We recommend that opening and closing remarks are delivered by a senior leader as this is an effective way to demonstrate commitment to this work. Please note, the following is provided as guidance only. The more you can personalize your message to your own experiences and your own organization, the more effective this will be in setting the tone.
Opening Remarks
- Share a personal story or experience.
- Explain why equity, diversity and inclusion are important for your organization.
- Introduce the project (high-level) with Inclusivity and provide rationale/background for initiating this work:
- An Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) assessment is currently underway which will help identify barriers and opportunities for establishing more equitable and inclusive practices across the organization.
- To lead this work, we have partnered with Inclusivity, a third-party Canadian EDI consulting firm who will be facilitating this workshop.
- Encourage open conversation and humility throughout the discussion.
- Encourage participants to reflect on how this applies to their work, role and team.
- Inclusivity facilitator will do a full introduction of themselves.
Closing Remarks
- Thank everyone for attending and participating. Encourage participants to reflect:
- Start noticing and questioning “the way we have always done things”.
- Share and discuss learnings with one another.
- Explain that this work around equity, diversity and inclusion is a journey, not a “flavour of the day” initiative.
- Ask for the team’s support throughout the project and explain that there will be opportunities for input from them and their teams as we move forward.
- Close with a positive sentiment.
About Inclusivity (www.inclusivityinsight.com)
Inclusivity is a Canadian firm that provides consulting, training and analytics to build stronger, more inclusive organizations. We work with some of Canada’s largest employers in diverse industries to raise awareness, provide actionable solutions and build their internal capacity for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion.
Questions?
Any questions for Inclusivity can be directed to [email protected]
