You're navigating a diversity-themed social event. How do you confront unconscious biases that may surface?

As a facilitator, we have a "bird's eye view" of the room. What we notice may or may not be noticed by others. It's important that everyone feels their participation is honoured and valued. The work invested at the outset of the session will be really important. Breakdown the diversity and recognize the wealth of perspective, knowledge and experience in the space. Identify that we are all learning or unlearning the things that have kept diverse voices out of the circle. Because we are all learning/unlearning, we may encounter our own or others' blind spots, misperceptions, assumptions, etc. How can we care for one another in this space and maintain a healing and growing mindset?

Consider your initial reaction- what did you feel? Why did you react this way? Have previous events in your life impacted this response? Was part of your socialization related to this response? Consider how you feel again, and then put yourself in someone else’s shoes. How would they feel if someone responded the way you did? Is it fair or just; common or compassionate?

Active listening and compassionate listening require the listener to not only be ‘present’ in the interaction, but to do so with integrity from a compassionate stance. With Kindness, respect, caring and humility as values to guide your way, you may listen, reflect, ask questions to seek further understanding, while also giving space to others in the interaction.

Travelling, visiting, being open, and meeting people from around the world help with this. It’s often not until we have travelled to many other places and seen the values, teachings and behaviours of communities that are not our own, that we may be gain critical perspective on our own behaviours, values and actions.

Discomfort is a catalyst for growth and change. It can push us to take actions that counteract our biases. Before the next step, this is when you should trully commit to Equity! Continuous engagement with discomfort can reinforce our commitment to addressing and overcoming unconscious biases, leading to more consistent and sustained long-term efforts.

Being open to your reflections and to speaking about them in a safe way with others will help you to gain bravery in seeking out understandings in your interactions. Being prepared for feedback, ideally shared in a Good Way with a Good Mind, while also taking time to reflect, is crucial. You do not need all the answers at once. It is good to take time to ‘put it into your toaster and see what pops up’. Find safe people to explore your expanding experiences with.

I say, ‘always, always ask’ if you are really unsure or concerned about something; however, allow the values of kindness, respect, compassion and humility to guide you.

It’s important to practice self-awareness. Understanding the places where you may be triggered and the physical and emotional responses to those triggers. Regulating your responses to triggers is critical. Once at the event, practice curiosity. And be especially curious when encountering topics that cause you to be uncomfortable. Take time to reflect afterwards and take action on what you learned.

Be kind, be friendly, don't take offense, do not take everything as a personal attack, and smile to people. After all, the other one is a human being and deserves as much respect as you do, independently of how much you know, understand or comprehend their being.