creating inclusive meetings and special events - Diversity at Work in ...

SPRING 2013

D i v e r si t y a t W o r k i n Lo n d o n In c .

T H E IN CL U S ION Q UA R T ER LY Inside this issue: Editorial Diversity Updates Tips for Inclusive Meetings Resources

Diversity of Thought

1-2 3

4-5

6

7 and 10

Ebook Promotion

8

Are You an Inclusive Chair?

9

Accessible Seating

9

Ask the Diversity Consultant

11

Ask the Elocution Consultant

12-13

More Tips for Inclusive Meetings

CREATING INCLUSIVE MEETINGS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

14

Recently, I was perusing a business magazine that had a section dedicated to meeting planning. It was written by a professional in the field yet I could have sworn that the article was at least 20 years old. There was no attention to the new realities of planning business meetings that host a wide range of guests

from different cultures, religions and abilities. It was the same old same old. Someone reading this article may have thought that they had all of the information they needed to make their next event a success --but they didn’t. As usual, when I come across oversights like this, I have a tendency to follow -up with them. I left a

polite voice mail with the editor asking him to call me back citing I did not feel that his readers would be equipped to plan an inclusive meeting with the tips that were offered. Let’s see if I hear back from him.

No doubt, the business world is more complicated these days. There is so


Page 2

C R E AT I N G I N C L U S I V E M E E T I N G S SPECIAL EVENTS CONT’D

FROM

AND

PG. 1

much legislation that can scare the average person like: human rights, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and more. It can be very intimidating, especially if you feel forced into thinking outside the box for the first time.

business meeting more inclusive. Guess what? A lot of the ideas won’t cost you much or nothing at all, but they really make a world of difference when it comes to making your staff, co-workers and guests more comfortable with participating. Before you know it, it will become just a regular way of doing business.

I promise!

Cheers, Evelina Silveira Editor

Don’t fret. In this issue we are going to offer you suggestions to make your next event or

A lot of the ideas won’t cost you much or nothing at all, but they really make a world of difference when it comes to making your staff, coworkers and guests more comfortable with participating.


Page 3

D I V E R S I T Y AT W O R K U P D AT E S Hello Readers:

I am really excited to announce the launch of our new ebook, Diversity

Walters who many of you may know from her publication Diversity! In the workplace.

and Inclusion on a

We are working toward

Budget. I was inspired to

putting our most popular

put this together because

topics and workshops

of the endless

together in an on demand

conversations I had with

webinar format. We hope

diversity practitioners who

that for some of our

told me they wanted to do

readers who may not be

more but couldn’t because

in the position to afford

of a lack of a budget.

corporate training or

You’ll be amazed at what

public workshops will find

you can do with little or

the webinars more

no money. If you haven’t

accessible in terms of

purchased a copy yet, we

time and cost.

who has done some casual work for us in the area of pronunciation and elocution. She is going to be featured in this month’s column, “Ask the Elocution Instructor.

Thank you to Simma Lieberman a new American colleague for her submission to this quarter’s issue.

Evelina Silveira

encourage you to read the endorsements from a wide variety of sectors. This

We also will be

book has been a

introducing you to our associate, Heidi Bagshaw

collaboration with Jill

Course/Webinar On Demand

DIVERSITY AWARENESS 101: A CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE The Canadian demographical landscape is changing rapidly. And so are our workplaces. Learn how to create productive, healthy and inclusive workplaces that can accommodate a diversity of employees who have a broad range of needs and expectations. This course is equipped with: audio, slides, video, a transcript, links to references, a quiz and a certificate of completion.

http://www.yourdiversityatwork.com/webinars/


Page 4

T I P S F O R C R E AT I N G I N C L U S I V E EVENTS Here are some of the basics to keep in mind.

If you check out our

Resource section of the ezine you will find more information. 1. CROSS-CHECK THE PROPOSED DATE OF YOUR MEETING. Does it coincide with any religious or cultural events? Are the dates of your meetings scheduled on days when children are off from school? Tip: Keep a religious/ cultural calendar handy along with elementary school calendars. 2. INVITE ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS. Ask participants well before the meeting to place their accommodation requests in by a certain date.

3. CHOOSE AN ACCESSIBLE LOCATION. Your venue should be equipped with ramps, elevators, accessible bathrooms etc. However, you will also want to consider having your event or meeting in an area that is easily accessible by public transportation.

4. CHOOSE A CATERER/MENU PLANNING. Depending on your group of participants you may want to consider halal or kosher catering if you know that you will be having Jewish or Muslim guests. If in doubt always ensure that you have lots of vegetarian options. Sit down meals are best if you are expecting guests with mobility challenges. If you choose to have a buffet, assign a volunteer to assist the participant with getting their meal.


T I P S F O R C R E AT I N G I N C L U S I V E EVENTS CONT’D 5. IF POSSIBLE PROVIDE MEETING MATERIALS IN ADVANCE. By doing so, you give participants an opportunity to ask any questions, obtain translations if required or just give them more time to absorb the information if they have challenges with reading comprehension.

6. PROVIDE CLEAR SIGNAGE AND NAME TAGS AND MATERIALS. Use large print contrasting colour signs and high contrast name tags. Each participant should have a name tag if there is a new member to the meeting. Consider the above with your PowerPoint presentations and handouts. Opt for a larger font size like 18 and fonts like Verdana and Arial that are sans serif. 7. ALLERGY ALLERT. Ensure that your promotional materials indicate a scent-free environment. If you are planning to use balloons , choose a non-latex brand. Food allergies should be taken care of early on in the planning stages when you invite requests for accommodations.

8. CHAIRING THE MEETING. Remember to indicate any changes in topic, break times and adjournments. Whenever possible, try to stay on schedule as some of your guests may have medical issues that they need to take care of during a break at a certain time. 9. KEEP ISSUES ABOVE BOARD. While it is nice to get support for your position, trying to create a lobby group outside of the meeting spells exclusion. As a practice, strive to keep all related discussions within the meeting to avoid some members having an unfair advantage over others. 10. ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES. While it is sometimes difficult to do, challenge participants who are trying to “pull rank in the room”. Remind meeting participants of simple rules like speaking one at a time, attentive listening, respect for different opinions and for confidentiality.

Page 5


Page 6

RESOURCES

Online leadership tools for planning inclusive meetings http://www.online-leadership-tools.com/inclusive-meetings.html

Guide to Planning Inclusive Meetings http://www.whiwh.com/BIC_tips.pdf

Building Inclusive Communities Tips Tool http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/disability_issues/doc/gpim/guide.pdf

http://diversityintheworkplace.ca/wordpress/

Would you like a customized workplace diversity and inclusion webinar for your organization? Make the most of your training dollars by investing once with creating an ongoing training resource. Call us today. 519 519--659 659--4777

http://www.yourdiversityatwork.com [email protected]

Diversity At Work in London Inc. 142 Clarke Road, P.O. Box 35008 London, ON. N5W 5Z6 Phone: 519-659-4777

Copyrighted 2013 Cannot be reproduced without permission of


Page 7

WORKFORCE DIVERSITY + DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT = BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATION

Are you leveraging the Diversity of Thought in your diverse workforce, or is your organization using its diversity to look good on Facebook?

Some organizations believe that if they have a representation of people that look different from each other, practice different religions, and have policies that support LGBT employees they’ve done all the diversity work they need to do.

I’ve worked with other organizations that tell me that although their whole senior leadership team is white male, they are all diverse because they have different viewpoints, and therefore their work is done.

Not only is their work not done, if they have spent money on diversity training, or consulting, and have not moved beyond either of these beliefs, their return on investment in terms of new ideas and innovation will be close to zero.

The objectives of any successful ongoing diversity and inclusion initiative is threefold 1 -build a workforce that is diverse in terms of the primary dimensions of diversity 2 -create a work culture where everyone feels included, and motivated to do their best work

1 -Accept that you may be uncomfortable with new ideas, especially ones that contradict yours. 2- Practice letting go of “how it has to be.” 3 - Tell employees in writing, words, social media, and video that you want to hear from them. In order to accomplish the third 4 - Learn to become a participant and ultimate objective, among participants at meetings, organizations have to be open to and refrain from always expressing doing what they’ve always done disagreement when employees differently. That means the CEO, make suggestions. ED and anyone in top leadership need to be open to, encourage, and 5 - Be aware that not all people are comfortable, or most creative know how to access diversity of sharing ideas and thoughts in a thought. group. 6 -Provide ways in which employees can contribute ideas Leveraging diversity of thought is individually, or in writing. more than a diversity of people, or 7- Provide opportunities for crosspeople who look alike holding a functional teams to work together 8 - Hold facilitated dialogue brainstorming session. meetings for people from different backgrounds, work functions, work levels, or generations to interact and learn more about each other. It’s becoming conscious of any This will facilitate their ability to biases that may be obstacles to seeing more possibilities, expanding work with each other, make suggestions and share resources. your definition of leadership, 9 -Get to know employees you strategic thinking, and how new previously have had little contact products are created. with, like people how answer phones, customer service, and janitorial staff, 10—Reward employees who Leveraging the diverse skills, uncover hidden genius in another talents, and experiences of your diverse workforce also entails using employee. various methods to access their diversity of thought. General Motors is seeing the results of hiring and listening to women engineers. Before they were hiring So, how do you access the diversity or soliciting ideas from women, of thought or hidden genius in your they never took into consideration organization? car seat size or steering wheel placement, storage, and 3-

leverage the diverse skills and experiences of that diverse workforce to dramatically increase innovation and become an industry leader


Page 8

This resultsresults-driven ebook that offers affordable tips, tricks and links to get your diversity and inclusion strategy implemented, ongoing and successful. All for just $39.49.

Price increases “Need some inexpensive ways to integrate diversity, inclusivity and accessibility in your organization? Diversity and Inclusion on a Budget gave me some great tips and tools to help build organizational commitment on our diversity journey.” ~Mary Ryan, Manager Community Resources / Diversity & Inclusivity, Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket, Ontario.

“If you think you don’t have the resources, money or time to make your organization inclusive, you need to read this book. The tips, and advice presented here demonstrate how even organizations that have “no” budget for diversity can make immediate changes. It's also a great book for any individual who wants to know what they can do to make a difference in their workplace.” ~Simma Lieberman, “The Inclusionist”, Simma Lieberman and Associates

April 1, 2013 to $49.99


Page 9

ARE YOU AN INCLUSIVE CHAIR?

Try a four or five checkmark assessment at the end of each meeting. Use our suggestions or add your own. 1. Did you feel that you had an opportunity to express your thoughts at YES or NO

the meeting? 2. Did the chair share the floor?

YES or NO

3.

Were the participants encouraged to express differences of opinion? YES or NO

4.

Do you have any ideas for future meetings?

5.

Additional comments

YES or NO

______________________________

General Information about Accessible Seating -The number of spaces designated for people with disabilities will depend on the type of event being held. - Recommendations for allocation of seating for people with disabilities are: 1 accessible seat for the first 25 regular seats; 6 accessible seats for up to 500 regular seats. - Provide additional accessible seats if the event is related to a disability issue. Guide: How to Plan Accessible Indoor Events, City of London Accessibility Advisory Committee


Page 10

D I V E R S I T Y A N D I N C L U S I O N S TAT I S T I C S

For the first time, the number of 15 to 24-yearolds will slip below the number of 55-to 64-year olds.

Statscan Demographic Division

6.4% of Canada’s total workforce —- 1.2 million people now consists of Part-time workers under the age of 30 who wish they could work full-time. Maclean’s

The growth in aboriginal business in the period of 20012006 period was five times the pace of total self –employed Canadians.

Jan. 21, 2013

Census Canada

...try new ways, and be revolutionary Simma Lieberman

WORKFORCE DIVERSITY + DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT = BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATION CONT’D FROM PAGE 7 Of course, simply hiring more women, or people from diverse backgrounds isn’t enough if they remain the best kept secrets in your organization,

Become willing to let others express ideas that may be better at getting the results you need. And while there are different methods to access diversity of thought, be prepared to employ different methods to show recognition.

Finally, how do you know how to get participation, what method to use, and how to show appreciation?

Use your diversity of thought to experiment, try new ways, and be revolutionary …… Ask!

Simma Lieberman


Page 11

ASK THE DIVERSITY CONSULTANT

Dear Evelina:

I have an employee who is very motivated and does a wonderful job. That being said, he picks his nose and ears on a regular basis while talking to people. Coworkers and clients have commented on this issue and attributed this issue to his ethnic background. I don’t know really if it is about his ethnic background at all. He by the way is quite well educated, if that makes a difference. How do I confront him on this very sensitive issue without offending him and changing the dynamic of our working relationship? Alesha K. Dear Alesha;

Thanks for your question. Having to deal with unprofessional habits are sometimes much more delicate to deal with than issues of productivity because of their personal nature. I am going to make a few assumptions here, that your employee is from a high context culture where his status, reputation and personal image and standing has far more significance than it does in Canada. The fact that you say he is well educated is important.

First of all I would never say that his actions are “impolite” or “rude”. Because if he is well educated from his country of origin it is also implied that he is well schooled in manners. In most parts of the world education is correlated with status and wealth. This is less the case here because we have student loans and the cost of education is more affordable than in other parts of the world.

To say that he is impolite or rude would be a huge insult. I very rarely use these expressions when I am dealing with high context people because they would be so offended that you wouldn’t be able to convey the message you intended.

I am confident that if you stop engaging in these habits the management and co-workers will look upon you more favourably. There is nothing to be embarrassed about, but I want to tell you this because I value you as an employee and want you to exhibit the habits and attributes that will make you successful in a Canadian workplace. Do you have any questions? As difficult as it may be for both of you to have this discussion it is a real opportunity to show leadership and build a stronger relationship with your staff.

The Diversity Consultant

Here is what I would suggest:

Start with: “ I really value you as an employee and as an educated person, I think you should know that there are some habits that you have ( name the habits explicitly) that make you appear less professional in a Canadian context. I know that you want to project a good image so I would like to let you know that these habits are always considered inappropriate no matter what the situation may be.

FOR MORE ABOUT HIGH CONTEXT CULTURES Read the work of Edward T. Hall.

I very rarely use these expressions when I am dealing with high context people because they would be so offended that you wouldn’t be able to convey the message you intended.


Page 12

ASK THE ELOCUTION INSTRUCTOR Elocution Columnist:

I came back to work after suffering a stroke. I know that sometimes people don’t understand me so well and it is really tough. Can you give me some ideas about how I can improve the clarity of my voice? Dear Reader,

Returning back to work after any type of illness or injury is never easy. While you might not be feeling very confident, your co-workers and boss may not know what to expect or how to treat you. It can be an uncomfortable experience for all. The speech of a stroke survivor can sometimes be difficult to understand, but even more complicated are the changes that can happen to one’s affect. Stroke patients can have problems maintaining the conversation's topic and may switch topics without warning. Coworkers may become confused when they notice that their coworker may have strange emotional responses when speaking, such as talking with no emotional affect or being overly emotional. The other incredible part is that stroke survivors have little awareness of their abnormal emotional speech responses.

I would suggest that you call perhaps an organization like the Heart and Stroke Foundation and see if they may be willing to come in a do a talk for your group. It could help increase the awareness not only of stroke predictors but provide some much needed guidance and sensitivity for your employer and coworkers. Don’t be afraid to let your co-workers and boss know what you may need from them to make the transition back to work smooth. Most of the time people will feel awkward because they

don’t know what to do or how to handle a situation. You make it easier for them and for yourself by letting them know what they can expect. Now as for how to make your speech clearer. From your question, I am guessing that people some times have difficulty understanding your speech sounds – which, of course, affect your words and sentences. My first idea is for you to slow down your speech. Speed of

speech directly affects precision of articulation. In other words, the faster people speak, the less precise they produce the speech sounds. This applies to everybody. Slowing down your speech will help you focus on one speech sound at a time and may allow you to more strongly articulate each sound. Others will be able to process each sound in your speech and more easily understand your words.

I don’t know what kind of work you do, so I can only provide general input.

First, use the simplest words possible, as well as short sentences. Secondly, buy a set of recipe cards. Find on the internet symbols or pictures which represent the words with which you have trouble. Look for simple pictures, but make sure they aren’t too simple. For example, you want a door to look like a door, a book to look like a book, and so on. Either paste the pictures or write the words – one on each recipe card. Each time you use one of

Heidi Bagshaw Heidi achieved her Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, with a concentration in Speech Therapy. She completed courses in language development, speech anatomy, and the mechanics of the tongue and other articulators to form the sounds of the world's languages. Additionally, Heidi studied types of speech airflow and accompanying vocal productions. Her training has prepared her to teach clients English pronunciation, as well as assist persons with speech disorders who need to compensate when their vocal apparatus is challenged. Heidi received her TESOL Certification from Global TESOL College in Calgary, Alberta. She will be completing her TESL Ontario Certification this year.


Page 13

ASK THE ELOCUTION INSTRUCTOR CONT’D

FROM

PG. 12

those particular words, show the picture/ symbol. The listener will be able to link your pronunciation with the word. Continue to show the cards during communication until others have a full understanding of the links between your pronunciation and your intended meaning. Thirdly, if you have a Blackberry (or similar device), you may want to type your message on the screen and then let the person read it. It’s one more way to get your message across. My last suggestion is that you make use of gestures as much as you can. Do not hesitate to point to an object (or even a person). Some people consider it rude to point to a person, but

if it is the easiest and most effective way to communicate… go for it! If you have a benefit plan at work, it would be worth checking out if you qualify for some ongoing speech therapy which will no doubt help you to progress more rapidly.

That is my input in response to your question/concern. I hope it will help you in your communication.

Heidi Bagshaw The Elocution Instructor

ADDRESSING FOOD ALLERGIES AT YOUR EVENTS

1. Be prepared ask in advance if there are any allergies. 2. Have on hand any manufacturer’s labels if your guest needs to double-check. 3. Label the ingredients in the dish. 4. Instead of trying to avoid serving foods that people with food allergies cannot eat, concentrate on planning a menu based on what they can eat. 5. Include vegetable trays — they are usually well received by most people.

Do not hesitate to point to an object (or even a person). Some people consider it rude to point to a person, but if it is the easiest and most effective way to communicate… go for it


MORE TIPS FOR INCLUSIVE MEETINGS 1.

Do A Go-Around.

•

Everyone speaks for a short and equal time frame. Usually this involves going in a circle.

•

Participants may be asked: How are they feeling? This can also be referred to as a check-in.

2. Make your agenda visible. •

Whether your agenda is on a blackboard, a flip chart or a mind map.

•

If you alter the agenda it needs to be done in full view.

3. Give everyone a chance to speak. •

No one speaks twice until everybody has been given the chance to speak once.

Diversity at Work in London

Page 14