Are you Looking for Training on Unconscious Bias?

Last Thursday, two African-American men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks in an unfortunate and terrible case of racial profiling. Since the incident, Starbucks CEO, Kevin Johnson, has gone to great lengths to both publicly and personally apologize to the two men. Not only did he meet with them and accept responsibility as the company leader, he has vowed to take the necessary measures to be sure something like this never happens again in one of his stores. In fact, on Tuesday, May 29, every U.S. Starbucks will close for the afternoon so that 175,000 employees can receive training in unconscious bias to “address implicit bias, promote conscious inclusion, prevent discrimination and ensure everyone inside a Starbucks store feels safe and welcome,” the company statement said. If your organization is interested in doing training like Starbucks, we’ve got some ideas on how to make the most of this opportunity. Executive Speakers Bureau has worked with many clients to address this very subject and is proud to represent some fantastic diversity keynote speakers that can help. Here are just a few ideas on some of the best diversity keynote speakers who are experts in unconscious bias.

Yassmin Abdel-Magied

Yassmin Abdel-Magied is on a mission to promote diversity and empower young people throughout society, however and wherever she can. Born in Sudan, she moved to Australia when she was two years old, and trained as a mechanical engineer. She now spends her time both working as an engineer on oil and gas rigs and heading up Youth Without Borders, the organization she founded at sixteen to empower young people as leaders of positive change through collaborative community initiatives. Abdel-Magied travels to companies all over the world educating audiences on the value of diversity, how to beat bias, and taking advantage of a company’s diversity for social growth and innovation.

Dr. Steve Robbins

A powerful storyteller with a powerful story to tell, Dr. Steve L. Robbins has an uncanny ability to inspire people even in the midst of disrupting and challenging the way they think about the world. Recent work in neuroscience suggests that we live life rather mindlessly. Although mindless behavior allows us to use our body’s energy efficiently, it can also lead to mistakes. Dr. Robbins uses the idea of mindlessness as the first component of his unique concept of unintentional intolerance. Behind the science of unintentional intolerance is something called “cognitive dissonance.” Dr. Robbins explains this well-known scientific term with funny anecdotes, memorable stories, and insightful commentary. By using Asian stereotypes as an illustration, Dr. Robbins explains how we should understand stereotypes, and how they are a sign of something much larger, something that relates to open-mindedness.

Dr. Helen Turnbull

Dr. Helen Turnbull is a world recognized thought leader in global inclusion and diversity. Her PhD dissertation research was on internalized oppression across cultures and she has a deep knowledge and understanding of what it takes to create an inclusive environment. She is the author of two psycho-metric assessment tools on unconscious bias and inclusion, including her latest book, “Blind Spots: An Interview on Unconscious Bias”, where explains her new model on the complexity of embedding an inclusive workplace culture. For information on these amazing speakers, trainers, and more, contact Executive Speakers Bureau at (901) 754-9404.