Table of Contents/Preface   

Introduction    

Part 1: Diversity Icebreakers    

1. Name That Feeling

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants begin to focus on what it's like to feel different.

2. Diversity Letter Game   

    The purpose of this activity is to have participants define for themselves the meaning of diversity.

3. Who Do You Know?    

    The purpose of this activity is to begin exploring what participants know about people from differing groups.

4. Time Marches On   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand how one's values change over time.

5. Back to the Future

    The purpose of this activity is to give the participants the opportunity to look at diversity issues in their past and share them with other participants.

6. Into the Future

    The purpose of this activity is to give the participants the opportunity to think about themselves as being old and share their thoughts with other participants.

7. Cultural Hat Dance   

    The purpose of this activity is to have participants understand perception and to get them thinking creatively.

8. Take Your Pick - Learning Styles

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand that there are differences in learning styles and to identify their own learning style.

9. Political Savvy

    The purpose of this activity is to enable participants to determine the most effective qualities for leadership for multicultural groups

10.  Head in the Clouds, Nose to the Grindstone   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants become aware of the tremendous amount of slang used regularly in English conversation and to realize that communicating with non-native speakers of English may take extra effort.

Part 2: Culture and Diversity    

11. Introductions   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants recognize that each person has an identity and that it often begins with a name. In the United States, identity is also associated with a person's occupation.

12. Understanding the Impact of Culture on Work   

    The purpose of this activity is to define culture and to look at what aspects of culture affect people at work.

13. Ups And Downs   

    The purpose of this exercise is to enable participants to acknowledge that people belong to many groups simultaneously.

14. Personal Influences   

    The purpose of this activity is to provide participants an opportunity to explore the variety of cultures in the U.S. today and the different perceptions of values, depending on environment, education, socialization, physical handicaps, socioeconomics, etc.

15. The Way It Is: The Real Issues   

    The purpose of this activity is to offer an opportunity to express concerns about the impact of culture on personal interactions.

16. What Is Culture? The Iceberg Theory   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand what "culture" is and to review the components that make up culture and recognize that each person has his/her own culture. The activity will also help participants identify the stages of intercultural learning and determine the participants' current stages.

17. Cultural Baggage   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand that the term "cultural baggage" refers to those concepts, ideas, and attitudes carried from childhood that still have great influence on us. Exploring "baggage" through proverbs, sayings, symbols, etc. will lead to recognizing its limiting effect when dealing with people with different values.

18. First Thoughts   

    The purpose of this activity is to have participants examine the stereotypes of the groups of people with whom they interact. They should recognize that stereotyping is unfair, and becomes a barrier to good communication and accepting people as individuals.

19. Points of View   

    The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate that one sees others in his/her own frame of reference. The way others are perceived depends upon each individual's own point of view.

20. Seeing Is Believing, or Is It?   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants recognize that the way a person sees things is a selective process and is often culturally determined.

21. Communicating Our Way   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants appreciate the fact that their own communication styles, though individual, are also influenced by culture. They will then recognize the difficulty of having to communicate in a setting in which the rules are unfamiliar.

22. DESO Model of Intercultural Communication   

    The purpose of this activity is to tie in intercultural concepts with a practical approach in the workplace.

23. Qualities That Make a Difference   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand that there are a number of qualities that facilitate intercultural communication and to give participants the opportunity to assess their own qualities.

24.  Addressing Language Barriers   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants better understand the difficulties of learning a second language and to provide them with tips for improving communication with people speaking limited English.

25. Action Plan   

    The purpose of this activity is to give participants an opportunity to  review what has been learned and to have each individual develop an  action plan to use.

26. The Impact of Change   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand the differing responses to change. By using a case study, they will have the opportunity to explore the issues involved and potential responses.

Part 3 Change, Communication, and Conflict Resolution   

27. Dealing With Change: Barriers and Strategies   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants examine their own response to change. By using a role play, they will have the opportunity to explore some personnel issues that may create barriers in the workplace and to develop strategies to overcome them.

28. Self-Assessment Regarding Change   

    The purpose of this activity is to provide an opportunity for participants to informally assess the way they respond to change.

29. Introduction to Listening: A Self-Inventory   

    The purpose of this activity is to ensure that participants are aware of the importance of listening, and have an opportunity to assess their present listening skills.

30. Name Your Partner   

    The purpose of this activity is to offer participants a chance to practice listening and demonstrate the importance of concentration.

31. Non-Verbal Communication   

    The purpose of this activity is to understand more about communication, particularly non-verbal exchanges. This exercise will also help participants gain insight into the messages the senders may be giving. It will also help them become aware of how these non-verbal messages may be received and interpreted differently, sometimes due to cultural differences.

32. Self-Talk

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand the negative programming that may have occurred in their lives and to give the participants tools for changing negative thoughts into positive ones.

33.  Coaching Across Cultures    

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand the concept of coaching and provide an opportunity to learn and practice the necessary skills. The role plays are culturally-based and offer insight into coaching employees with diverse cultural backgrounds.

34. Multicultural Team Building   

    The purpose of this team-building activity is to offer participants an opportunity to understand the elements of a successful team, as well as appreciate the impact that cultural diversity has on team effectiveness.The exercise demonstrates certain types of culturally-related approaches to a team effort, and how the different approaches affect the success of the team assignment.

35. Addressing Conflict Resolution   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand that conflict is a natural occurrence in interpersonal relationships and that everyone has different styles in dealing with conflict situations. Participants will have an opportunity to learn more about conflict resolution styles in general, as well as their own particular style.

36. Resolving Disputes: Skills for Third-Party Intervention   

    The purpose of this activity is to study third-party intervention as a means of resolving conflict between people in the workplace. It is particularly helpful in dealing with conflict that results from cultural clashes. This exercise teaches a process that uses communication skills to gain agreement on dealing with disputed issues in the workplace. It focuses on shared responsibility for the outcome. The participants will use a model to practice their specific mediation skills.

Part 4. Gender at Work   

37. Historical Overview   

    The purpose of this activity is to provide historical overview of women's roles in the American workplace and to prompt the group to start thinking about gender issues that their organization may need to address.

38. Gender Issues at Work   

    The purpose of this activity is to acquaint participants with a variety of gender issues that arise in the workplace and give them an opportunity to discuss gender-related issues they are facing in their own organizations. Included would be emotion in the workplace, power and control, support, stereotypes, sexuality, prior experiences and familiar roles (early "tape recordings") and inclusion-exclusion issues.

39. Written and Unwritten Rules   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand that organizations have rules reflecting their culture. These rules may be written or unwritten, formal or informal. The rules help to establish the culture. Ideally, a person will accept a position with an organization whose culture is consistent with the person's values and priorities.

40. Inclusion - Exclusion   

     The purpose of this activity is to provide an experience that demonstrates how it feels to exclude others as well as the experience of being excluded by others.  

41. Gender Tapes: Decades on Parade   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand what factors and early experiences ("tapes") influenced the perception they have of themselves and their own sex, as well as those of the opposite sex.

42. Myths and Stereotypes: Old Wives' Tales   

    The purpose of this activity is to make participants aware of written and spoken messages that surround us in everyday life and influence our thinking about gender differences. Exploring proverbs, sayings and symbols can lead to recognizing the limiting effect these messages have when dealing with the opposite sex.

43. First and Lasting Thoughts   

    The purpose of this activity is to have participants examine stereotypes about men and women, what these stereotypes are and where they come from. It will also offer an opportunity to explore how such stereotypes may get in the way when dealing with the opposite sex in the workplace.

44. Strategies for Success   

    The purpose of this activity is to use situations to explore potentially sensitive issues that have actually occurred in the workplace and to develop strategies that will help deal with these issues.

45. Communicating Across Gender   

    The purpose of this activity is to offer participants the opportunity to discuss cases based on actual workplace situations and practice dealing with such situations using a communication model as a guideline.

46. Worlds Apart - or Is It Words Apart?   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand how language influences the way in which the sexes perceive one another. The male and female versions of many words and phrases have a strong influence on the way society looks at men and women. Such words and phrases can often become a wedge between sexes; hence "worlds apart" flowing from "words apart."

47. Communication Style   

    Communication style is a speaker's approach to conveying thoughts and messages using specific linguistic techniques. The purpose of this activity is to help participants understand some of the gender-related communication styles that have been identified by linguists, and to look at the general effects these differences in style may have on the opposite sex.

Part 5: Culture and Career Transitions   

48. Identifying Your Values: An Exploration   

    The purpose of this activity is to help participants identify their own values and how these values affect the career decisions they will make.

49. Reviewing Your Itinerary   

    The purpose of this activity is to allow participants an opportunity to review their previous work histories and identify what they enjoy doing. They will also review their competencies, as well as the kind of reinforcement that comes from their family and community. Additionally, participants will begin to identify possible job matches that they may use in their job search.

50. Finding the Right Boss: Getting on the Right Track   

    The purpose of this activity is to aid participants in identifying characteristics of bosses and the types of environment that would be compatible with the participants work style, values, etc.