Inclusive Conversations

Catalog description

Research shows that being on inclusive teams makes people more creative, more diligent, and harder-working, and that more diverse leadership teams outperform their less diverse peers in financial returns. Furthermore, inclusion leads to increased innovation, which is critically important in today’s rapidly changing world. So what does inclusion mean and how does one cultivate it? This course aims to develop mindful, inclusive communication skills to enable belonging and increase success for all. With this course, you will gain foundational knowledge of inclusive language, build awareness of your social identities and their relationship to inclusion, and practice increasing inclusion and cross-difference understanding. Through readings, videos, conversation role plays, self-reflection, peer feedback, case analyses, and class discussions, by the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) Recognize to what extent an interaction is or is not inclusive; 2) Apply the knowledge, skills, mindsets, and frameworks learned in this course to maximize inclusion in your conversations at work and beyond; and 3) Empower yourself and others to foster inclusive team communication and to continue ongoing learning about inclusion. Inclusive Conversations is for everyone who wants to create more shared understanding and connection across lines of difference, both 1:1 and in teams. Regardless of your starting point, this course will empower you to grow your emotional, relational, and cultural intelligences.