Diversity & Free Speech Business Communication Workshops

For Companies, Non-Profits or Organizations with a Diverse Workforce

Articles in ForbesHarvard Business Review and other studies have found, current corporate diversity programs often do not work to create harmonious diversity but instead creates more social division. This in turn affects company cohesion.

It is beneficial for any group to create a culture where everyone feels valued, heard and fosters a sense of community and belonging despite coming from diverse backgrounds or having different social identities. Most organizations, corporations and other social groups wish to further goals on diversity, equity and inclusion.

However, workers at many workplaces often feel like they are walking on eggshells. They are worried a wrong joke, display of ignorance, commenting on a stereotype or a cultural criticism can lead to a charge of prejudice.

This can have dire effects on a person's career, whether they are the accuser or the accused. Yet for many companies it is the friction, debate and laughter that emanate from open communication, where solutions to problems can often be found.

Social Identity Play Professional Communication Workshop uses simple tools for self assessment of personal sensitivity and ways to handle being offended without creating more division.

  1. PREP: Personal Responsibility Engendering Polite Response.
  2. JISC: Jokes, Ignorance, Stereotypes and Criticism.
  3. SISC: Social Identity Sensitivity Check. A simple tool that gives a numerical score on sensitivity with regards to personal social identities.

With a SISC score everyone at a workplace can enjoy freer speech based on individual rather than group sensitivities. There are many people from all demographics who enjoy open banter. Often some of the most creative ideas can be born in free wheeling environments. Yet there would also be care and mindfulness without judgement around those who are more sensitive around others to create a more harmonious work environment than the current default where everyone is afraid of offending everyone.

Honest meaningful conversations can challenge our beliefs. In many cases, personal growth and development emerge from these free-flowing uncensored conversations. This can be very beneficial to a company's creative output.

PREP is useful for people from different demographic groups and work situations from around the world. Based on reports from workshop participants, it appears to be more successful than the diversity programs which are in many companies and organizations today. As noted in a 2016 Harvard Business Review, “Traditional corporate programs such as diversity training, hiring tests, and performance ratings are largely ineffective.”

Diversity Communication Workshops

We teach and show you tools on how to communicate effectively and openly while respecting individual sensitivities such as race or gender. To practice being offended in a way that does not escalate a conversation into accusations of prejudice, we use four internationally recognized professions, as substitutes for social identities. The police, politicians, bankers and lawyers. Most people around the world have familiarity for each of these professions. There are jokes and criticisms across the world about these professions. I

Create Diverse Teams that Match each Other's Sensitivity Levels

We will show you how to use a Social Identity Sensitivity Check (SISC) to see which team members align with each other in sensitivity levels. That way, you can create diverse dynamic teams that work well together.

Company and Organization Classes are held via Zoom

Without having to disrupt and entire afternoon or work day, we can easily teach the Intersecting Identity Play Communication Workshop via zoom. Each session is about 2 hours. Sessions will be conducted via zoom.

Prices are as follows:

  • $350: Two-Hour Zoom Workshop: For companies or groups of up to 20 people.
  • $750: Package of 3-Classes: This option is for companies who wish to repeat different versions of the class or who have larger groups.

In each session, employees and management can practice using these simple tools for communication and they will assess their Social Identity Sensitivity Check.  Workers may ask us any questions. It also gives us a chance to chat with you about balancing diversity in the workplace with free speech and open inquiry necessary for honest assessments of problems and solutions.

Change the work and social dynamic in your organization for greater team cohesion and productivity.

Contact Us for Details or to Reserve a Workshop: