Creating Safe Spaces for Tough Conversations at Work
Creating Safe Spaces for Tough Conversations at Work
What you’ll learn
Skills you’ll gain
Tough conversations are exactly that: tough. They might involve topics that include heated opinions, arguments, or even biases. But having these conversations doesn't have to be negative, and can instead be a great way to improve your company culture. Join Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Expert Sterling de Sutter Summerville as he discusses how you can allow space to have challenging conversations within your team or organization. Sterling first reviews his tips for creating an environment that has built-in safety for all employees, then builds on this to review the elements of environments that strive for inclusion. With this foundation in place, Sterling then dives into the why conversations like this can get so heated, and what you can do during one of these conversations to maintain a safe space for all parties to express themselves. Finally, Sterling covers concepts that support safe spaces, including company culture, a sense of trust, and collective buy-in. After finishing this course, you'll be able to engage more meaningfully with those around you and help others do the same.
Syllabus
Download syllabus-
1
Tough conversations Navigating tough conversations is an important element of building a cooperative culture. 2m
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Defining safe spaces It's important to understand that safety is a relative concept, and safe spaces can be critical to collaboration. 2m
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Unlocking workspace potential Safe spaces are growth chambers and unlock your workplace's true potential. 2m
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Creating a safe space Creating safe spaces is a process. 2m
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The impact of identity Inclusion is a practice, but it's not always embedded into everyone's experience at the workplace. 3m
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Inclusive environments For safe spaces to thrive and be situated for success, they should be considered part of a larger environment whose ambition is uninhibited inclusion. 2m
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Building a Foundation for Safe Spaces For any safe space to succeed it must work within a larger strategic plan for employee well being. 2m
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Systems of injustice Injustices and systems of oppressions are a part of the world, and acknowledging this is an important part of creating a safe space. 3m
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Blockers of safe space Microaggressions, micro-assaults and micro-inequities are blockers to safe space creation. 2m
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Protecting safe spaces Accountability and cross-functional collaboration contribute a catalyzing effect to the holding of safe spaces. 2m
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Cultural norms Every culture has its normative behaviors, and it is important that you know what those norms look like in your workplace culture. 2m
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Team building and communication Effective and open communication is a hallmark of a safe space, and tantamount to successful teamwork. 1m
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Psychological safety Team members must have confidence that their occupational comfort is not endangered by their participating in dialogues in safe spaces. 2m
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Leveraging trainings Equipping team members with proper trainings on how to intervene against harassment and bullying is a great way to pre-emptively support safe space creation. 2m
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Organizational expectations Every organization has its behavioral ideals, and being aware of your organizations ideals is incredibly important. 2m
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Codes of conduct Codes of conduct are only words on paper until you bring them to life with your actions. 1m
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Ongoing reinforcement Creating safe spaces is only half the battle, and maintaining them is the other half. 3m
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Leadership's presence Leadership's active modeling and participation in safe space cultivation can be a one-of-a-kind accelerant to culture change. 2m
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HR and managerial support Human Resources and management's ability to support during tough conversations is important. 2m
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It'll take a village Creating a safe space for tough conversations relies on more than just the leadership, HR and management, it is everyone's job. 2m
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Moving forward Thanks for watching this course! Now, you should feel prepared to create safe spaces for tough conversations and serve as an ally in the workplace. 1m
Certificate
Certificate of Completion
Awarded upon successful completion of the course.
Instructor
Sterling De Sutter Summerville
Sterling is an experienced executive leader with a global background, having led teams across Africa, Asia, and Europe. A Fulbright Scholar, Sterling currently serves as the Lead Inclusion Strategist at De Sutter Summerville Consulting (DSSC), where he helps individuals and brands navigate culturally sensitive topics. Previously, Sterling held roles at Google and Snapchat. His expertise has been featured in the LA Times, and his LinkedIn Learning course, “Creating Safe Spaces for Tough Conversations,” has engaged over 40,000 learners.
Sterling De Sutter Summerville
Inclusion Strategist & Leadership Coach
Accreditations
Link to awards
How GoSkills helped Chris
I got the promotion largely because of the skills I could develop, thanks to the GoSkills courses I took. I set aside at least 30 minutes daily to invest in myself and my professional growth. Seeing how much this has helped me become a more efficient employee is a big motivation.
