In our research into learners’ experiences with traditional DEI training, one participant’s take stood out: “I have to take this module every year, and the questions are so black and white. Every year I wonder, are there really people who don’t know how they’re supposed to answer?”.

The frustration expressed by the learner above speaks to one of the key challenges in designing effective DEI learning. Blunt elearning scenarios don’t do much to engage learners, or move the needle toward meaningful inclusion. 

Ever-evolving norms

This is particularly relevant when applied to key DEI topics like sexualities and gender identity, where inclusive language and norms are ever evolving. 

Training modules like allyship, bystander intervention and mitigating microaggressions must address one of the most overlooked skills for building an inclusive workplace: grappling with the grey. 

So what might that look like when we’re building learning that busts DEI fatigue?

Training modules like allyship, bystander intervention and mitigating microaggressions must address one of the most overlooked skills for building an inclusive workplace: grappling with the grey

Invite the unwitting and well-intentioned to the scene

Grappling with the grey means designing learning scenarios that acknowledge those moments when we’re collaborating at work, and subtle and indirect assumptions, slights, and comments actually do harm – no matter the intention of the offender. 

When considering your scenario-based learning, don’t shy away from the ways that even allies misstep, even (or especially) when they’re driven by the desire to do or say ‘the right thing’.

One of our respondents shared an illuminating example from their work experience:

“I had a colleague with a traditionally male-sounding name who confided in me that they identified as non-binary, and shared their pronouns as they/them. It made me realise the assumptions I was making, and I was determined to be more inclusive. So at the next meeting I led, I asked everyone to share their pronouns during introductions.”

It wasn’t until the same colleague approached our respondent privately after the meeting that our respondent understood this could be seen in a different light: “They told me I hadn’t necessarily broken their confidence, but to consider that not everyone is open or wants to share their pronouns in larger groups like that. Sometimes, what makes something a ‘safe space’ is different from what we assume it is.” 

What makes a safe space?

What makes this such a good example of a ‘grey’ scenario is that our ‘main character’ was undoubtedly well-intentioned in the actions she took to create inclusion and belonging.

And what’s more, different people encountering the scenario may have different reactions and understandings of what happened here. 

Some may have admired our respondent’s direct request, some may have been offended, and some may have wished she had done something similar, but in a more discreet way – begging the question, who is ‘right’?

The answer just isn’t that simple – which is why we advocate breaking the binary around this notion altogether. 

When considering your scenario-based learning, don’t shy away from the ways that even allies misstep, even (or especially) when they’re driven by the desire to do or say ‘the right thing'

Break the binary around ‘getting it right’

Breaking the binary of ‘correct answer’ and ‘wrong answer’ in scenario-based learning may seem counterintuitive. After all, we’re pretty used to those ‘you must answer at least 80% of these assessment questions correctly to pass’ quizzes at the end of most traditional elearning modules. 

So how do we address this in a concise yet effective way in training? 

Let the learning experience unfold

One way is to acknowledge in the design that there may not actually be a right and wrong answer, so much as there are what our designers have come to call ‘optimal, sub-optimal, and poor’ choices. 

Another way is to build in play-outs that offer different perspective taking in the scenario itself – a ‘behind the scenes’ look into how different characters experienced the conversational turn at play.

In this way, the learning experience can unfold as employees are prompted to make a decision regarding how to respond when approached by a colleague letting them know they feel some level of harm has taken place. 

Response options can be both realistic and wide-ranging, offering psychologically safe practice for having awkward conversations along the way.

One of the biggest barriers to learning in this space is feelings of defensiveness and shame. And this may be even more relevant if the harm was not the intention at the heart of the scene

Model the call-in to decrease defensiveness

Another dimension to this approach is that the scenario design can underscore what it means to be ‘called in’.  As the Harvard Guide details, calling someone in for an offence is an invitation to bring attention to harmful language or behaviour in a way that encourages a commitment to fostering inclusion and belonging.

As discussed in previous instalments of this series, one of the biggest barriers to learning in this space is feelings of defensiveness and shame. And this may be even more relevant if the harm was not the intention at the heart of the scene. 

As our respondent noted, reflecting on the scenario above: “I felt disappointed in myself. In trying to create a space where people felt safe, my first response was, I felt like I had ‘failed,’ thinking there was only one way to approach this: share pronouns or don’t share pronouns.”

Don’t stop at feelings of failure

Feelings of disappointment or failure are inevitable during the work to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive – but stopping at those feelings doesn’t have to be. 

As our respondent shared, she was able to move past those feelings to work towards more options due to being “called in” by her colleague with context and compassion, but no less a direct acknowledgment of what didn’t sit well with them. 

In this case, for example, a small change could be to note the option to share pronouns in the virtual meeting platform, and flexible introductory language like, “if you’d like to share your pronouns, you are welcome to do so.”  

Safe spaces

A space is only ever as safe as the most vulnerable person in the room feels it is. 

It may be that your default gauge is primed to your own life circumstance, as the previous example shows. 

If you are one of the people inviting participation or setting the stage for conversations in a face-to-face modality, you might want to test the waters a bit with ‘safe enough invitations’, and observe and learn how to expand the conversation space gradually. 

For self-paced digital learning, this may also mean building in questions around this dynamic during storyboard reviews or user testing steps in the development process along the way. 

Feelings of disappointment or failure are inevitable during the work to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive – but stopping at those feelings doesn’t have to be

Inclusion is an experience 

What grey scenarios in your training can demonstrate so well is that best practices in DEI aren’t always one thing or the other – they’re an experience we are all co-creating in our workplaces every day. 

This is where the real potential for applying complex interpersonal skills in DEI can come alive. 

It’s not so much about the ‘right’ answer, as it is about our capability to discuss what’s transpired in a respectful and meaningful way that contributes to a sense of safety and belonging for everyone at work. 

And that’s a skill we all need, no matter our role or position at work. 

In our next and final instalment in this series, we’ll conclude with more reflections on this, related to the final pillar of our Triple-A framework: Accountability. 

If you enjoyed this, read: Immerse learners in the action – and make it fun