90 Minute EDI and Unconscious Bias Training session

Every human being makes immediate, snap decisions about new people. It is purely instinctual and happens faster than we can comprehend, as quickly as 30 milliseconds. This process is called Unconscious Bias and can have a huge influence on how we respond to new people or groups of people.

Part of the bodies defence mechanism is to make these immediate decisions about people, to try and understand if it is safe. It is also a way to speed up new interactions; we cannot possibly process everything we initially take in about a new person. The brain will subconsciously categorise based on gender, age, race, weight, attractiveness, and disability. Along with this, our past experiences will also play a part, so that the brain also looks for familiar patterns of language, accent, nationality, religion, and education. Social Psychologists call this part of the process Social Categorisation.

We all form categories which pre-judge others, and other groups, based on past experiences with a similar group. This pre-judging will also be based on what we have seen, heard, and absorbed unconsciously during the course of our lives. Influences can come from family and friends but may also be affected by the news, social media and peers; creating patterns which we unconsciously process and store. These categories get reinforced by our daily lives, without us thinking consciously about them.

These unconscious decisions we make about someone’s character will then help create a bias, whether good or bad, towards them. Unconscious bias cannot be stopped, but we can learn how to use logical thought to ensure that we don’t let it impact negatively in the workplace.

The key content of this 90 minute EDI and Unconscious Bias training session:

  • Identify what EDI is and why it's important
  • How Unconscious Bias affects you and your organisation
  • How to recognise and manage your Unconscious Bias
  • Raising awareness and manage Unconscious Bias in the workplace
  • Q and A and Feedback


Objectives:

By the end of this 90 minute EDI and unconscious bias training session your learners will be able to:

  • Describe what diversity is and how it benefits the organisation
  • Explain what a good EDI policy looks like
  • List the protected characteristics and state their importance
  • Define and manage unconscious bias

Contact one of the team


Timings and Other Information

  • The sessions are 90 minutes long with an optional 30 minutes additional Q and A with the tutor at the end for those that want to hang around
  • The session is for up to 12 learners (which is why we don't charge per person, prices include the session, an experience tutor and materials)
  • We are flexible on the times but recommend the following (GMT): 08:00, 11:00 and 14:00
  • We recommend a monthly follow up and coaching session (on-line), with the same tutor, one month after the session to ensure action and accountability for the tasks the learners set themselves
  • If it suits your needs better you could always organise 3 different sessions per day for your team to choose the best time for them and we'll co-ordinate the rest
  • If relevant, all pre-course activities will be forwarded to the session organiser to be distributed to the leaners a week before before the session to allow to for completion
  • All the handouts will be forwarded to the session organiser to be distributed to the leaners after the session