Hold the Door Open
Hold the Door Open is our response to the lack of diversity in the cultural sector when it comes to who gets to speak, who gets to be heard and who is put on stage.
Who gets to speak? And, why?
Over the past couple of years, I’ve been doing more and more speaking. It’s not my favourite thing, but I also know it’s important for sharing ideas, starting conversations - and for me, getting new work. Similarly, Leila has been invited to talk more and more as Tyne & Wear Cultural Freelancers has grown and become more influential.
Recently, after one talk and before another, Leila shared a concern with me about whether or not she was “taking up too much space” - was she talking “too much” or speaking at “too many events.”
The short answer is “Obvs not.”
As far as I’m concerned, Leila’s experience, insight and leadership of TWCF is more relevant than it’s ever been. It’s her time to be heard.
But, that doesn’t mean it can’t be other people’s time too.
If the same people get asked to speak, then the same people keep getting asked to speak.
And, I get that. If you’re running an event, you want to leave as little to chance as possible - so opting for someone you’ve seen speak before is logical.
If you’ve never done any public speaking - you might even turn down a request should it arrive. When asked to speak at events, women say no almost 50% of the time. Men say yes approximately 90% of the time.
So what’ve we got? We’ve got a tendency to stick with what we know - the same people are invited to speak again and again. And we’ve got a chicken and egg sitch; you need experience to get good at public speaking but you can’t get the experience unless you’re already good at public speaking.
Making space
Inspired by Lauren Currie’s UPFRONT couch, I suggested to Leila we do something similar. The UPFRONT couch invites people with stage-fright or a fear of public speaking to greet the audience before the speaker begins. They can do this from a safe, comfortable space, and say as much or as little as they want.
The UPFRONT initiative has brought over 500 people up on stage. And those people are 30% more likely to speak at an event than those who don’t sit on the couch.
With Hold the Door Open, we’ll do something similar.
How’s this gonna work?
Each time we’re asked to speak, we will find a way to include others; whether that’s underrepresented voices or those who are taking their first steps in public speaking.
It might be sharing short videos, opinions or provocations (like these) that fit into a particular theme. Or, it might be actually be presenting on stage together, one day.
The rules:
we actively seek out new voices
everyone is paid for their time to prepare, create and speak
you can put yourself forward or you can tell us about someone else
We hope Hold the Door Open can:
diversify the voices in our sector
give a platform to anyone who wants it
make space for different voices and experiences
build confidence in those who want to speak
shine a light on the vast range of talent and experience we have in the sector
If you’re offered a platform will you hold the door open for someone else?
