DIVERSITY & INCLUSION for managers
Available As:
In-house training
- Face-to-face (Half or full day for <15 people)
- Live virtual (3hrs for <15 people)
- Conferences and events (<500 people)
- Webinar (1hr for <1000 people)
- With or without actors
- Fully customisable
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion for Managers
This interactive workshop takes managers on a journey. First, they discover their own personal motivations for becoming champions of equality and inclusion, before exploring the business benefits in the context of your organisation. We then lead managers to reflect on their own practices, and the dynamics of their own team, to identify barriers to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Finally, using practical activities, video and/or interaction with live actors, we build the skills and confidence leaders need to comply with the law, understand the line between banter, bullying, harassment and discrimination, and to deal with inappropriate behaviour constructively.
Course Content
Finding your place in the conversation
The programme opens with a hard-hitting video to remind us that diversity and inclusion unequivocally impacts us all. We follow with a period of reflection, word-clouding and optional sharing of real-life experiences to help managers find their own motivation for embarking on the journey to become champions of inclusion.
Barriers to inclusion
We introduce three barriers that are particularly relevant in today’s workplace and to the role of a manager:
1. Making assumptions and allowing stereotypes or bias (conscious or unconscious) to get in the way of thought processes, decision making and our relationships with others
2. Banter that is no longer friendly or wanted
3. Failing to effectively call out situations when we experience or witness inappropriate behaviour
The assumption trap
Using a fictional scenario and group discussion we demonstrate how assumptions, stereotypes and bias can lead us into an unwelcome trap with far-reaching consequences. Then we explore Assumption Busters which start to break down the unhelpful associations that create a barrier to fair and inclusive leadership practices.
Action planning
Managers are invited to reflect on their own team and start a personal action plan.
A step too far
The group is introduced to scenarios, brought to life through video (or live actors) and it’s their job to identify which are ok and which are not. Each is carefully designed to reflect the subtleties and complexities of real-life situations. An extra element of interactivity is added to this activity using a Menti quiz.
Break time & business case
We share the business case in easily digestible stats and facts.
In the eyes of the law
We revisit the Step too Far scenarios this time through the eyes of the law and explore how whether reminding ourselves about the Equality Act 2010 and definitions of banter, bullying, harassment and discrimination would change any of our opinions on whether behaviour is okay or not okay.
Action planning
Managers are invited to build on their action plan.
Turning a blind eye
The third and final barrier we explore is the consequence of failing to deal with inappropriate behaviour either through lack of awareness or a lack of confidence. We introduce a GearBox Framework to help managers to address difficult situations. Managers practice using the technique to minimise a defensive reaction and maximise the likelihood of a constructive outcome.
Action planning
Managers will be given a final opportunity to reflect on what they can commit to changing in their behaviour, habits, processes, or approach and to share these commitments with the team. Upon request, we can share these commitment with HR or line managers who can help encourage a transfer of learning and positive change.
Keeping the learning alive
Depending on budget and objectives, you have the option to equip manager with a comprehensive toolkit of activities and conversation starts to cascade the learning to their teams and keep conversations going for long to come.
Let's Talk!
We’re advocates of crafting tailormade solutions that ensure you meet objectives and maximise budgets. Contact us to book a meeting to scope the right solution for your organisation, together.
What About Actors?
Through clever script writing, goose-bump inducing delivery and professional facilitation we can bring so much to life. We stimulate emotion, penetrate the long-term memory and create lasting change.
When we use live drama, we are able to have the actors play out the scenario and then be hot seated for the audience to ask them questions whilst they remain in character. Hot seating works so well because actors work with a pre-rehearsed backstory, so they are able to respond in character. They progressively reveal unexpected elements of their story that will not have previously been told. It can bust assumptions that the audience might have made based on the scenario (situation) but not fully understanding the impact at first sight.
Using actors in this programme enables us to bring to:
- Bring both the subtle, and not so subtle, inappropriate behaviours to life, literally
- Provide attendees with an opportunity to explore the fine line between what is and isn’t acceptable
- Give attendees a chance to challenge the actors whilst they are still in character
- Demonstrate that things aren’t always what they seem at first glance
- Provide delegates with an opportunity to test out alternative ways of approaching what can often be sensitive situations
- Create a goosebump-inducing learning experience that sticks in the long-term memory
Don't Just Take Our Word For It
Ashley Neve
Course Leader - University of Portsmouth“I thought it was a really good session – very interactive and very enthused with how they used actors. They were absolutely superb! It will certainly be very useful for myself and others to support other staff when we are looking into equality, diversity and inclusion within the workforce and student population.”
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