A community member is feeling left out of event planning. How can you ensure their voice is heard?

Number #1 step to any community member expressing being left out is to open communications with them. There may be a variety of reasons they were not chosen to participate for perfectly valid reasons, including them simply not seeing the initial application/announcement. Communicating this to them and doing what you can to make them still feel a part of the process will almost surely resolve the concern. You can be sure what will not resolve their concern is to ignore them (regardless of their projected attitude) or project your own annoyance they didn’t read the fine print…

While I agree that encouraging the quiet members to give their suggestions and to give them your undivided attention, acknowledge their feelings and reflect on what they say, I worry that such interaction can be seen as disingenuous dependent upon the leader’s style of speaking, goals and inherent biases. For instance, I have seen far too many leaders come across as condescending and one-minded when trying to illicit input from quiet members who then really shutdown and disengage from future collaboration.

To ensure true representation in event planning, open applications are key. By offering limited seats per cultural or racial representation, we can intentionally create space for diverse voices. This approach prevents bias from dominating decisions and ensures that every initiative or idea reflects a variety of perspectives. Instead of leaving participation to chance, open applications with capped representation levels promote fairness and equity. It's not just about having a seat at the table, but making sure that every voice has a chance to be heard.