Overcoming Biases in Diverse and Inclusive Environments

There is no escaping natural biases each of us bring to every interaction in our lives and the picture becomes even trickier as we learn that despite what we may have been told, biases are not only necessary for survival, but can serve positive outcomes in some cases. 

How do you embrace the positive aspects of bias, while shielding against the negative and opening your mind to new relationships?  And how can we use trust to help us overcome some of these challenges?

Many people speak of biases as stereotypes, and we will use similar language in this course, while adding to our understanding.  We will also explore how biases relate to the foundational need for trust in our relationships, especially in relationships with those who look, sound, believe, or otherwise differ from ourselves. 

1. The first aspect we explore relates to how trust itself can be a bit tricky.  Through understanding the unique challenges which trust presents, we can work to overcome and counter the impact in our relationships. 

2. Next, we examine how implicit theories and presumptive trust serve as the underlying power for stereotypes and biases. 

3. We then will learn three key tools which each of us can put to work across our relationships to simultaneously build trust safely in relationships, while also protecting us from the dangers of trusting too quickly.