According to Bizzabo, two-thirds of all conference speakers are men. This leaves women out of important career and business opportunities, because speaking is a path to pay equity, equal funding for women-founded companies, and more women in the board room and C-suite, says Bobbie Carlton, founder of Innovation Women. Carlton says she made it her mission to get more women speaking opportunities after having a job that placed speakers on stages for nearly 40 years, and not having a single woman client in the first 20 years of her career.
“Speaking begets speaking, and event organizers often look to the stage to find their next speaker,” says Carlton. “If we’re not seen on those stages, we’re not seen as the thought leaders that we are. It’s more than just getting up on stage, it’s all that comes with it, such as being included in the event marketing before the event and making connections with potential partners at the event itself.” Carlton’s advice is to actively seek out speaking opportunities, and to just say yes if you get asked to speak. “You owe it to yourself and to the next generation to see more women on stage,” she says.
