What’s in a Name? How Saying & Spelling Names Correctly is Critical to Your DEI Efforts

In previous social media posts, we have detailed the importance of pronouncing someone’s name correctly. It is a simple, but absolutely a critical move towards advancing inclusion and promoting respect. And honestly, it’s just the right thing to do. When we take the time to listen, practice if needed, and…

Words and Phrases that Transform Conversation IV

“Should” “Should” is a devious little word. It seems so useful on its surface, but it complicates communication and impairs relationships whenever it appears.  Take the sentence, “You should have notified me about this.” In this example, the speaker tries to indicate what someone else ought to have done, which…

Want help Navigating DEI in your ADR Practice? We’re here to help…

This week, Rick Buccheri, ADR Vantage’s Director of Programs, facilitated “Navigating DEI in ADR Practice”, an engrossing discussion among ADR practitioners and program managers exploring how issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion affect the practice of alternative dispute resolution. It was an in-depth conversation, and a great opportunity for…

Don’t Get Caught in the Gratitude Gap: 5 Tips for Building a Culture of Appreciation at Work

According to organizational culture experts and authors of the best-selling book Leading with Gratitude, Chester Elton and Adrian Gostick, “showing gratitude to employees is the easiest, fastest, most inexpensive way to boost performance.” In fact, when employees receive appreciation and feel grateful in the workplace, they are more likely to…

How 7 Short Statements Can Help You Know if Your Employees Are Experiencing Inclusion at Work

Even when organizations start to get the diversity part right in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work, it’s often the inclusion part of the equation that gives them more trouble. Many struggle with creating a truly inclusive experience for employees (“a work environment where all people feel respected, accepted, supported…

The Gift of Grace

In a recent poll cited by NBC news, 61% of respondents said, “The thing they missed the most from their pre-pandemic employment was in-person workplace conversations.” As much as some of us relish the flexibility of remote work and the pleasure of staying in our yoga pants for days on…

Are you Suffering Paradox?

Are you Suffering Paradox?

When I first heard this question, I didn’t quite understand what it meant. How could someone suffer paradox? I remember it well. I was in the initial weeks of completing my certification program to administer the Key Polarity Indicator, or KPI. (I would eventually become part of the first cohort of practitioners…

Hats

Six Hats Technique for More Creative Problem-Solving

Many clients seek out our facilitation services to help their team or department work through a challenging problem, to realign their strategy to a new set of organizational priorities, or to simply help them navigate a difficult conflict situation. In all these instances, creativity is necessary to find new approaches…

What’s the Deal with Sharing Pronouns?

What’s the Deal with Sharing Pronouns?

Maybe your company is already familiar with the practice of adding personal pronouns to your email signature line or other forms of communication. Or maybe you noticed all the rainbow flags and logos that popped up on your social media feeds and on product advertisements last month (yup, June was…

Words and Phrases that Transform Conversations III

Words and Phrases that Transform Conversations III

“I know…” Words matter. They really, really, really do. Yet, we often toss around words and phrases that convey something unintended without considering the impact of those words and phrases. Take the frequently overlooked example, “I know”, as in “I know you didn’t mean anything negative by it…” “I know”…