Exploring The Coexistence of Diversity & Bias

Exploring The Coexistence Of Diversity & Bias is a 2-hour introductory workshop that opens a discussion into diverse identities and invites participants to explore their own experiences with their various identities. Through the discussion  participants will be encouraged to recognize where bias has impacted their lives and to use that recognition to consider how bias may show up in the lives of others. Participants will also have an opportunity to consider their personal and professional networks through a diversity lens.

Having grounded our discussion in personal experience we use “The Look” a short film about racial bias from P&G to explore bias in a few different scenarios and strengthen the ability to recognize bias when it occurs around us.  In addition to the scenarios from “The Look” we will also explore the impact of bias incidents on the workplace and the communities served by the businesses.

The workshop will wrap up with a discussion on ways in which biases and bias incidents can be addressed.

Outcomes

After attending the Diversity & Bias: Exploring Their Coexistence Workshop and completing the activities in the course book, participants will have a clearer understanding of what bias is, how to recognize it, the impact that it can have on members of underrepresented and historically excluded  identity groups, and actions that can be taken to minimize bias in the workplace and client services.

Through group discussions and activities participants will explore their personal experiences, bear witness to the experiences of others, and form empathetic connections between knowledge and impact. These empathetic connections make participants more aware of their own actions and help them invest in changed behaviors.

Changed behaviors will improve employee relationships, retention, and client services building towards a more inclusive culture with a greater  sense of community and belonging.