Serving with Openness And Inclusion Exploring Unconscious Bias and its Impact 501 Commons Learn to Serve November 1, 2017 Presented by: Brenetta Ward Yvonne Freitas McGookin

Objectives Increase awareness and understanding about unconscious bias Recognize the impact of unconscious bias Explore strategies to minimize the impact of unconscious bias

Community Agreements

Hidden or implicit bias Social stereotypes about certain groups of people that we form outside of our own conscious awareness Everyone has it – stems from our tendency to organize our social worlds by categorizing them Pervasively influences hiring, evaluation, selection of candidates and even daily interactions

Confirmation bias is a form of unconscious bias Seek confirmation of our preconceptions while avoiding information that might contradict them Tend to overvalue information supporting our preconceptions and undervalue information in conflict with them

Exploring Together …. Have you ever been confronted by your own unconscious bias? Have you ever had to confront someone about their own bias?

Other Biases Value Attribution – inclination to imbue a person or thing with certain qualities based on an initial perceived value Confidence Bias – becoming attached to a particular point of view even when it is obviously wrong Priming – implicit tendency to respond to something based on expectations created from a previous experience Focalism – the tendency to rely too heavily on one trait or piece of information when making decisions

Exploring Together …. What lens do you use to view the world? How does your lens shape your perception? When have your previously held perceptions been challenged by a new experience?

Serving Our Community

Exploring Together …. How has (or might) unconscious bias impact your experience with a client or fellow Service Corps team members?

Reducing Unconscious Bias

Minimizing our Bias Recognize that bias is a normal part of our human experience Develop the capacity for self-observation Practice constructive uncertainty – questioning our preconceptions and assumptions Explore awkwardness and triggers that we experience around certain situations Ask for feedback from others