Speaker Guidelines

Accessibility

Do:

• Use appropriately accessible colour contrast.
• Try Colour Contrast Analyser by The Paciello Group.
• Use font sizes and choices that are accessible for those with slightly impaired vision.
• Use captioning for pre-recorded video for accessibility of V/O. Closed-captioning will be initiated automatically through our event streaming platform for the rest of your presentation.
• Consider using described video for pre-recorded video for those with sight loss.
• Speak at an approximate pace of 150 to 160 words per minute to support processing of information.
• Use plain language and avoid acronyms without explanations.
• Check out RGD’s Accessibility Guidelines for best practices in accessible design.

Do not:

• Do not use colour as the only way of identifying information.
• Do not use colour only as emphasis for text.
• Do not underline text in digital documents, unless it’s a hyperlink.
• D not add hyperlinks without meaningful text (e.g. don’t add full URLs and generic text such as “click here”).
• Don't use flashing or fast animations that could trigger photosensitive epilepsy.
• Do not assume all attendees can hear, ssee or process content in real time.
• Do not ignore accessibility in Q&A-- repeat quetions and allow alternative ways to engage (chat, verbal or assistive tech).

Inclusivity and Diversity

• RGD delivers a more general land acknowledgement at the beginning of our conferences. Consider starting your presentation with a more personal, location-specific land acknowledgement. Do a Google search on your city/location to determine whose land you occupy.
• Consider naming your privilege or the lens through which you experience the design world: design has been dominated by eurocentric values and approaches historically — brush up on notions of decolonizing design.
• Consider providing warnings for content that may be triggering for viewers (e.g., projects that are drugs/alcohol-related, trauma-related, violence-related, use flashing lights).
• Ensure your creative examples come from a diverse range of designers (race, age, gender, sexuality, ability, etc.). Challenge yourself to look past the ‘usual suspects’ from our repertoire of collective design heroes who tend to be from a uniform demographic. Who is innovating now? Whose voices can you amplify and support who get less ‘air time’ as others?
• Consider that your audience comes from diverse backgrounds; consider whether your examples and perspectives prioritize a cishetero patriarchal and/or eurocentric viewpoint.
• Use inclusive language. What this looks like in action:
  • Do not default the gender in an example to “he.” Use “they/them” pronouns when you do not know the gender of a person, or consider using “they” instead of “he/she” to be inclusive of all genders. You may also simply say “people”!
  • Use gender-netural terms for roles and relationships. For example, use "chair" instead of "chairperson" for "chairman" and "partner" instead of "husband/wife".
  • When addressing the audience, use inclusive language such as “Hi everyone!”, “Hi folks!” or “Hey y’all!”. Avoid phrases like “Hi guys!” or “Hey guys and gals!”.
  • If you prefer a more formal introduction, consider using the term “distinguished guests” or “audience members” instead of “ladies and gentlemen.”
  • Avoid language that implies a default norm, such as "non-White" or "non-native speakers". Instead use specific descriptors like "racialized groups or "multilingual individuals".
  • Use plain language as much as possible. Avoid jargon, idioms and complex metaphors that may not be universally understood. This approach benefits individuals with cognitive diabilities and those for whom English is a second language.
• Decolonize the words you use:
  • Avoid words and phrases like "tribal" and "native wisdom" which can romanticize or appropriate Indigenous cultures. Use specific community names (e.g. Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee) and refer to "community knowledge" or "traditional ecological knowledge" when appropriate and with respect.
  • Decentre English as the norm. Use multilingual representation and pronunciation support for names or concepts from Indigenous or racialized languages.