Speaking
The Cost of Being Easy to Hear
There is a tax levied on people whose presence makes others uncomfortable. It is paid in the currency of self-editing — the adjusted tone, the softened truth, the version of yourself that fits through the door. This talk examines what organisations lose when they reward digestibility over honesty, and what it costs the people doing the digesting.
What We've Agreed to Call It
The words available to describe an experience are often chosen by people who don’t share it. Resilience instead of accumulation. Composure instead of dissociation. Professionalism instead of performance. This talk is about the political act of accurate naming — and what becomes possible when we stop using the wrong words.
The Spectacle and the Witness
There is a difference between watching and witnessing. Watching requires nothing but eyes. Witnessing demands context, care, and the willingness to see the whole person rather than the moment. This talk examines how organisations replicate the dynamics of spectacle — who gets seen, whose pain is centred, whose humanity collapses into a category — and what it means to build cultures of genuine attention.
Formats
Keynote
30-60 minutes
A talk on an agreed topic.
Could be good for you if you'd like to focus on one specific topic for a full hour.
Panel contribution
45-60 minutes
Forms part of a panel or chairs a panel.
Could be good for you if you have other speakers you'd like to have on stage at once.
Workshop facilitation
1 hour+
Up to an including full-day conferences.
Could be good for you if you'd like a participatory workshop or facilitated discussion.
Other formats are available
Shannon has been a guest on podcasts and quoted in the media
Podcast
The Assembly Podcast | July 2026 | Why your EDI and L&D Functions Are Fighting the Same Battle Separately, with Shannon Rivers | Listen
Press and Media
Business in the Community, May 2026 (author) | 'Navigating tension and division at work'
Business in the Community, April 2026 (author) | 'What we are prepared to name'
Business in the Community, Oct 2025 (author) | 'Responding to rising hate and division'
Youth Futures Foundation, Aug 2025 | Talent Unlocked Partnership
REBA, Dec 2024 | 'Expert View: Shannon Rivers of BITC on the need for good work'
Business Industry, Sep 2024 | 'The business gains from prioritising employee wellbeing'
RoSPA, Sep 2024 | 'Dispelling stigma around suicide'
People Management, Jun 2024 | 'Financial cliff edge: seven million workers forced to wait three days for sick pay'
Greatest Hits Radio, Apr 2024| 'Further delays to Rwanda plan'
NWMN, April 2024 (author) | 'From outsider to trailblazer: the evolution of inclusive marketing'
People Management, Jan 2024 | 'One in five took more time off because of stress last year'
Speaking
Business in the Community, Apr 2026 | Cross-Organisational Mentoring Circles Closing Ceremony, Cohort 14
Closing address — reflecting on the journey of Cohort 14 and what the programme means for the progression of ethnically diverse professionals across the responsible business network
Business in the Community, Oct 2025 | 'Business Response Forum: Rising Anti-Immigrant Sentiment & Racism in the UK'
Opening address and framing — on the climate of hate and division and the responsibility of employers
Business in the Community, Mar 2025 | 'Business Response Forum: Navigating the Evolving Challenges of EDI'
Opening address and framing — on the shifting landscape of EDI and what it means for responsible business
IGPP, Jun 2023 | 'Supporting LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the workplace'
Keynote on moving beyond compliance — practical policies, allyship, and building environments where people with protected characteristics can genuinely thrive.
Shannon is currently developing a TEDx Talk — 'The Cost of Being Easy to Hear' — for TEDx UEA, November 2026.
If you're considering working with Shannon, the best first step is a conversation.