Whether leaders like it or not, employees are talking and thinking about issues like race, religion, and politics, which impact their levels of productivity, engagement, and psychological safety. Simply forbidding these conversations is just sweeping a problem under the rug. Award-winning diversity and inclusion consultant Mary-Frances Winters has been leading workshops on what she calls Bold, Inclusive Conversations for years. She offers specific dialogue techniques to foster greater understanding across diversity:
- Identifying words, phrases and topics that can be triggering to some groups and avoiding or reframing them to open dialogue rather than shut it down
- Dealing with the "fragility" of dominant groups--the extreme reluctance to engage with the concerns of nondominant groups
- Addressing the fatigue historically marginalized groups feel from constantly explaining their experience
- Understanding the difference between dialogue and debate
This is a comprehensive guide for leaders who want to create brave spaces for dialogue and facilitate discussions on potentially polarizing topics.