Sample Half-day Unconscious Bias
(In-Person) Training

The following program is available for in-person training, and presumes the audience has already received foundational inclusion training. In light of COVID-19, we are delivering an adaptation of this training online. Please see Unconscious Bias Online Training & Virtual Workshops for more information.

Part A
Disrupting Unconscious Bias in Recruitment
Seminar/Workshop (90 min)

All leaders are faced with the critical responsibility of acknowledging and disrupting bias. This session establishes a foundational understanding of how bias affects decision-making and explores the impact of three kinds of bias that impact selection processes: implicit or unconscious bias, cultural bias and systems bias.

With a specific focus on bringing awareness to and disrupting unconscious and cultural bias in the recruitment process, this session will provide an understanding of how biases are formed in our unconscious, and specifically addresses four kinds of unconscious bias that affect recruitment: This session covers:

  • Affinity bias

  • Confirmation bias

  • Social comparison bias

  • Attribution error

This session will also introduce how dominant culture shapes our expectations of candidates, influences our sense of “fit” and can result in overlooking diverse candidates who might present confidence and other non-verbal cues differently.

In advance of the session, participants will be invited to take at least two Harvard Implicit Association Tests (IATs), available free online at: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/canada/selectatest.jsp 

Advance Homework

The session will review participant IAT results and provide them an opportunity to share 2-3 key points from either the video or article they engaged. Lastly, this session will discuss strategies for recognizing and disrupting the unconscious and cultural bias which tend to occur during the recruitment and interviewing process.

For more detailed description of this module see: Unconscious Bias 90-minute Outline

 

Options for Part B

Option 1
Real-Life Implications of Diversity & Inclusion on Recruitment 
Workshop (90 min)

The following segment is a reflection on the previous material and facilitates a difficult conversation about the implications of creating a recruitment process that is designed to intentionally disrupt implicit and cultural bias, and encourages the hiring of under-represented groups. Beginning with opening comments submitted online, this session addresses: 

  • Challenges in standardizing the interviewing process;

  • What interview questions filter out diversity; and

  • How to look for values-alignment (sometime referred to as “fit”), but remain open to difference.

 

Option 2
Systemic Change Toward Greater Inclusion in the Recruitment (or Advancement) Pathway
Workshop (90 min)

This workshop is focused on analyzing the pathway through various stages of recruitment and professional advancement and their impact on the successful hiring and retention of specific equity-seeking groups. This activity-driven session brings together the previous content around cultural differences and implicit bias, and examines the assumed benefits and potential hazards of self-identifying in an equity-seeking group.

The activity involves mapping the recruitment pathway from the inception of the job to the end of a six-month probation period, while also developing an ideal candidate profile. This hypothetical candidate is then taken through the pathway to determine where they are likely to be met with barriers to being hired or retained.