What are the most effective ways to help your clients understand unconscious bias in the workplace?

1 Assess your own bias

Before you can help your clients, you need to be aware of your own unconscious bias and how it might affect your coaching practice. You can use online tools, such as the Implicit Association Test, to measure your implicit attitudes towards different social groups. You can also reflect on your own experiences, assumptions, and blind spots, and seek feedback from others. By acknowledging and addressing your own bias, you can model openness, honesty, and accountability for your clients.

2 Educate your clients

One of the best ways to help your clients understand unconscious bias is to educate them about what it is, how it works, and why it matters. You can use examples, stories, and data to illustrate how unconscious bias can impact various aspects of the workplace, such as hiring, performance, communication, teamwork, and innovation. You can also explain how unconscious bias can harm not only the targets of discrimination, but also the perpetrators, the bystanders, and the organization as a whole.

3 Challenge your clients

Another way to help your clients understand unconscious bias is to challenge them to question their own thoughts, feelings, and actions. You can use coaching techniques, such as asking open-ended questions, providing feedback, and facilitating self-discovery, to help your clients identify and examine their own biases and how they affect their work. You can also encourage your clients to seek different perspectives, expose themselves to diverse experiences, and practice empathy and curiosity.

4 Support your clients

Understanding unconscious bias is not enough; your clients also need to take action to reduce it and create a more inclusive workplace. You can help your clients by supporting them in setting goals, developing strategies, and implementing solutions. You can also help them by providing resources, tools, and guidance, and by holding them accountable for their progress and results. You can also celebrate their successes and acknowledge their challenges.

5 Collaborate with others

You don't have to help your clients understand unconscious bias alone; you can also collaborate with other professionals and stakeholders who share your vision and values. You can network with other life coaches who specialize in diversity and inclusion, and learn from their best practices and experiences. You can also partner with organizations that offer training, consulting, and mentoring services on unconscious bias and related topics. You can also refer your clients to these organizations if they need more support or expertise.

6 Keep learning

Finally, you can help your clients understand unconscious bias by keeping yourself updated and informed on the latest research, trends, and developments in this field. You can read books, articles, blogs, and podcasts that explore different aspects of unconscious bias and how to address it. You can also attend webinars, workshops, and conferences that offer new insights, skills, and tools. You can also join online communities and forums that discuss and exchange ideas on unconscious bias and diversity and inclusion.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?