Defeating Unconscious Bias: Your Workplace Advantage
Provide your team members with the skills needed to identify and defeat the biases that compromise their ability to work and lead effectively.
Program Content:
The following will be customized to meet your needs and program format. Points are made through a mixture of audience interaction, commentary, respectful humor, anecdotes, and client-specific examples.
- The definition of “bias” and an interactive discussion of how biases work in the brain to distort our perceptions of others
- Examples of how unconscious bias negatively impacts your organization, the object of the bias, and the holder of the bias
- Two interactive techniques for becoming aware of and identifying unconscious bias
- Questions to ask to distinguish a bias from a flexible generality
- Three research based and immediately-applicable tools for defeating unconscious bias
The Principles That Shape This Presentation:
- True learning is always enhanced by participant interaction.
- Anecdotes, examples, and a light-hearted approach are powerful tools for reducing resistance, overcoming discomfort, and enhancing retention of the material.
- Although all human beings have biases to some degree, biases do not make us bad people. It is what we do about them that matters.
- Blame and guilt are poor tools for bringing about change.
- It is possible to become aware of many of our biases through skill, alertness, commitment, and habit.
- Most biases can be defeated through the consistent application of specific skills and tools.
Program Customization:
This program can be customized to meet your needs. Sondra will work closely with you to assure that the presentation speaks directly to your audience and to your goals.
Cultivating Common Ground: Innovation, Trust, Bias Reduction
Overcome workplace bias and increase innovation by identifying shared values, interests, and goals while valuing diversity.
Program Content:
The following will be customized to meet your needs and program format. Points are made through a mixture of audience interaction, commentary, respectful humor, anecdotes and client-specific examples.
- An interactive discussion of how identifying what we have in common – while valuing diversity – enhances workplace innovation, trust, fairness, and commitment
- An overview of how identifying what we have in common helps defeat unconscious bias
- An interactive discussion of the four values all human beings share
- Four immediately-applicable skills for identifying common ground in the workplace
- How to keep Common Ground top of mind
- How to enable goal-oriented inter-group contact
- How to develop two-way mentor partnerships
- How to develop Employee Resource Groups and other entities around shared needs and goals.
Program Customization:
This program can be customized to meet your needs. Sondra will work closely with you to assure that the presentation speaks directly to your audience and to your goals.
Gateways to Inclusion: Turn Tense Moments into Productive Conversations
Learn the skills needed to convert moments of workplace tension into gateways for increased understanding and stronger workplace relationships.
Program Content:
The following will be customized to meet your needs and program format. Points are made through a mixture of audience interaction, commentary, respectful humor, anecdotes, and client-specific examples.
- Discussion of how moments of diversity-related tension can be converted to opportunities for improved communication and reduced bias
- Examples of “Gateway Events” that are pertinent to the client organization
- Survey of the specific ways in which effective dialogue skills positively impact relationships
- Exposure to four key skills for effective dialogue. Each skill will be accompanied by examples and extensive audience interaction. These include:
- Skills to manage the emotions that typically block our ability to dialogue with respect and clarity
- Guidance on how to set productive goals for each conversation – and how to achieve those goals
- How to handle the dilemma of intent versus impact
- How to make respectful verbal choices that encourage rather than shut down productive conversation
Program Customization:
This program can be customized to meet your needs. Sondra will work closely with you to assure that the presentation speaks directly to your audience and to your goals.
