Consulting
Using interactive games, reflective exercises, and small and large group discussions, Dr. Banks’ sessions can be customized to meet your individual needs. Below is a sampling of workshops* and talks that are currently available.
*All engagements are virtual until further notice. When in-person training resumes, half-day, day-long, and multi-day training will return as options.
Workshops & Presentations
It is highly recommended that organizations interested in institutional change engage in the “Equity Mindset” series. This series gives you the framework and foundation to engage in change now and in the future towards a more equitable environment.
Developing an Equity Mindset: Foundational Concepts (101)
This session can stand alone providing individuals at all levels of an institution an understanding of applying an equity lens. Topics include understanding the distinctions between equity and equality in addition to diversity and inclusion. Key components of what it means to apply an equity lens are discussed as well as common barriers. Examples are woven throughout to aid in making the complex topics related to racial equity more accessible. Frameworks and models help to explain how the systems-focused approach of applying a racial equity lens can create lasting and sustainable change. This session is a precursor to the 200-level session below.
Length: 90-120 mins
Developing an Equity Mindset: Next Steps (201)
This more advanced session must be preceded by Equity 101. Whereas 101 takes a systems approach, this 201 workshop focuses on individuals within an organization committed to system-level change. It builds on foundational concepts and helps individuals identify their sphere of influence to move equity forward in their organization. Topics include understanding one’s social identity and in-group biases and the implications for intergroup interactions in the workplace. The importance of developing a common language and how to be accountable to change will be discussed. Tips for facilitating dialogue are shared as well as other skills to support individuals within an organization on the path to equity.
Length: 90-120 mins
Developing an Equity Mindset: Equity in Action (301)
This session is a culmination of what is learned in 101 and 201. Participants get a chance to develop a plan and to apply concepts to their specific industries, present their work, and receive feedback from Dr. Banks and others. Up to seven (7) projects can be presented to Dr. Banks during each session. Fewer projects will allow more time to provide feedback of each project.
Length: 90 mins
Beyond Unconscious Bias
This interactive session has been met with rave reviews from the thousands of participants who have experienced it. It is not your mother’s unconscious bias training. The session describes unconscious bias in the context of structural inequities and provides evidence-based strategies on how to de-bias. Participants learn the psychological underpinnings of bias with a particular focus on in-group bias. An activity on social identities and personal reflection are a core part of this workshop. Participants will leave understanding how their personal biases exist within larger patterns of inequity.
Length: 90-120 mins
Other Types of Engagement
Listening Sessions
A facilitate conversation with your organization around race, racism, gender, or other social identities and/or related systemic inequities.
Length: 90-120 mins.
Keynote: Leadership in the Age of #BlackLivesMatter
What does the current diversity, equity
& inclusion moment call for in terms of leadership, accountability, and a path forward? In this discussion, Dr. Banks discusses what we can learn from the past, her time as the racial equity consultant for the Ferguson Commission, and the first steps necessary to move towards racial equity.
Length: 60 mins.
Talk to an Expert/Q&A with Dr. Banks
This Q&A session allows organizations to “Pick Dr. Banks’ brain” on issues in the workplace. Popular topics have always been “Where do we start?” “How are doing?”
Length: 60 mins.
Workshops
Training Formats: Hourly Programs
• Definitions and key terms (e.g., diversity, inclusion, equity, etc.)
• Unconscious bias
• Development of an equity mindset
• How to talk about race in the workplace
• How to address diversity or current events in the workplace
• Social identities
• Intersectionality
• Racial identity development
• Levels of “isms” (i.e., interpersonal, internalized, institutional, structural)
• Affirmative Action
• General communication and facilitation skills
• Intergroup dialogue
• Action planning
• Topics identified to suit your needs
Long Terms Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workshops
Dr. Banks consults a small number of organizations on an ongoing basis. If your organization seeks to engage in in-depth and long-term equity work, including investment in leadership and shifts in culture and policy, sign up for the waitlist.
In addition, Dr. Banks is a principal of an innovative long-term diversity and inclusion solution which focuses on engagement and preparation for the increasingly diverse workforce.
Image Consulting for Institutions and Individuals
Dr. Banks can help individuals and institutions manage diversity related situations. Just as celebrities need image consults to maneuver bad publicity, institutions also need help navigating the internal and external repercussions of an event, or the attention that often follows an incident or misstep.
Image Consulting for Institutions and Individuals
Dr. Banks can help individuals and institutions manage diversity related situations. Just as celebrities need image consults to maneuver bad publicity, institutions also need help navigating the internal and external repercussions of an event, or the attention that often follows an incident or misstep.