How to Conduct a Diversity Training Workshop

Age, culture, and communication are topics for diversity training

The productivity level of your business may get a boost from diversity training workshops that help employees understand each other. Department heads who listen to the unique needs of staff and teams with cultural understanding can better work on solutions to meet these challenges in the workplace. Diversity training can be a major catalyst for improvements within an organization or company.

Things You'll Need

• Diversity analysis
• Breakdown of employee characteristics
• Survey sheets
• Listing of future topics
• Facilitators and workshop leaders

Instructions

1. 

   Speak with employees to develop a series of trainings

   Identify the purpose for the workshop. A couple of possibilities are the training will create a greater understanding among workers of different ages, generational perspectives or geographic distances. Conduct an overall corporate diversity and inclusion analysis to understand the priorities. Perform a needs assessment to develop the training session and note: how many age groups are represented; existing outward religious differences if any; how any existing work teams or departments cooperate; and if cultural frustrations exist for individuals or teams who travel to other countries.

2. Ask employees if they feel their concerns are being addressed by the company, advises diversity training consultant Sangeeta Gupta. Prior to a workshop with a health company Gupta asked the employees to share their workplace frustrations in a survey; the results of the survey showed the following : "1. Muslim employees were feeling isolated. 2. A lesbian employee felt that she was being treated differently by her supervisor. 3. There was a level of frustration in [the] IT department and lack of cohesive leadership from above." To get an honest assessment of what employees are feeling provide them with survey sheets, and assure them that their anonymous responses will be kept confidential.

3. Make improving communication one of the goals, says Dr. Gupta, because "the challenge is found in helping team members communicate with each other." Communication problems can be the result of age differences, nationalities and employees being located off-site. Ask workshop participants to list other desired outcomes like improved sharing among departments and improved communication skills among department leaders. File these as topics for specific, future diversity training workshops.

4. 

   Break out the modules and list the desired outcomes

   Make each topic discussed in the training workshop a module, and describe it using concise details the way the Oregon Education Association did in a brochure with a heading "What does this training look like?" and a brief description "Each module is 2 ½ hour workshop to be delivered to a group of 12 to 40 participants." Choose a length that fits the needs of participants. Decide if trainings will be in person for local employees or if trainings can be concurrently on a webinar for representatives at a distance. Identify the instructors. Decide if hiring an outside consultant is a good choice to serve as a model for future trainings or the following modules. Select facilitators who may not normally have a leadership role in the company.

5. Conduct a future review scheduled for at least one month out to learn if participants gained "awareness, will, and skill" as stated by Joe Rominiecki in an interview with Tangie Newborn, executive director and CEO of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management on Asaecenter.org. Plan a future diversity training that builds on lessons gained in the first one.

Tips & Warnings

• Promote the training as a way to boost productivity and individual communication

• Assure participants it's not pressure to force political correctness

• Show how attendees will gain appreciation for their coworkers

• Diversity training can help avoid lawsuits, but its ideal purpose is as a tool to benefit employees.

References

• "Guptaconsulting.com: Casestudies: Creating an Environment of Inclusion"
• "Oregoned.org: Events: Education for All Diversity Training: Education for All Diversity Training Brochure"
• "Asaecenter.org: PublicationsResources: Associations Now"

Resources

• "Diversity Council"
• "Global Learning Resources"
• "Employers Association of New Jersey: Most Diversity Training Ineffective"