This Exploring Microaggressions Conversation Starter is designed to deepen our understanding of how our actions and decisions effect colleagues on an individual level and impact overall organizational culture…. This content is for members only.Login Join Now...

A more equal world starts with you. Citing a formative moment from her own life, equity advocate Nita Mosby Tyler highlights why showing up and fighting for others who face injustices beyond your own lived experience leads to a fairer, more just future for all.

The presence and visibility of a movement can often lead us to believe that progress is inevitable. But building power and changing the system requires more than conversations and retweets, says Rashad Robinson, the president of Color Of Change. To create material change in the racist systems that enable and perpetuate violence against Black communities, Robinson shares how we can translate the energy of global protests into specific demands, actions, and laws — and hold those in power accountable to them.

Baratunde Thurston explores the phenomenon of white Americans calling the police on black Americans who have committed the crimes of … eating, walking, or generally “living while black.” In this profound, thought-provoking, and often hilarious talk, he reveals the power of language to change stories of trauma into stories of healing — while challenging us all to level up.

During this time of social distance and remote working it is critical that we maintain a culture of belonging to reduce feelings of isolation in our workplaces.  Here you can find a list of ice-breaker questions that you can use at the start of your meetings to engage employees and provide them the opportunity to dialogue with colleagues.

The Getting to Know You Bingo game is a great icebreaker or team building exercise. We developed this version with virtual teams / remote workers in mind. The Bingo squares are designed to help employees get to know teammates and coworkers who work remotely or in other regions or offices.

MTV Decoded is a weekly series where the fearless Franchesca Ramsey tackles race, pop culture, and other uncomfortable things, in a funny and thought-provoking way. This short video explores the topic of systemic racism and white fragility. Watch this video as a group and use the discussion prompts to explore reactions to the video and advance the dialogue.  

Robin J. DiAngelo is an American academic, lecturer, and author working in the fields of critical discourse analysis and whiteness studies. In her latest book White Fragility, DiAngleo takes a hard and compelling look at racial and social justice and explores how whiteness is reproduced in everyday narratives. This discussion guide builds on the concepts expressed in the book as a way to explore our individual experience with systemic racism and the role each of us plays in perpetuating it.  

We’re taught to believe that hard work and dedication will lead to success, but that’s not always the case. Gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability and sexual orientation are among the many factors that affect our chances. In this actionable talk, Melinda Epler shares three ways to support people who are underrepresented in the workplace.

Justin Baldoni wants to start a dialogue with men about redefining masculinity — to figure out ways to be not just good men but good humans. In a warm, personal talk, he shares his effort to reconcile who he is with who the world tells him a man should be.

Looking to get ahead in your career? Start by being respectful to your coworkers, says leadership researcher Christine Porath. In this science-backed talk, she shares surprising insights about the costs of rudeness and shows how little acts of respect can boost your professional success — and your company’s bottom line.

For the first time ever, we have five generations in the workplace at the same time, says entrepreneur Chip Conley. What would happen if we got intentional about how we all work together? In this accessible talk, Conley shows how age diversity makes companies stronger and calls for different generations to mentor each other at work, with wisdom flowing from old to young and young to old alike.

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

It’s a fateful moment in history. We’ve seen divisive elections, divided societies and the growth of extremism — all fueled by anxiety and uncertainty. “Is there something we can do, each of us, to be able to face the future without fear?” asks Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. In this electrifying talk, the spiritual leader gives us three specific ways we can move from the politics of “me” to the politics of “all of us, together.”

Tracing the contours of her career, America Ferrera calls for more authentic representation of different cultures — and a shift in how we tell our stories. “Presence creates possibility,” she says. “Who we see thriving in the world teaches us how to see ourselves, how to think about our own value, how to dream about our futures.”

In this discussion guide, participants will reflect on personal experiences to explore the characteristics and behaviors that define a Culture of Belonging and identify opportunities to address micro inequities that occur in our workplaces.

The mere idea of self-promotion can be extremely uncomfortable for most people.  This exercise uses the art of storytelling – specifically telling someone else’s story – as a way to practice the art of personal promotion, view your success through another person’s eyes and utilize that story to craft a more powerful version of your own story.

We often find ourselves stuck in narrow social circles with similar people. What habits confine us, and how can we break them? Organizational psychologist Tanya Menon considers how we can be more intentional about expanding our social universes — and how it can lead to new ideas and opportunities

Like any strategy, the success of your diversity and inclusion strategy is dependent on setting the right goals.  Listen to this talk with your diversity and inclusion team and use the facilitated discussion and action planning worksheet to apply these concepts to your own goal-setting process.

Speaking up is hard to do, even when you know you should. Learn how to assert yourself, navigate tricky social situations and expand your personal power with sage guidance from social psychologist Adam Galinsky.

The Intent versus Impact Exercise is an interactive exercise designed to help participants explore the unintended impact of their words, actions and decisions.

The Making it Count for Sales Conversation Starter is a series of discussion prompts designed to help managers and their teams recognize opportunities to leverage diversity to improve client / customer relationships and business results.

The We Choose You: Exploring Organizational Norms and Biases Exercise is a 30-minute experiential activity designed to help participants recognize the existence of organizational norms and biases that may be limiting the opportunity and success of marginalized employees.

Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation. Participants will listen to her Ted Talk and engage in interactive discussion and practice exercises to advance the concepts shared in her talk.

In this short video a group of hiring managers discuss the concept of cultural fit and how focusing on criteria when assessing candidates enables them to mitigate the impact of bias on their hiring decisions. The discussion guide can be used to further explore the concepts and practice applying them to real workplace situations.

A native of Turkey, Elif Shafak has experienced firsthand the devastation that a loss of diversity can bring — and she knows the revolutionary power of plurality in response to authoritarianism. In this passionate, personal talk, she reminds us that there are no binaries, in politics, emotions and our identities.

Trust is the foundation for everything we do. But what do we do when it’s broken? In an eye-opening talk, Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei gives a crash course in trust: how to build it, maintain it and rebuild it.

In this short video working parents talk about the challenges they face balancing work and parenting. Watch this video as a group and use the discussion prompts to explore reactions to the video and advance the dialogue – work-life is not just a working parent’s issue.

The Hiring Decisions Exercise is a 30-minute experiential activity designed to help participants recognize the existence of personal assumptions and unconscious biases and the impact on behavior and decisions.

Sebastian Junger suggests there’s another major cause of pain for veterans when they come home: the experience of leaving the tribal closeness of the military and returning to an alienating and bitterly divided modern society. Listen and engage in an enlightening conversation about how we can created more tribal work cultures that support military veterans as well as all employees.