, for example, it is important to contact people with different profiles. This will automatically provide more variety within your audience as well.
  • Agree any payment well in advance.
  • Please provide the evening's program in advance.
  • Ask your presenters, facilitators, speakers and/or artists the following:
    • To give a trigger warning at the beginning, if the content of their contribution may be triggering for participants. For example, this may be necessary when it will deal with rape, drug use, racism, aggression,...
    • To describe the content of their presentations (e.g., slides, notes, etc.) while presenting and/or to ensure that videos or other forms of visual content are accessible.
    • To take into account the guidelines for inclusive communication.
    • To stick to the schedule. (But always provide some buffer time, too. For example, it is important for certain American indigenous people not to rush (important) conversations).
  • Emphasize at the beginning and during the event the need for everyone to use a microphone, even if they don't think they need one. Check https://dsa.ugent.be/info/organisatie#materiaalreservaties to see where you can request equipment (as a student), or email events@ugent.be (as a staff member).
    • Don't ask participants if they can hear you without using the microphone.
    • Make sure there are enough microphones for the speakers and for the Q&A, if that is part of the program. If someone asks a question without a microphone, the person with a microphone should repeat the question before answering.
  • Ask in advance (or just before the event starts) how their name should be pronounced and what pronouns they prefer (if they want that mentioned).
  • If you invite singers/artists/Djs/..., check in advance that their music is appropriate and won’t make people uncomfortable. For example, don't invite singers with female-unfriendly lyrics.

Evaluation

Even after your event, there are things you can do to strive for greater inclusion. Soliciting feedback from your participants can help you become increasingly inclusive in the long run.

  • The evaluation method is accessible and, if possible, both in Dutch and English (and other languages, if relevant).
  • The evaluation can be completed anonymously.
  • Ask participants about the quality of matters such as:
    • Food
    • Registration process
    • Volunteer support
    • Accessibility
    • Whether they felt welcome
    • ...
  • In post-event surveys, ask open-ended questions, such as:
    • Did you find it easy to participate in this event? Why or why not?
    • What could we have done to ensure that you felt more comfortable participating?
  • Contact volunteers, presenters, facilitators, speakers and artists about the following:
    • Their experience of working with you to create an inclusive event
    • Whether or not they felt supported
    • Whether they noted any barriers to inclusion
    • Their ideas on how to make the event more inclusive next time
  • Feedback is disseminated to relevant parties.

Feedback and lessons learned will be incorporated into future events.