Ask somebody’s name and pronouns before introducing them

Nobody wants to be misgendered or misnamed as they’re about to speak.

If you’re chairing a session and need to introduce somebody, ask them:

• What they prefer to be called
• How to pronounce it (even if it seems obvious)
• What pronouns they’d like you to use

Don’t try to guess and misgender somebody, or mangle their name. It’s rude, and jarring for the speaker as they’re about to go on stage.

Double demerit if your first language is English and you make a joke about the unpronouncability of a name.

If you do mess up, correct yourself and move on. Apologise to the speaker in private after the talk, but don’t make a big show of apologising on stage – it’s distracting, and only serves to highlight the mistake.