External Speakers Policy

1. Introduction & Statement

Multiverse is committed to fostering an open and inclusive environment where diverse perspectives and ideas can be explored and discussed. Engaging with external speakers can enrich the learning experience of our learners and staff, providing valuable insights and broadening horizons.

The Prevent duty places a responsibility on specified authorities, like Multiverse, to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. This policy reflects Multiverse’s commitment to safeguarding our learners and staff from extremist ideologies and ensuring that our platform is not used to promote intolerance, hatred, or violence.

2. Definitions

External speaker: is to be regarded as any non-Multiverse employee, contractor or enrolled learner, invited to speak to a gathering of people of any number in the Multiverse UK office, online, or at a Multiverse branded event off-site. Any invited guests from outside Multiverse are NOT to be regarded as ‘external speakers’ for the purposes of compliance with the Prevent duty, unless they are intending to speak to a gathering at any point during their attendance.

This includes but is not limited to:

1. Guest lecturers and presenters
2. Industry experts and professionals
3. Thought leaders and commentators
4. Individuals invited to share their personal experiences or perspectives
5. Representatives from external organisations

Event organiser: the person or persons primarily responsible for organising the event or gathering of people, and liaising with the external speakers. They must have an understanding of, and comply with this policy.

3. Purpose and scope

This policy outlines the procedures and principles for inviting and hosting external speakers at Multiverse events and sessions. It aims to ensure that all external speaker engagements align with Multiverse’s values, promote a respectful and safe environment, and comply with all relevant legislation, including the Prevent duty as outlined in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015.

All employees and learners involved in the organisation of events which involve external speakers are responsible for familiarising themselves with and complying with the provisions of this policy.

4. Freedom of Speech and Expression

Multiverse is committed to upholding freedom of speech and expression within the law, and encourages learners and staff to aim to engage civilly in debate.

Multiverse simultaneously has a duty to ensure the safety of staff, learners and external visitors from violence, intimidation, discrimination, harassment, and incitement to hatred, violence and promotion or glorification of terrorism. Therefore, the right to freedom of speech and expression must be balanced with the need to comply with the Prevent duty.

Therefore, while we are committed to allowing a wide range of voices to be heard, the principles and procedures outlined in this policy are in place to ensure that the exercise of freedom of speech by external speakers on our platforms is conducted responsibly and within the bounds of the law and our organisational values.

5. Principles for Inviting External Speakers

All invitations to external speakers must adhere to the following principles:

1. Alignment with Multiverse Values: The speaker’s topic and overall message should align with Multiverse’s commitment to its values.
2. Educational Value: The engagement should offer clear educational benefits, contribute to the learning and development of our learners and/or staff, or provide valuable insights relevant to their professional growth.
3. Respect for Diverse Views: While encouraging the exploration of different perspectives, Multiverse will not provide a platform for individuals or groups whose views promote hatred, discrimination, violence, or the undermining of democratic values and the rule of law, particularly those that could contribute to individuals being drawn into terrorism.
4. Compliance with Prevent Duty: Due diligence must be undertaken to ensure that the proposed speaker is not known to support or promote extremist ideologies that could incite violence, hatred, or intolerance, or that could be construed as drawing individuals into terrorism.
5. Openness and Transparency: The purpose and intended audience of the speaker engagement should be clearly defined and communicated in advance.

6. Procedure for Inviting External Speakers

6.1 Conduct and Submit the External Speaker Risk Assessment

Any event organiser wishing to invite an external speaker must complete and sign off an External Speaker Risk Assessment. The event organiser is ultimately responsible for making the determination, based on risk, on whether to formally invite the external speaker.

This form must be submitted at least seven days before the event.

To ensure high standards of inclusion and accuracy, the following will apply:

Material Spot-Check will be conducted for all new external speakers. This involves an internal review of presentation materials and content by the Community Team or relevant Employee Resource Group (ERG) to ensure the content is appropriate and consistent with internal guidance

Only the Safeguarding Team has access to the completed External Speaker Risk Assessment forms and can be contacted for support if required.

6.2 Formal Invitation and Briefing

Once the External Speaker Risk Assessment has been submitted, a formal invitation should be extended to the speaker by the event organiser, clearly outlining the topic, format, intended audience, and Multiverse’s expectations regarding respectful discourse and adherence to our values.

The external speaker should agree in writing to the the following points by the event organiser:

1. They must not incite hatred, violence or call for breaking of the law.
2. They are not permitted to encourage, glorify or promote any acts of terrorism including individuals, groups or organisations that support such acts.
3. They must not spread hatred and intolerance in the community and thus aid in disrupting social and community harmony.
4. Within a framework of positive debate and challenge seek to avoid insulting other faiths or groups.
5. Any intention to raise or gather funds for any external organisation or cause must be declared to Multiverse in advance of the event taking place.

To ensure a supportive learning environment, speakers are required to submit their presentation slides and materials a minimum of 14 days prior to the event. This allows the relevant internal team to review content against our Internal Trigger Warning Guidance.

If material is identified as potentially distressing but essential for educational value, the Event Organizer will:

1. Issue a formal 'Content Warning' at the commencement of the session.
2. Signpost appropriate support services before the specific material is displayed.

Failure to submit materials within the 14-day window may result in the session being delayed or rescheduled to ensure compliance with our safeguarding standards."

A template email is available here.

Raising Concerns

Any concerns regarding the suitability of a proposed speaker or the content of their presentation should be raised immediately with the Safeguarding Team, at Safeguarding@multiverse.io . Multiverse is committed to taking all reasonable steps to address such concerns promptly and effectively.

7. Failure to Comply

Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action under the relevant discipline policy and procedures for the individual(s) concerned.

8. Responsibilities

All Multiverse Employees: Are responsible for adhering to this policy and raising any concerns they may have about potential external speakers or speaker engagements with the Safeguarding Team.

All Event Organisers: Are responsible for adhering to this policy, and submitting the external speaker request form to the Safeguarding Team at least seven days in advance. Event organisers must adhere to the decision made on the basis of risk.

Safeguarding Team: Will provide guidance and support on matters related to the Prevent duty and ensuring events are held in line with Multiverse’s Safeguarding Policy. The Safeguarding Team can be consulted during the risk assessment process, and will routinely audit the External Speaker Risk Assessments.

9. Relevant Policies

1. Multiverse Safeguarding Policy
2. Multiverse Prevent Policy

Version control

1. Policy Owner - Julia Bindley (Designed Safeguarding Lead)
2. Policy Author(s) - Alice Wellsbury (Community Lead)
3. Effective Date - January 2026
4. Version Number - V2.0
5. Date of Next Review - January 2027