On Tuesday, Jan. 26, there was a virtual event entitled “Stand Out and Speak Up!” sponsored by the Jones Center for Leadership and Service.
This event sought to educate UT students and staff on how to become an active bystander. For those unfamiliar with the term, an active bystander is someone who takes the initiative to defuse difficult conflicts that they stumble upon either in their own communities or elsewhere.
The event was conducted by host Cierra Burnett and presenter Bilqis Amatus-Salaam as a part of the CMJ Student Leadership series.
At the beginning of the presentation, Amatus-Salaam discussed “barriers to,” and “solutions for intervening.”
She touched on the fact that oftentimes it is taught that great leaders do the right thing when no one else is watching. Amatus-Salaam turned this cliché on its head by stating that “it can be harder to do the right thing when others are watching.”
This insight rang true as audience members learned about social influence, fear of judgement and the concept of “diffusion of responsibility” — a phenomenon which occurs when one’s sense of duty fades because they expect others to act first.
Although turnout for the event was not substantial, likely due to its virtual nature, the small audience allowed for a greater amount of intimacy and interactivity. One attendee reflected on experiences of moving beyond their comfort zone.
Revelations such as this can reshape how people feel about virtual events. They are not always ideal, but sometimes one will encounter a snippet of digital humanity. Such a treasure is especially valuable during these challenging times.
When asked why Burnett and Amatus-Salaam thought it was important to hold the event, the host and presenter responded with goals of engagement and hope for students’ futures.
“There aren’t as many opportunities, in leadership development, for students to engage in those kinds of development things — unless it is with a student leadership position where they’re being required to apply and interview,” Amatus-Salaam said.
She then went on to explain how this information is “… opening up the door for people who don’t have titles or leadership positions to gain some development in this area.”
Burnett then explained that bystander intervention is usually only discussed “… as it relates to alcohol risk reduction and sexual harassment/misconduct prevention.”
“… which is all super critical, but I think there are situations that happen when an active bystander is necessary (outside of those circumstances),” Burnett said.
If anyone missed this presentation and would like to catch the next one, there are many more coming up.
Clay Jones, a former CEO of a fortune 500 company, will be giving five lessons on leadership on Feb. 4, and there will also be another about “effectively communicating across difference” on Feb. 25. The latter event will act as a 2.0 version of “Stand Out and Speak Up!”
