In the push to make our workplaces more inclusive, a lot of DEI training so far has been rooted in raising awareness of bias – and often rightfully so. 

Yet research shows that raising awareness alone doesn’t work, and sometimes backfires. 

Everyone with a LinkedIn account knows how, come June, the timeline is awash with rainbow avatars and logos to ‘raise awareness’. But does that really help?

What do your rainbows really mean?

When we interview DEI stakeholders and learners in the UK and the US, these issues come up, time and time again: 

• Are your rainbows linked to real learning for your employees or are they only linked to marketing?
• Once made aware of your Pride initiatives (do you have any?), does your audience really know what to do next to create a more inclusive environment for their LBGTQ+ teammates? In a way that’s specific and meaningful (and goes beyond cupcake design)?

Everyone with a LinkedIn account knows how, come June, the timeline is awash with rainbow avatars and logos to ‘raise awareness’. But does that really help?

Inclusion is key

Clear communication of allyship and raising awareness absolutely have their place. They set the stage and explain why inclusive practices are key to your company’s culture and success (they are!).   

Let’s not stop there, please. Truly engaging and effective DEI training must connect that awareness to relevant and targeted steps your employees can do next. Real change happens in the doing, not in the awareness. 

Triple A: Towards a holistic, human-centred framework 

We recommend an experiential framework grounded in ‘Triple A’ to bring this together:

• Awareness
• Action
• Accountability

Importantly, this is something that is helpful for all DEI and change topics.

Does your audience really know what to do next to create a more inclusive environment for their LBGTQ+ teammates? In a way that’s specific and meaningful

Awareness and getting people invested

In this framework, awareness components can be designed to ensure learners become genuinely invested, especially when they provide background information key to learning success, like:    

• Definitions of key terms they’ll encounter in the programme – including the evolving LGBTQ+ ‘alphabet’
• Quick hitting, inspiring storytelling videos from key people in your community, such as HR leaders and your LGBTQ+ ERG community ambassadors (reminder: anything about a community will want to be designed with that community)
• Confidential, upfront self-assessment tools to identify individual growth areas in LGBTQ knowledge areas. 
• Infographic roadmaps of the learning journey and what comes next as they move to the ‘Second A’ - Action

This approach keeps your learners orientated towards impact. 

That way, the energy you created during Pride month won’t fizzle out after the sugar rush from those rainbow cupcakes has worn off.  

Truly engaging and effective DEI training must connect that awareness to relevant and targeted steps your employees can do next. Real change happens in the doing, not in the awareness

De-mystifying what it means to take action

Be specific. What does ‘action’ mean for you? When it comes to topics that carry a bit of a ‘charge’, learners can become defensive and shut down. 

Staring down words like homophobia, transphobia, microaggression, and more can leave some employees feeling overwhelmed about where to even begin, and people might be scared to make mistakes and fear ‘getting cancelled.’ 

DEI skills are teachable

When stakes (and emotions) are high, the ‘Action’ pillar puts focus on the fact that DEI skills are teachable skills that employees can master through realistic, psychologically safe practice. 

Scenario-based, immersive learning offers a safe space to do this. In this framework, DEI training meets people where they are and gives them achievable tasks that drive the change you want to see. 

Keep the conversation going and you’ll get to hear what shifts are happening, so you can make that a part of the outcomes you monitor and track going forward

Getting creative with interpersonal skills

As one diversity officer we interviewed stated, “What people really need are the interpersonal skills - they need to practise challenging, ongoing conversations.”  This puts the emphasis on curiosity instead of shame, which is the foundation for growth through learning. 

‘Action’ components are where your learners can start practising these interpersonal skills. Get creative here, and bring in elements like: 

• Simulations that use decision modelling and game mechanics to create engaging conversational turns
• Gamified, scenario-based ‘Day in the Life’ role-based eLearning  
• Bystander intervention training aligned with your HR policies, like what to do when employees witness homophobic harassment and exclusion
• ‘How to repair’ roleplay exercises that model what to do when an employee has unintentionally caused interpersonal harm on a team.

Clearing up confusion with conversation

Some of our best conversations in this space have been clumsy, and some conversations barely held up as coherent sentences when they started. 

But they still cleared up confusion, resolved conflict and built trust, making things better for everyone involved. And subsequent conversations got a lot easier. 

Normalise that journey of co-creating a better culture. We are all in this together .  

Some of our best conversations in this space have been clumsy, and some conversations barely held up as coherent sentences when they started

Cultivating a proud workplace through accountability

Effective DEI training programmes need to be aligned with organisational commitment. They require accountability at all levels (and not just in June). 

Most of that accountability is outside of learning by the way, which is why you will need proper buy-in from leadership. 

Inclusion isn’t a majority vote, so this might need robust conversations at the business end of things, to become part of the fabric of how you operate as an organisation.

Look for pieces of that accountability in your strategic plans and OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), hiring practices, procurement (who you partner with and what you expect of them), the benefits you provide (and who you partner with for that), your policies and the results of your employee satisfaction surveys or similar. 

How to gain traction

You will likely also have specific goals around diversity and equity, but to gain any traction it will need to become a part of ‘how we do things around here.’ 

At the training level, when accountability is baked into the framework, we ensure skills are applied on the job. This also piques people’s interest and creativity about their part of the business, what might need to change and the role they could play in this. 

As your learners grow into more fully aware and inclusive community members and allies, you should see shifts across the whole organisation towards building a proud workplace. 

People who are more accountable will start tailoring this to their roles and to their parts of the business, better than you could from Corporate Central. 

Inclusion isn’t a majority vote, so this might need robust conversations at the business end of things, to become part of the fabric of how you operate as an organisation

Energising a proud workplace

Some recommendations to energise this: 

• Confidential, follow up self-assessment tools to identify individual growth areas in LGBTQ+ knowledge areas
• Small cohorts of ‘accountability groups’ that meet on a cadence to review goals and share their ideas for fostering belonging for all LGBTQ+ employees
• LGBTQ+ ‘deep dive’ inclusion circles on key topic areas, with supporting materials that encourage reflection and authentic sharing of experiences
• Localisation toolkits for LGBTQ+ leaders across various geographic regions, to ensure relevance and safety for all employees

Accountability programme components can provide an important ‘through line’ after the month of June, and a lot of the elements will also apply to and benefit other key issues you want to address, as your organisation becomes more inclusive overall. 

Keep the conversation going and you’ll get to hear what shifts are happening, so you can make that a part of the outcomes you monitor and track going forward. 

We’ve now spent some time on the framework for Awareness, Action and Accountability. Further articles in this series will take a deeper dive into the components of action learning modules to help you bust DEI burnout. 

If you enjoyed this, read: Somewhere over the rainbow is … an inclusive culture