I was honoured to be asked by Fern Hughes to join Dr Claire Stewart-Hall, Kirsty Lewis in a conversation about safety, what it means, and how that meaning is different for different people.
We started with the proposition that we talk a lot about creating ‘safe spaces’. But what actually makes a conversation feel safe? Does ‘safe’ necessarily mean comfortable?
We explored purpose, listening, trust, power, identity, leadership and the conditions we create around difficult conversations.
Kirsty asks whether people understand why they are in the room in the first place — drawing on the idea that “purpose is your bouncer” — while Claire challenges the language of safety itself by asking a deceptively important question: “Safe for whom?”
Listen or watch here:
In this conversation:
- What makes us decide whether or not to speak
- Why clarity and purpose matter before a conversation even begins
- Whether “safe” and “comfortable” are actually the same thing
- How power, identity and lived experience change how the same space can feel
- The importance of listening and being able to bring your whole self into a conversation
- Why difficult conversations don’t necessarily need to be comfortable to be worthwhile
- What leaders and facilitators can do to create better conditions for honest conversation
Rather than simply asking whether a space is safe, perhaps there is another question worth asking:
Who feels safe here — and what are the conditions making that possible?
Or complete the sentence:
“I know a conversation is safe when…”
Continue the conversation, explore the episode and find the reflection questions and resources through The Third Conversation.
The Third Conversation is hosted by Fern Hughes, and produced by 3LB Consultancy
Created and hosted by: Fern Hughes, 3LB Consultancy
Edited and produced by: Seb Alexander
Music: Toby Green
The Third Conversation is a podcast and community project from 3LB Consultancy.
