May 2022 Manager Meeting: Creating Inclusive Meetings and Using Self Descriptions

On May 26th, we held our monthly Community Manager Meeting — 21 of you joined us, representing 14 different communities of practice. We presented on creating inclusive meetings and using self-descriptions. Thank you for the great, lively conversation!

This year, we’ve emphasized the importance of communities to achieve the Administration’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) goals. Through events, internal meetings, and conversations on listservs, communities bring people together. But, regardless of where and how communities gather, we must ensure they’re as inclusive as possible.

Please email us for the slide deck used, and please find at the following link the GSA TTS Inclusive Event Pillars that helped guide the conversation.

We concluded the meeting with the heart of our conversation — how to use self-descriptions in meetings and events. We learned why they’re essential and practiced using them.

Key takeaway: Self-descriptions give everyone access to information about presenters and attendees and create an equitable experience for all.

Some tips:

• Be concise and brief in your self-description; provide a thumbnail sketch, not an oil portrait.
• Use personal characteristics as elements of self-description — a meeting introduction is an opportunity to say how you identify.
• Example: I am nearly bald and wearing clear-rimmed glasses. I have on a black shirt.

Remember these key takeaways and tips, and we encourage you to share them with your communities.