Power Talks: host a badass discussion
Power Talks are nuanced discussions at the intersection of womanhood and power, hosted by and for League of Badass Women members. They are informal get-togethers, anything from a potluck dinner to a chat over tea, to collectively connect and empower communities of women to support each other, rewrite the rules of leadership, and constructively disrupt the world of work - in person. It’s an opportunity to meet other badasses in your city, invite friends to join our community, and explore the complex topics we’re diving into in our original content and discussions on Facebook.
It’s easy to host! Below is a Planning Guide for some tips. We also have Discussion Guides for different topics that contains more info about the topic, facilitation tips, starter questions, and ideas for next steps.
PLANNING Your Power Talks
The most important thing is getting together with a few women to have this discussion. It could be a couple of people around the lunch table, or a dozen women at a dinner party. That part is up to you. We recommend:
Keep it intimate. Ideally you’ll have between 4 and 12 women in your discussion.
Do it somewhere informal and quiet. Generally kitchen tables or backyard fire rings are more personal than restaurants or meeting venues. You also want to be able to hear each other well, so it’s best if there isn’t any background noise.
Break bread together. Fellow badasses have had a lot of success with potlucks, where everyone is invested in the outcome of the shared meal. No need to get complicated. Wine and chocolate, tea and cookies, gin and tonic… they all work too.
WHO TO INVITE
Who to invite is totally up to you. Whether it’s a group of trusted friends, or a bunch of women from different areas of your life you’ve been wanting to introduce to each other, you decide. Some ideas to consider:
Invite 5 friends and ask each of them to invite a badass woman they know. Having women in your group who don’t know each other can be an exciting element of your conversation and help expose everyone to new ideas and fresh perspectives.
Don’t limit yourself to members of the League of Badass Women. Invite anyone you think would be interested.
Invite women of different ages, professions, and life experiences.
Post in The League’s Closed Facebook Group to see if any badasses are in your town who would like to come to your Power Talks, or even help organize it. Create an Event in the group. Note: Posting in the group will create awareness around your Power Talks but does not guarantee attendees. Evites, emails and other personalized outreach is most effective for turn-out.
Send reminders to your guests in the weeks and days leading up to your event.
DISCUSSION AND READING GUIDES
The League provides Discussion Guides and Suggested Reading for each Power Talks topic that will equip you with facilitation tips, discussion questions and suggestions for how to structure your conversation. Be sure to review the materials and have them with you at your Power Talks.
For previous topics, click on the buttons below.
SAMPLE INVITATIONS
Paperless Post, Evite and other digital invitation services are free, easy to use and helpful to organize RSVPs and guests, as well as sending out regular reminders. You can use this host’s invitation as a template.
Sample Email:
Hi friends,
I’m a member of the League of Badass Women, an awesome organization with the goal of bucking the current power structure that favors men (no more "leaning in" to a broken system) and instead to create a new, inclusive vision for female leadership. You know, where we get paid and promoted equally, don't get harassed, and have the laws that affect our bodies be decided by us...that kind of thing.
One League program is Power Talks, which are casual, in-person discussions around different topics that affect women. Will you come over for dessert, wine, and a friendly chat?
When: Thursday, November 15, 7-9pm
Where: My place [insert address]
What to bring: Just your thoughts on the topic and a willingness to share your thoughts and experiences and listen to each other. I'll have the dessert + wine covered.
This Power Talks topic is [insert chosen discussion topic here. For example: Redefining Leadership. We'll talk about socially-defined masculine and feminine leadership, which leadership traits are rewarded or looked down upon in the workplace, and how change is possible.] Nothing will be repeated outside the group without your permission.
To get the juices flowing around this important topic, check out the suggested reading at www.leagueofbadasswomen.org, which we can use to guide our conversation as well.
Please let me know if you can make it! I'm excited to introduce you to each other–you're a group of smart, interesting women who work in different fields, and it will be cool to see where our experiences overlap and diverge. I'm also happy to expand the circle if you'd like to bring a friend who would like to join.
Kindly,
[insert your name]
QUESTIONS? TIPS?
Post to the The League’s Closed Facebook Group to communicate with other hosts and guests about Power Talks topics as well as best practices for hosting.