Unconscious bias affects everyone but as the name implies…we do not see it. It is essentially a blind spot.

With there being several types of unconscious biases that exist, it does make our embedding mind set more complex to change, these include: 

Activities for Unconscious Bias Workshops or Training

Tackling unconscious bias is tough as it is in the tile... unconscious. But when you try to tackle the in groups, the process become easier. So we have put together some group activities to be used in a workshop or training session.

Exercise 1 - The Circle of Trust

This is an excellent, and non-confrontational exercise for people to explore their unconscious bias as well the behaviours and prejudices.  

Each participant writes down the names or initials of ten people that they trust who are not from their immediate family. We have created a template here. Once they have completed all 10 names, each participant places a tick next to each person on the list who shares that characteristic with them e.g a women place a tick next to all female people on their list. The group is then encouraged to evaluate their list and discuss it with the group. In most cases, the group quickly realise how little diversity is shown on their list of trusted people – that their Circle of Trust mainly includes people with backgrounds and characteristics that are similar to their own.

This implicit bias training exercise supports the basis of an honest, progressive discussion about how we form group bonds, how these bonds can unnecessarily exclude others and what steps we can take to extend our trust to people who are from different backgrounds or have different life experiences. 

It’s important to make sure that all group members understand and appreciate how common these biases are, and that they are not being judged. Unconscious bias is something that we have or have experienced. It is not unusual that our Circles of Trust are formed of people who we easily relate to but our working lives could be enhanced and our organisations more effective and harmonious if we are open to understanding our biases, how they impact on our decisions to support promoting inclusivity and diversity in our workplace.

Exercise 2 - The Tag Game

This exercise is a great one for creating a safe, non-judgemental space where people can discover their biases and see how they affect their behaviour and responses. It is a great tool for unconscious bias icebreaker. 

The Tag Game involves participants placing a variety of different colour, shape and size badges on their upper body. Post it notes may be a good to use here. The group is then encouraged to form smaller groups. There is no talking allowed at this stage and no instructions regarding what criteria should be used to form these groups. Once the groups are formed, instruct the participants to split and form new groups for a further four to six times. More often than not, you’ll find that the groups are formed based on the same shapes and colours rather than seeking out colleagues with different badges. Notably, the group rarely uses other criteria apart from the badges to form these groups. We particularly like this unconscious bias activity as it naturally opens up discussion about social categorisation and how we are predisposed to group bias. From there you can discuss experiences you have had relating to group and unconscious bias and talk about the benefits of diversity and how your business could become a more inclusive workplace.