Dr. Sondra Thiederman
- Leading Expert in Workplace Diversity & Cross-Cultural Business
- Authority on Bias-Free Leadership
- Provides Skills for Doing Business Beyond Cultural Lines
In Person-Fee 🛈
Fee Range
$5,000 - $10,000
Virtual Fee:
$7,500 and Under
Travels From
California
Dr. Sondra Thiederman Speaker Biography
Dr. Sondra Thiederman is one of the nation’s leading experts on unconscious bias and workplace inclusion issues. As President of Cross-Cultural Communications, a San Diego based training firm, Sondra has more than 25 years’ experience as a speaker, trainer, and author. She helps professionals in Fortune 500 companies, public sector organizations, and dozens of associations find ways to successfully navigate and succeed in our increasingly diverse workplaces.
Honored as a “Pioneer in Diversity” by Profiles in Diversity Journal, Sondra Thiederman, Ph.D. has been immersed in the topics of unconscious bias and workplace diversity/inclusion for nearly three decades.
Sondra holds a Ph.D. in Cross-Cultural studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Over the years, she has authored a number of highly regarded books, journal articles, blogs and presentations, all aimed at enhancing the understanding of how to defeat the unconscious biases that so damage our workplaces and our nation.
Sondra’s work in the field of diversity and inclusion continues to this day; she researches the unique problems of her varied clients, preparing resources and presentations that enlighten, engage, and encourage change. She works with companies and media outlets around the world in her mission to help organizations move beyond bias.Sondra is the author of a number of books including:
- Profiting in America’s Multicultural Marketplace: How to Do Business Across Cultural Lines
- Bridging Cultural Barriers for Corporate Success: How to Manage the Multicultural Workforce
- Getting ‘Culture Smart’: Ten Strategies for Making Diversity Work
- Making Diversity Work: Seven Steps for Defeating Bias in the Workplace
- The Diversity and Inclusion Handbook
- 3 Keys to Defeating Unconscious Bias: Watch, Think, Act
In addition to her work with Fortune 500 companies, government organizations, and dozens of associations, Sondra has served on the Diversity Council of the American Red Cross, is an Expert Panelist for O’Mara and Richter’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks: Standards for Organizations Around the World, and has consulted for the University of California.
For additional information on Dr. Sondra Thiederman please contact Executive Speakers Bureau at 901.754.9404.
CULTIVATING COMMON GROUND: Innovation, Trust, Bias Reduction
Overcome workplace bias and increase innovation by identifying shared values, interests, and goals while valuing diversity.
PROGRAM BENEFITS
- Increased inclusiveness through the ability to value diversity while identifying shared values and interests
- Increased opportunities for innovation and creativity
- Reduced conscious and unconscious bias in the workplace
- An environment of increased comfort, trust, and harmony
- Improved employee willingness to speak up with ideas and information
- Stronger empathy between team members
PROGRAM CONTENT
The following will be customized to meet your needs and program format. Points are made through a mixture of audience interaction, commentary, respectful humor, anecdotes and client-specific examples.
- An interactive discussion of how identifying what we have in common – while valuing diversity – enhances workplace innovation, trust, fairness, and commitment
- An overview of how identifying what we have in common helps defeat unconscious bias
- An interactive discussion of the four values all human beings share
- Four immediately-applicable skills for identifying common ground in the workplace
- How to keep Common Ground top of mind
- How to enable goal-oriented inter-group contact
- How to develop two-way mentor partnerships
- How to develop Employee Resource Groups and other entities around shared needs and goals.
DEFEATING UNCONSCIOUS BIAS: Your Workplace Advantage
Provide your team members with the skills needed to identify and defeat the biases that compromise their ability to work and lead effectively.
THE PRICE WE PAY FOR BIAS
Unconscious biases wreak havoc on any organization’s ability to reach its goals:
- Biases reduce the ability to make successful hiring and promotion decisions.
- Biases compromise our efforts to build truly inclusive workforces.
- Biases discourage people of diverse backgrounds from contributing ideas and taking professional chances.
- Biases trigger the loss of valuable employees.
- Biases minimize innovation and creativity.
- Biases interfere with the development of productive work teams.
PROGRAM CONTENT
The following will be customized to meet your needs and program format. Points are made through a mixture of audience interaction, commentary, respectful humor, anecdotes, and client-specific examples.
- The definition of “bias” and an interactive discussion of how biases work in the brain to distort our perceptions of others
- Examples of how unconscious bias negatively impacts your organization, the object of the bias, and the holder of the bias
- Two interactive techniques for becoming aware of and identifying unconscious bias
- Questions to ask to distinguish a bias from a flexible generality
- Three research based and immediately-applicable tools for defeating unconscious bias
GATEWAYS TO INCLUSION: Turn Tense Moments into Productive Conversations
Learn the skills needed to convert moments of workplace tension into gateways for increased understanding and stronger workplace relationships.
WHY ORGANIZATIONS NEED THIS TALK:
Have you ever been offended by someone’s comment but didn’t know what to do about it? Have you ever said something insensitive and didn’t know how to take it back?
If so, welcome to the crowd.
Unfortunately, these moments of diversity-related tension are all around us. Sadly, they cause confusion, embarrassment, anger, lost work time, hurt feelings, and resentment – the list goes on and on.
The good news is: It doesn’t have to be that way! This presentation shows audiences how to handle those moments more comfortably, using them as springboards to better working relationships. Handled well, these events can serve as positive gateways to increased understanding and better working relationships. That’s why Sondra calls these “Gateway Events.”
PROGRAM BENEFITS
- The ability to convert moments of tension into better working relationships
- Reduced bias through improved communication
- Time saved for management from having to intervene in diversity-related conflicts
- Increased teamwork and workplace harmony
- Less tension among team members.
- Increased employee retention as a result of an increased atmosphere of respect and inclusion
- Reduced risk of employee complaints and litigation
PROGRAM CONTENT
The following will be customized to meet your needs and program format. Points are made through a mixture of audience interaction, commentary, respectful humor, anecdotes, and client-specific examples.
- Discussion of how moments of diversity-related tension can be converted to opportunities for improved communication and reduced bias
- Examples of “Gateway Events” that are pertinent to the client organization
- Survey of the specific ways in which effective dialogue skills positively impact relationships
- Exposure to four key skills for effective dialogue. Each skill will be accompanied by examples and extensive audience interaction. These include:
- Skills to manage the emotions that typically block our ability to dialogue with respect and clarity
- Guidance on how to set productive goals for each conversation – and how to achieve those goals
- How to handle the dilemma of intent versus impact
- How to make respectful verbal choices that encourage rather than shut down productive conversation
