Habit # 4

COMMUNICATE!

"Women are often left out, it is as if we are not seen…"

TALK TO PEOPLE POTENTIALLY TARGETS OF YOUR BIASES

Unconscious biases lead us to naturally have more frequent contact with people towards whom we have no biases or towards whom we have favorable attitudes. We tend to ignore people who are the target of our biases.

This week, analyze your informal contacts: who are the people you have had the most contact? Identify people around you who are likely to be the target of your bias based on their gender, origin, age, or other factors. Do you tend to subconsciously dismiss these people?

Organize at least one informal contact with someone potentially target of your biases whether it is an informal update via Webcast, a quick phone call, an office coffee, or, if the health situation allows it, a lunch.

More frequent contacts reduces the generalization mechanisms and helps reduce bias.

And schedule more such contacts now for the weeks to come. For the next activity, we will give you suggestions for these interviews.

IN PRACTICAL TERMS, HOW DO WE DO THIS?

Inclusive leaders use a vocabulary that is close to their audience and that allows everyone to feel included.
They avoid certain expressions that only refer to a few people or which tend to give employees the feeling of not being valued. Here are a few examples:

1. “So, guys, are we going?“ This expression tends to make women feel like they are overlooked. An inclusive leader will say: ”Let’s go?“

2. “You weren’t there yet, but we had already made significant transformations.“
This phrase will tend to make young people and newcomers feel like they are being overlooked. An inclusive leader will say: “In 1990, we have already made significant changes…“

3. “The workforce in this company” or “The resources of this company“ are expressions that give the feeling of not treating the people who work in the company as full individuals. An inclusive leader will say ”Our collaborators“, ”Our teams” or “Our talents“.

Inclusive leaders also use communication methods that increase the perception of closeness. Here are a few:

Avoid reading a speech while focusing on your notes. Speak as naturally as possible. Look at each person in the audience. Use your hands.

Be genuine and natural. Use simple words. Don’t hesitate to show and communicate your emotions.

And when they give examples, they choose inclusive analogies. For example, when they talk about a diverse team, they avoid the analogy of football which is generally male or sometimes female, but does not mix genders.

As soon as you speak up, make an effort to think about the impact that the words you use and your style of interaction will have on your teams. Make sure you use inclusive expressions and modes of communication.

A QUICK AND FUN EXERCISE TO CLOSE THIS WEEKLY BRIEF

Turn on your computer sound and watch the video carefully. Concentrate, the task takes 14 seconds.

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