by Suzanne Boys, Diversity Director
Last year, Cincinnati PRSA’s diversity committee surveyed our membership. We wanted to know what diversity and inclusion (D&I) topics members are concerned about and want to learn more about. One topic that emerged on that survey was implicit bias. This is an important topic in HR training, so last fall the diversity committee began talking about how we could offer a training to our membership. Over the course of the winter and spring, we decided to offer two webinars. One would address implicit bias. The other would address cultural competence.
Little did we know how timely those webinars would be. But as June rolled around, not only were we facing a global pandemic, but our nation was rocked – yet again – by systemic racial injustice. The heart-breaking deaths of George Floyd, Ahmuad Arbery and Breonna Taylor pushed people to the streets and to social media to call for justice. It also pushed many public relations people to write statements condemning racial inequity and affirming that black lives matter.
However, statements and affirmations without actions are not only empty, they perpetuate the problem. For non-minority communicators, this spring and summer has been a time of reckoning. It has also brought us opportunities to learn, and then to do, better. Our June webinar series, we hope, became one of those opportunities.
The webinar on implicit bias was led by Ryan Wynett. Ryan manages the “Open Your Mind” exhibit and learning lab at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The exhibit frames implicit bias in the context of cognitive science and perception, and Ryan shares his work throughout the region. Since 2017, the exhibit team has worked with over 100 organizations.
Ryan started his talk by noting, “Just like we dig up and update [old] city infrastructure, we need to dig up mental processes that no longer serve us. Even when that process is noisy and uncomfortable.” If you want to track your bias, Ryan advised, watch what surprises you and how you interpret situations. “I tell people that every situation is open to interpretation and so, whenever possible, they put a pause in their thinking--get a second opinion of their first reaction--and to realize the way we see the world isn't the only way the world can be seen.”
One misunderstanding Ryan has noticed recently concerns the dual concepts of white and male privilege. In a follow-up email to his webinar, Ryan recounted that he regularly encounters white men who deny any inherent advantages to being either white or male. He thinks that this is based on a particular interpretation of the word privilege. In this case, they may be defining privilege as “the types of monetary or material things one would see on Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous.” In essence, people who deny their own privilege are attaching the concept of privilege “to a whole series of things they KNOW they DON'T HAVE, as opposed to thinking about privilege in terms of a whole series of things they DON'T KNOW they HAVE.” It may be an unconscious bias at play.
Although implicit bias is not under our conscious control, we can become more aware of it. Ryan recommended the book Blindspot, by Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald. Having just read this, I recommend it as a great place for anyone to begin exploring their hidden biases.
The webinar on cultural competency was led by Priya Dhingra Klocek. Priya is a business consultant, coach, mentor, and facilitator. She is the President and CEO of Consultant On The Go LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to empowering individuals within organizations to promote and achieve excellence by focusing on leadership development, change management and global diversity.
Priya began by explaining why she prefers to talk about cultural competency rather than cultural sensitivity. Whereas sensitivity might make us think of walking on egg shells, competency gives us an ability to shift our perspectives and adapt our behavior. “Over the years,” she said, “I have learned…the value of an approach that focuses on competencies rather than ‘telling.’ Any behavioral change is hard; we need to create a strategy where there is time to build knowledge and practice the skills.” Her approach is embedded in principles of change management and human behavior, and she reminded us that bridging differences is a learnable skill. Once we learn this skill, we can look at our cultural systems and ask, “Do we really have to do things the way we’ve always done them?” and “Do we need these barriers?”
Priya noted that everyone has a cultural standpoint, and that those standpoints interact with others’ standpoints. She advises, “Recognize the impact your cultural lens has on interaction(s) with others.” She recommends seeking to understand rather than assuming. This is especially important for individuals who identify with majority groups. She said, “There is a belief out there that you have [to be] part of an ethnic minority group to have ‘culture.’” However, we all have culture, which Priya defines as collective programming. Identifying our cultural standpoint is a prerequisite to interacting respectfully with others’ whose cultural standpoint differs from ours.
Both Ryan and Priya emphasized that awareness and competency are skills that can be learned. They agreed that biases are mental shortcuts that make us comfortable. However, to learn, we have to be willing to be uncomfortable. And learning is the only way we can move toward the equity that is long past due.
NOTE: Both of our presenters are happy to chat further about the trainings they offer. Ryan can be reached at 513-405-1201, rwynett@nurfc.org, or ryanwynett@gmail.com. Priya can be reached at priya@cotgllc.com, LinkedIn, or https://consultantonthegollc.com/.