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You’ve been asked to train on equity & inclusion, but…
So, you’ve been asked to train on equity and inclusion, but there’s one small problem…you’ve never done it before! Eeeek…where do you start? A caller raised this great question during one of my recent Q&A sessions, and it’s one I hear a lot. There are a couple key steps that you can take, and I’m covering them below for you. Ready? Let’s go! Tip #1: Talk to your leaders about diversity and inclusion. Start by going back and chatting with the leaders or the person who asked you to do the equity and inclusion training. Ask them some basic questions like: Why do you want this training for our employees?…
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Train the Trainer: Continuing Education is Key
As a facilitator, your role is very different from that of a teacher or educator. How so? Instead of providing information or giving your opinion, you’ll focus on asking lots of questions that help members of the group learn and deepen understanding from sharing their reflections, feelings and experiences. You may: Relate to what someone has shared Offer a bit about yourself to make a connection Encourage interaction and productive dialogue in the group Most importantly, the emphasis is on group members interacting with their peers. Specifically, you’ll: Bring as many different voices into the dialogue as possible Help share the air time equitably Encourage others to join in the…
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Teach More Effectively by Infusing Equity and Inclusion
In my last post, I briefly discussed strategies that facilitators can use to make their courses and training more effective by infusing equity and inclusion. Here, I’ll cover how you can design activities so participants can interact with and learn from the widest variety of people. Broaden Perspectives to Infuse Diversity and Inclusion Encouraging/requiring participants to interact with people different from themselves provides the opportunity to broaden their perspectives as well as increase their comfort working across differences. Here’s what I commonly observe: when facilitators let participants form their own discussion groups without any direction, most people seem to choose to work with those they already know and with whom…
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10 Ways Infusing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Improves Your Training Programs
You already know the critical importance of teaching leaders and employees about diversity and inclusion. The content is key AND the ways we design and facilitate workshops is equally as important to accelerate learning and behavior change. When we intentionally create an inclusive workshop environment and model the very skills we are teaching, participants are far more likely to learn and to infuse issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion into their daily practices. To inspire you today, here are 10 of my favorite ways that infusing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion into your comprehensive training programs can help to deepen the capacity and competence of all…
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Is there a Disconnect Between Your Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Goals – and What’s Actually Happening?
Across the nation, most leaders would agree that there is a renewed energy, commitment, and in many cases, even a sense of urgency, to live up to the promises as set forth in their mission statements and strategic plans. Most often, I see diversity, equity and inclusion goals like the following: Deepen the capacity and competence of all members of the organization to create a more inclusive, socially just environment. Support and accelerate the professional/academic and personal success of the full range of individuals the organization serves. Create inclusive work environments that support the success of the full range of employees across group membership. All of this looks great on…
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To Infuse Diversity and Inclusion, Everyone Needs to Understand the WHY
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Goethe You recognize the value of embracing diversity. And you feel good about that realization. But it’s not enough. Everyone at your organization must commit to infusing equity and inclusion at every level. You MUST do something, to take action and implement effective solutions for inclusion and social justice in your organization. Knowledge + Action = Meaningful, Sustainable, Systemic Change It isn’t enough to know the benefits of diversity and an inclusive culture. You must infuse inclusion into your organization’s policies, practices, training and procedures. Embracing diversity in the workplace inspires, motivates and creates a…
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Diversity. Everyone’s talking about it. But why aren’t efforts paying off?
Why do even well-intended diversity efforts often fall short of expected outcomes – or do little more than to increase awareness? I hear that question a lot. It’s that very question that inspired me to write my most recent article. And it all starts with a metaphor on … trifocals. Curious? Take a few minutes out to read more.
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Have Diversity Efforts at Your Organization Hit a Snag?
I do not label myself an “expert” - but I’ve had decades of training and experience that have allowed me to develop best practices for creating equitable, socially just environments that actively promote diversity and inclusion. It wasn’t always that way. Earlier in my career as a college administrator and an organizational consultant I used to teach a wide variety of courses on various interpersonal skills - with little or no direct reference to the issues of equity and inclusion. Why am I sharing this with you? To show you that change is ALWAYS possible.
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Creating Inclusion: How Ready is YOUR Organization for Change?
A critical exclusionary incident occurs in your organization. You react, try to smooth the situation over with an open forum or a training session on inclusion and diversity and resume your business-as-usual routine. Case closed. You breathe a sigh of relief. But not for those affected. Like waters that ripple endlessly when a stone skips through, waves of stinging emotions brew among those involved in the exclusionary episode. Can you relate? Diversity and Inclusion Cannot Be Accomplished Piecemeal Ignoring the situation solves nothing. Pretending it’s settled is absurd. The ingredients are in place and ready to ignite again when sparked. Learning to infuse equity and inclusion into everything we do…
