One key to success for diverse teams is actively creating a culture of inclusion, providing psychological safety to participants in group settings.  So we recommend that you set the stage for your meeting/event/gathering at the start with a moment of preparation and invite members to observe the guidelines you compile.  We've provided examples drawn from the AGU Meetings Code of Conduct which you can use for a template.

There is no one set of ways to treat each other that guarantee success. Some teams begin with personal conversation, others move straight to business, but there are some universal patterns to maximize the probability of success.

Lightweight structure provides clarity and meaning to your event.   What matters is that everyone understand the expectation and be given space to contribute in the agreed framework.  We encourage you to create guidelines that: explicitly set an expectation of turn taking and giving everyone a chance to speak; clearly state the role of the team and the goal of the meeting; and openly define the scope of the conversation.

For CDI Events Guidelines click here or read below

CDEI Events Guidelines

This document will be used as suggested community guidelines for WHOI events, seminars, socials, workshops, etc. 

Code of Conduct

• Event organizers commit to upholding WHOI’s policies on Anti-Harassment and Improper Conduct, and they commit to taking appropriate action if any of WHOI’s policies are violated at their event. 
• Event organizers are encouraged to create and present their own code of conduct for the individual event or series of events.
  • Such codes of conduct should be presented to participants at the beginning of the event (or the first event in a series), and should be readily available to participants throughout the duration of the event.  
  • Such codes of conduct should include explicit explanations of expected behavior, unacceptable behavior, methods of reporting misconduct, and consequences of misconduct. 
  • Examples of good event codes of conduct:  OCB, Carpentries, University of Delaware
• Event organizers are expected to cultivate an environment of openness, inclusivity, anti-racism, and anti-harassment at their event.  

Speaker/Presenter Selection

• Events with speakers, panels, or presentations are expected to have a diverse line-up of presenters across, at a minimum, race/ethnicity, and gender.
  • Be aware of the “Diversity Tax” on minority academics.
  • For seminar series and repeated events, keep demographic information on speakers to track representation over time. 
  • Consider inviting remote speakers via webinars/Zoom.

Event Accessibility and Inclusion

• Events are required to meet ADA guidelines, including accessible building entry and seating, captioning or deaf interpreters when required, clear signage, etc.  
• Ensure that events are promoted broadly to enhance inclusion in different mediums.
  • Provide contact information for the event organizers to allow accommodation requests from participants. 
• When sending RSVP forms, include questions about accommodations and inclusion.
  • For example: dietary restrictions, interpretation services or captioning, accessible seating, preferred pronouns if badges are used, etc. 
  • Provide an option for guests to fill in custom accommodations. 
• Consider avoiding scheduling an event on a major religious holiday or festival.
• Providing catering that is accessible across religious/cultural diets

Event Evaluation and Metrics

• Both short and long-term metrics will help ensure that the comprehensive process of the events from planning to execution is accessible and inclusive.

• Events are encouraged to keep track of demographic information on organizers, attendees and speakers, when appropriate. 
  • Gender, racial and ethnic identities, disability status, etc.
  • Metrics for demographics of attendees should include a “prefer not to disclose option” for every demographic question.
• Ensure that datasets on demographic information is de-identified to limit risk of exposure of confidential or sensitive information.
• Provide feedback forms to event attendees to review diversity and inclusion of the event.