Attendee Reports Harassment by a Speaker

An attendee comes to your team in tears: a featured speaker made unwanted advances at last night's reception. The speaker is on the program in 90 minutes.

Setting: Industry conference, day 2, 800 attendees, formal code of conduct in place. Category: Safety & First Response. Pressure level: High.

This page is the individual, citable address for this one situation: https://gatheringarchitecture.com/crisis-sim/scenario/harassment-report

The situation

She's shaking. She doesn't want to file a formal report — she just wants to know she won't have to see him on stage. Three of your team members are watching for your reaction.

First moves and what each one costs

• Move to a private room, offer water and a support person, confirm you'll handle it without forcing her into anything she doesn't consent to, and quietly remove the speaker from the program — She feels safe. Speaker is told privately the slot is cancelled due to a 'scheduling change.' Investigation begins after the event.
• Tell her you need to hear the speaker's side before changing the program — She feels disbelieved. Her colleague helps her leave the venue. Two other women come forward later that day.
• Ask her to keep it between you until after the event ends — Catastrophic breach of duty of care. She tells her network. By tomorrow, 40 attendees have walked out.

Preparation notes for this situation

• Always publish a code of conduct with a named contact and clear process
• Believe the reporter first; investigate fairly second
• Never let a reporter feel pressured to 'just get through the event'

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