# Principle 1: Awareness of power

<span lang="en-US">You want to have conversations that </span><span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">flesh out the complexity of different topics, nurtures multi-faceted perspectives and is intricately connected to the pleasure we experience when being online</span>**</span><span lang="en-US">! For this to happen, it is essential, first and foremost, to be aware of how power dynamics across intersections of our identities can play out in conversational spaces. </span>

<span lang="en-US">In any space with folks of diverse identities, backgrounds and experiences, different people will hold varying degrees of power in relation to others in the room. This power is often in the form of privileges, either as the result of their identity, or their positionality in relation to how the space enables or disenables their sense of safety.</span>

#### **<span lang="en-US">Identity privilege</span>**

<span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">An awareness of power starts with us!</span>**</span> <span lang="en-US">Your positionality as the event organiser already provides you with a certain amount of authority to control how the conversation is shaped. Over and above this, you may have certain identity privileges (for example: being white, straight, cisgender or able-bodied) that can make it harder for you to enable the meaningful participation of those in the room who experience oppression. </span>

<table border="1" id="bkmrk-creating-a-healthy-c" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 100%;">##### *<span lang="en-US">Creating a healthy conversational space!</span>*

<span lang="en-US">In order to create a conversation space where the lived experiences of all participants are valued, it is important to be mindful of the </span><span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">intersectionality</span>**</span><span lang="en-US"> of the identities of folks present, and to practice </span><span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">inclusivity</span>**</span><span lang="en-US">. You can do this by:</span>

- <span lang="en-US">Self-reflecting on your privileges</span>
- <span lang="en-US">Decentering your perspective</span>
- <span lang="en-US">Listening to the experiences of those that identify differently to you</span>
- <span lang="en-US">Being mindful of the language you use and the power of language to include or ostracise folks</span>
- <span lang="en-US">Being willing to apologise for your mistakes and adjust your behaviour if needed</span>
- <span lang="en-US">Recognising that everyone brings knowledge to the table</span>

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<span lang="en-US">Power can show up in conversation spaces in various ways. </span><span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">Recognise them</span>**</span> <span lang="en-US">so that you can counter inappropriate behaviour or power imbalances that emerge in the room! Some examples include:</span>

- **<span lang="en-US">Freedom from certain oppressions:</span>**<span lang="en-US"> some participants may run the risk of silencing or deprioritising the perspectives of marginalised folks because they do not share the same experiences </span>
- **<span lang="en-US">Abilities:</span>**<span lang="en-US"> freedom from disabilities or neurodivergent needs gives certain participants more access to the space, and can lead to the exclusion of perspectives from folks who express themselves differently or require specialised access to conversation spaces if their needs are not met</span>
- **<span lang="en-US">Freedom from care-giving roles:</span>**<span lang="en-US"> not having care responsibilities for children, elders, family members, roommates or friends can enable participants to engage more fully than others who cannot be present for the entirety of the conversation</span>
- **<span lang="en-US">Facility with spoken language:</span>**<span lang="en-US"> when conversations are held in a participants’ native or first language, it is easier for them than others to engage, follow and control conversation flow</span>
- **<span lang="en-US">Knowledge privilege:</span>**<span lang="en-US"> familiarity with the conversation topic can lead participants to overshadow the perspectives of others or direct the conversation flow</span>
- **<span lang="en-US">Relational privilege:</span>**<span lang="en-US"> knowing other participants in the room enables comfortability, which can lead to participants taking up more space than others who do not know anyone</span>

#### **<span lang="en-US">Privilege in virtual settings</span>**

<span lang="en-US">While an awareness of identity privilege is integral for holding a healthy conversational space, </span><span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">these privileges can be compounded in an online event by technological privileges</span>** </span><span lang="en-US">that may not be shared by everyone in the virtual room. Technological privileges affect participants’ abilities to engage fully in the conversation. These can look like:</span>

- <span lang="en-US">Technological capacity:</span><span lang="en-US"> having more access to the software and hardware needed to participate in the event</span>
- <span lang="en-US">Digital literacy:</span><span lang="en-US"> participants will have varying levels of difficulty navigating a computer interface or using the features of a meeting platform</span>
- <span lang="en-US">Better internet bandwidth:</span><span lang="en-US"> internet bandwidth determines connectivity quality, which affects participants’ ability to hear voices clearly, see video clearly, and use real-time interactive online tools</span>
- <span lang="en-US">Designated workspace:</span><span lang="en-US"> some participants will join your conversation from a quiet, private, well-lit space, while others may join from public or shared spaces where privacy and freedom from distraction is not guaranteed</span>