Wanna Play a Little Game of Good News, Bad News?

I’ve got a bit of good news, bad news for you today. I’m fired up, and I think you will be, too. But don’t worry. I promise the good news WAY outweighs the bad.

See, I saw that Bizzabo, an event software company, used facial recognition software to analyze speaker gender for more than 60,000 speakers at events in 58 countries covering 45 industries from 2013-2018. Not only were they predominantly male (66 percent for conference/convention speakers and 85% for summit speakers), but female speaker numbers actually declined between 2017 and 2018.

So that’s the bad news. Check out the good news: There’s a concerted effort to bring more female voices to stages in every category. Companies and organizations are intentionally seeking female speakers. Event attendees are speaking up, demanding a more diverse representation on the platform. And event industry professionals–the men and women who book speakers–are working to hold one another accountable to doing better as you can see here.

The really good news: There’s never been a better time for you to step out and speak up. Event planners across all industries are looking for women just like you to take the stage and share your message or expertise.

If you’ve been dreaming about telling your story, sharing your message or teaching your expertise, there’s never been a better time to go for it. The people who need you are waiting for you right now. The very best time to start is yesterday. The 2nd best time is today.

So what’s stopping you? What do you need to raise your hand for speaking opportunities? I’d love to help. Hit me back with a reply and tell me what’s missing. I’m dedicated to creating content, tools and resources that help women like you step onto the stages that are looking for you right now.

Let’s do this thang!

PS If you’re ready to go from dreaming or dabbling and DO this speaker thing–or take what you’re already doing to the next level, I’ve got just the thing for you! I created the SpeakHer Roadmap to lay out the path to paid speaking for women just like you. Best of all–it’s free! Hop over here to grab it and get on the list for speaker tips, training and inspiration right to your inbox.