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Similarly , Devereaux says having diverse speakers enriches debate . “ If you don ’ t have people from different cultural backgrounds talking about a topic , you will never innovate .
“ Everybody has something to contribute and give . When they do , the outcome of your debate is very different . Having a diverse panel makes it much richer than you had expected it to be ,” she adds .
Providing a platform
To help achieve this , Spectrum Speakers & Entertainers and Diverse Speaker Bureau work with agencies to find the best and most suitable speakers for their event , who are also diverse . I asked both Whyte and
The founders of Diverse Speaker Bureau speak at International Confex 2022
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Devereaux what their specific missions are . “ Our mission is twofold ,” says Whyte . “ Firstly , we want to amplify underrepresented voices to show anyone who is aspiring to be a speaker that it ’ s achievable for them , as there are already role models out there who look like them , who are speaking at events successfully .”
Whyte also tells me Spectrum Speakers & Entertainers want to simplify inclusion for events . “ Secondly , we want to empower event planners to diversify their events by being somewhere they can come to and find speakers , across any industry , who are from diverse backgrounds , but who don ’ t exclusively talk about diversity .”
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“ If you don ’ t have people from different cultural backgrounds talking about a topic , you will never innovate ” |
But how does Spectrum Speakers & Entertainers define diversity ? The answers in evident in its chosen name . “ Diversity is about more than race , it ’ s about more than gender , it ’ s about more than disability . There is so much intersectionality within these areas . There is a real spectrum to diversity , and what that means for everybody ,” says Whyte .
Similarly to Spectrum Speakers & Entertainers , Diverse Speaker Bureau , co-founded by Priya Narain , Gabrielle Austen-Browne and Felicia Asiedu , alongside Devereaux , nurtures and elevates underrepresented voices . “ Our previous strapline was representing and presenting , but it has recently changed to disrupting tokenism ,” reveals Devereaux .
“ When people come to you and say , ‘ I want somebody diverse on my speaker panel ’, it ’ s brilliant because it ’ s a step forward . But it ’ s also a bit of a wince . We are trying to disrupt this tokenism approach and prove that diversity has to be embedded throughout what you do , not just in the speakers you choose . We work with agencies to help them
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