Equality and Diversity courses
Our Equality and Diversity courses are for people in all roles in your organisation, frontline staff, administration, management and board, and work for people who are new to Equality and Diversity issues or need a refresher. Courses are available to book as in-house courses only. Contact Iain Chisholm at training@positiveactionh.org or call 01413532220 for more information or to discuss what you need.
Communicating through interpreters
This half-day course is for anyone who sometimes needs to use an interpreter to communicate with people who do not speak fluent English. It is particularly relevant for front-line workers, team leaders and managers. An interpreter often plays a crucial role when we work with customers who do not speak English. Without their assistance we would not be able to provide a service to a wide range of customers including refugees, migrants, some settled minority ethnic people and sign language speakers. But many workers find the experience of using an interpreter quite difficult. They are unsure of how to communicate, what the interpreter should and should not do and how to ensure that all parties fully understand each other. In this half-day course we clarify exactly what the interpreter’s role is, examine best practice in working with them, and discuss some of the ethical and professional issues involved.
Three Mottos to Guide Our Approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (half day/3.5 hour course)
Diversity takes a wide variety of visible and invisible forms – many more than those protected by law (race, age, disability etc). A staff team composed of people from many backgrounds and identities, with varied personalities, skills and perspectives, has many advantages. But such differences can also be a source of tension, misunderstanding and even hostility.
In this interactive workshop, delegates will consider three models to guide our approach to working with diversity. They provide touchstones to aid empathy, give valuable insight on our interactions and, taken together, can greatly improve equality & inclusion.
Through discussion of different case studies, we consider: why some people ignore or deny the discrimination that others experience; how to respond to misunderstandings or offence; and the impact of our inner narratives on our interactions.
Course topics:
Which aspects of diversity are protected by law and why?
Identifying unintentional discrimination and why it is often hidden from us
Separating intention from impact in communication
A practical technique for overcoming division and misunderstanding
Fairness Inside and Out – Five Mottos to Guide Our Approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Full day/ 7 hour course)
This one-day training discusses the two key areas where charities should strive to achieve equality, diversity and inclusion: in the design and delivery of its services; and in the workplace itself. Diversity takes a wide variety of visible and invisible forms – many more than those protected by law (race, age, disability etc). A staff group composed of people from many backgrounds and identities, with varied personalities, skills and perspectives, has many advantages. But such differences can also be a source of tension, misunderstanding and even hostility. And the differences between ourselves and those we work for can prevent us from understanding their needs and perspectives.
In this interactive course, we will consider five models to guide our approach to working with diversity. They provide touchstones to aid empathy, give valuable insight on our interactions and, taken together, can greatly improve equality & inclusion.
Through discussion of different case studies and scenarios, we consider how we can improve the way we work with our colleagues and with the people we support. We explore why some people ignore or deny the discrimination that others experience; how to respond to misunderstandings or offence; and the impact of our inner narratives on our interactions. We also consider how different groups may experience our organisation and work to counter common barriers to people fully benefiting from our service.
The course is participative and focuses on practical examples through, as well as theoretical underpinnings.
Course topics:
Defining ‘equality’, ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’
The role of the dominant identity and ‘human neutral’
Which aspects of diversity are protected by law and why?
Identifying unintentional discrimination and why it is often hidden from us
Separating intention from impact in communication
Designing services that are experienced as ‘for people like me’
A communication technique for overcoming division and misunderstanding
Interpreting culture
Our cultural background has a profound influence on each of us, affecting our thought processes and how we perceive the world, and impacting upon our values, beliefs and our behaviour at home and work. In this course, over two 2-hour sesssions, we initially examine where culture comes from and look at examples of its extraordinary diversity. We then focus on our interactions with people from other cultures, to improve understanding, confidence and trust. A simple gesture or phrase can mean dramatically different things from one culture to another and can cause unintended embarrassment, confusion or even offence. We consider how others might interpret our behaviour and also examine our own interpretations, focusing on some of the areas that can cause division in our workplaces, such as: gender norms; perceptions of rudeness; and communication skills.