Disagreement is not something to be avoided; a definite advantage in diverse workforces is, in fact, diversity of opinions and perspectives. Yet discussions that include disagreement require a bit of extra care. If not respectfully managed, these conversations can easily create tensions that become non-productive and have effects far past the initiating conversation.
Your personality, culture, needs and personal challenges collectively affect your ability to communicate with others. To effectively communicate with anyone in social or professional settings, you must develop a specific set of skills. Here are some ways that you can improve your ability to talk to people from a variety of backgrounds. (more…)
Instructions to the Trainer: Put the following questions on an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper. Make enough copies for everyone. Tell the group they have 10 minutes to complete this exercise.
Group Instructions: Attempt to fill in your sheet by finding a person who can say “yes” or can respond appropriately to each question. Write their first name in the space provided. You may use each person’s name only once. (more…)
