The UK's Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA) has launched a Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) training programme.
The 11-part ‘One’ course is free with unlimited access for ESSA members and aims to show how problems of difference are subjectively created and how they can be overcome.
The approach of this training, underpinned by a focus on bite-sized sessions focused on why we think, intends to move away from the standard what we think approach – better helping to understand the problem and help people adapt their thinking accordingly.
In doing so, it demonstrates how a change in the way of thinking can provoke a positive response to the way we consider difference, which in turn can improve and promote equality and D&I in the workplace.
ESSA says the benefits of approaching diversity and inclusion in this way include:
- Empowering employees to better understand how their beliefs influence their thinking
- Providing a solution to the issue of unity
- Sharing knowledge relevant to collaboration, leadership and resilience which benefits productivity
ESSA director, Andrew Harrison, said: “Through the provision of this training, we are committed to helping create a supplier sector that promotes a culture of inclusion and belonging so that individuals feel free to be their authentic selves, allowing all employees to thrive. Through challenging existing thinking, we can explore and consider alternatives to those that are inherently ingrained to understand that difference is not what we see, but rather how we think about what we see. By doing so, we can learn to think of things differently.”
The programme has been produced in conjunction with ESSA member and founder of coaching service, Mindsmith Thinking, Ian Washington-Smith. Access to the One Diversity & Inclusion training course can be found here.
