Diversity and Inclusion Consultants in Melbourne

Sometimes bias shows up in big, embarrassing gaffes, but more often it comes out in the little words and phrases we choose, which are packed with assumptions.

In meetings, especially, these often go unnoticed or, even worse, people notice but don’t know what to say.

That’s why we recommend coming up with a shared word or phrase that everyone agrees to use to disrupt biased attitudes or behaviours. Examples teams are using are “bias alert,” “stop light”.

When our biases are flagged, it’s ideal that we be glad that we’re learning something new – but sometimes it’s easy to feel shame. We hate the idea that we’ve harmed someone. But when we feel ashamed, we rarely respond well. So it’s really helpful to have that shared norm so that we know what to say in those moments.

For instance you could start with: “Thank you for pointing that out.”

It took courage for that person to disrupt the bias, so it’s important to acknowledge that. Then there are two choices on what to say next. One, “I get it,” or two, “I don’t get it. Could you explain more after the meeting?”

It can be hard to break bias habits, yet we can change the pattern with consistent effort. We’ve got to be patient and persistent with ourselves and with others. Which brings us to our last step.

If bias isn’t flagged in a meeting, it doesn’t mean there wasn’t any bias. It just means either nobody noticed or nobody knew what to say.

When we are silent about bias, we reinforce it. And it can’t be just the targets of bias who point it out.

Observers and leaders have got to speak up. We all have a responsibility.

By making a practice of disrupting bias quickly and kindly, we prevent it from metastasising into something worse, like prejudice, bullying, discrimination or harassment.

So let’s stop letting bias get in the way!