Sensitivity Training
Sensitivity training can be a valuable experience for people of all backgrounds. By recognizing the diversity in feelings, values, and perspectives of others, you can make your organization a more accepting and inclusive environment for everyone.
What is sensitivity training?
Sensitivity training is the systematic study and intentional practice of recognizing and responding skillfully to the feelings, values, perspectives, and behaviors of self and others. It’s a way to learn how to interact with people of various races, ethnicities, gender, sexuality, etc.
Sensitivity training in the organization focuses on increasing employee well-being, self-awareness, and sensitivity towards others. Sensitivity workshops help professionals become better at dealing with sensitive issues.
This curriculum promotes social cohesion as it works towards individual growth—learning to accept and appreciate different cultures, sexual orientations, disabilities, and backgrounds.
Sensitivity training aims to help learners build essential skills to thrive in a multicultural society, understand their own biases, and work towards overcoming them. It aims to help leaders and employees be mindful of their own behavior with cultural sensitivity in mind—avoiding discrimination against others, especially minority groups.
In this training, groups are formed with members from different backgrounds (such as gender or race). They discuss topics like workplace culture in an open environment—a safe space to build good relationships among each other through group discussions on prejudices and bias.
The Importance of Sensitivity Training
Sensitivity training is essential because it can help reduce the amount of discrimination and prejudice in our society. It also allows people to understand and appreciate the differences among each other, leading to more productive and harmonious relationships.
Sensitivity training helps your team be more mindful about what they say and do, ensuring that your organization is inclusive of all employees.
Sensitivity training provides the necessary tools for individuals who want a more fulfilling career at your company by learning how they can better represent themselves while enabling harmonious working relationships among both internal and external stakeholders.
Sensitivity training is an integral part of creating a culture where everyone feels valued and respected. A workplace with regular sensitivity exercises provides many benefits for employees, from increased happiness to better job satisfaction overall:
- Mutual trust and respect among leaders and employees
- Enhanced communication between managers and team members
- A productive and inclusive work environment free from harassment, bullying, and other types of discrimination
- Stronger interpersonal relationships within your team and with external stakeholders
Who benefits from this training?
Sensitivity training is vital for people who work with diverse groups of people, such as teachers, healthcare workers, and social service providers.
In an organizational setting, sensitivity training aims to make employees more aware and sensitive towards others in the workspace. The following members of your organization stand to benefit most from it:
- Employee Engagement Managers
- Workplace Diversity Officers
- Human Resource Officers and Managers
- Learning and Development team
Sensitivity training helps organizations—corporations, government, universities, non-profit organizations—that are trying to increase diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Sensitivity training is not just for people who have behavior problems or experience harassment/discrimination at their office. It is essential for maintaining a healthy culture devoid of bias, better understanding among co-workers, and creating an environment where there’s mutual respect, and thus better working relationships.
Choose the right learning path for you or your team
Sensitivity training is part of a more extensive program offered by Coach Diversity. Delivered as an online sensitivity training course, it consists of (but is not limited to) the following topics:
- What is sensitivity training? A general introduction to diversity in the workplace
- Recognizing your own biases and prejudices
- The impact of bias on others
- Strategies for reducing discrimination—conscious or unconscious
Please note that this is only a guide and that the online course may vary depending on the facilitator or the nature of your organization.
Take the next step to promote a harmonious and inclusive work environment for your team. Choose from the following learning paths that are most relevant for you and your organization:
PATH 1: Associate Diversity Coach
Associate Diversity Coach (ADC) involves 60 training hours. Attend Session 1 Coaching Foundations and complete the remaining hours virtually. This diversity and inclusion certification curriculum includes coaching foundations. You will be able to begin your coaching practice with a solid foundation of core coaching competencies. No additional in-person classroom time is required.
What you get:
- 30 hours of in-person training (Session 1)
- 6 virtual learning labs
- 12 peer coaching hours
- 10 mentor coaching hours
- 2 hours self-study writing assignment
This diversity training certification program takes approximately four months to complete. This designation helps you qualify for the ICF membership and apply for the ICF’s certification and credentialing through the ACC ACSTH Path.
PATH 2: Certified Professional Diversity Coach
Certified Professional Diversity Coach (CPDC) includes 125 training hours. Attend Session 1 Coaching Foundations; Session 2 Coaching & Cultural Competencies; and Session 3 Inclusive Leadership & Business Development.
The CPDC level certification curriculum includes coaching foundations, advanced coaching techniques, more profound emotional intelligence work, CoachDiversity’s model for diversity and inclusion, cultural competence, and leadership and business development. You will learn the coach-approach to developing cultural competence as a certified diversity professional. The topics covered:
- Developing awareness of the cultural difference
- Cultivating a non-judgmental attitude toward difference
- Transforming bias toward inclusion
- Coaching principles and cultural competency
- Minority stress
- Managing conflict around diversity and inclusion in the workplace
- Coaching micro-aggressions
What you get:
- 90 hours of in-person training (Sessions 1, 2 & 3)
- 6 virtual learning labs
- 12 peer coaching hours
- 10 mentor coaching hours
- 2 hours self-study writing assignment
- 5 hours of business development
This diversity inclusion certification program takes approximately six months to complete. This designation helps you qualify for the ICF membership and apply for the ICF’s certification and credentialing through the PCC ACSTH Path.
Create a safe and inclusive work environment with Coach Diversity Institute
The Coach Diversity Institute provides sensitivity training that creates a safe and inclusive work environment for all employees. Organizations can improve employee productivity and create an overall positive work experience by providing this training.
Our learning paths are designed to help organizations identify unconscious bias, understand how it manifests in the workplace, and develop strategies to reduce its impact.
If you’re looking to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace, the Coach Diversity Institute is a great place to start.
Learn more about how the Coach Diversity Institute can help your organization. Contact us today.