Why Didn't I Say Something? Speaking Up When It Matters

Have you ever left a meeting wishing you'd spoken up? Witnessed a comment that didn't sit right but weren't sure whether to say something? Or worried that raising a concern might make things awkward or create conflict?

This session explores why speaking up can feel difficult, even in teams with good intentions, and what helps people find the confidence to act. Participants will examine the connection between respect, psychological safety, and bystander behaviour. Using Tim Clark's four stages of psychological safety, we'll identify what helps people feel safe to contribute, challenge ideas, and raise concerns.

The session also explores the difference between intention and impact, helping participants recognise situations where action may be needed and how to respond constructively. It closes on shared accountability: maintaining a respectful, inclusive team culture is everyone's responsibility, not just leadership's.

During the expert session, Tash Koster-Thomas engages the audience through interactive exercises using the Mentimeter app, Q&A sessions, and live demonstrations. 

• Explain the link between respect, psychological safety and bystander behaviour.
• Recognise situations that call for intervention, distinguishing impact from intention.
• Build confidence to act safely and constructively when intervention is needed.
• Apply practical tools for speaking up appropriately across different situations.
• Commit to shared accountability for team culture.

Most organisations don't have a values problem. They have a gap between what people believe and what people say out loud, especially in the moment when it matters.

This session starts with an uncomfortable truth: the friendlier the culture, the harder it can be to speak up. In teams where everyone gets along, challenging a comment or raising a concern can feel like rocking the boat and so problems stay polite and unspoken. Silence starts to look like harmony. 

The first part of the session builds the foundation. Using Amy Edmondson's research and Tim Clark's four stages of psychological safety, participants explore why speaking up feels risky, what the brain is actually doing in that moment and why "challenger safety”, the ability to disagree and still belong, is the hardest stage for any team to reach. Live, anonymous polling runs throughout, so participants see honest data from their own colleagues in real time: how safe people really feel to challenge and what stops them.

The second part gets practical. Participants work through real workplace moments, the kind of comments people hear every week and examine the choice every witness faces: stay silent and the moment stands or speak and change how it ends for the person affected. The session reframes intervention from fear ("what if I get it wrong?") to opportunity ("what could this moment become?"), then equips participants with concrete options: five ways to act, ranging from a quiet message after the meeting to naming the impact in the room, with exact phrases they can use. Because there is always more than one way to speak up and always at least one within reach.

It closes on the two questions most sessions avoid: what to do when you're the one who said it and how every individual response, over time, is what turns a nice culture into a safe one.

Delivered as an interactive virtual session, designed to work for international, multilingual audiences. No prior knowledge required.

 

Advancing Gender Equity Through Inclusive Workplace Practices

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Building Inclusive Workplaces: Allyship for Disability and Neurodiversity

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Advancing Equity: A Call to Action for Anti-Racism

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Intersectionality - Including ALL Women

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LGBTQ+ Language & Terminology

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Psychological Safety in Action: Creating Safer, Stronger Teams

This expert session highlights the importance of increasing awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals worldwide. It emphasizes how legal discrimination, microaggressions, overt exclusion, and lack of representation can harm mental well-being and create barriers to safety and belonging. The session encourages participants to reflect on their role as allies by educating themselves, challenging discrimination, and supporting inclusive environments. Key to meaningful allyship is recognizing personal biases, listening respectfully, and using inclusive language. Tash also suggests learning through accessible resources such as media, social platforms, and respectful conversations without placing the burden on LGBTQIA+ people. Overall, the session serves as a call to action to help build a more inclusive, supportive, and affirming society for all.