1. Diversity Appreciation Presented by Iowa Civil Rights Commission

2. Iowa Civil Rights Commission Disclaimer The information contained in this presentation is a brief overview and should not be construed as legal advice or exhaustive coverage of the topic.

3. What is Culture? What is Diversity? Why does it matter? What can I do?

4. What is Diversity?  The differences which make us each unique  Recognizing the differences until the differences don’t make a difference anymore  All of our differences and similarities

5. What does Diversity Include?  Age  Race  Religion  Gender  National Origin  Disability  All of our differences and similarities

6. What is Culture?  Culture refers to all the accepted and patterned ways of behavior of a group of a given people. It is a body of common understanding. It is the sum total of the organization of arrangement of all the group’s ways of thinking, feeling, and acting.

7. Cultural Differences Visual Subconscious

8. First Thoughts Caucasians are... Gays are… Lesbians are… Native Americans are… Teenagers are... Men Are... Women are… African-Americans are… Latinos are… Asians are…

9. Factors Which Interfere With Diversity Appreciation  Stereotypes  Prejudice  Discrimination

10. Stereotype A misconception about an individual or group based on the belief that all people in a given group will act in the same way. Example: “All …………………….are lazy”.

11. Prejudice  An irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion  Making up your mind about what a person or group is like before you get to know them

12. Discrimination The act of giving unequal treatment to an individual or group of people because they are members of a certain culture or race, or because of other differences. People are denied equal opportunities because of their differences.

13. Attitudes or Behaviors  Training involves teaching a person to perform a new skill, learn a body of knowledge, and display a new attitude.  Forklift – 80% skill, 10% knowledge, 10% attitude  Spreadsheet – 20% skill, 70% knowledge, 10% attitude  Diversity – 15% skill, 10% knowledge, 75% attitude

14.  Developing an atmosphere in which it is safe for all employees to ask for help  Actively seeking information from people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures  Including people who are different than you in informal gatherings such as lunch, coffee breaks, and spur of the moment meetings  Creating a team spirit of which every member feels a part Diversity Appreciation in a Business Environment

15. Recognizing, appreciating, valuing, and utilizing the unique talents and contributions of all individuals.

16. Iowa Civil Rights Commission Grimes State Office Building Des Moines, Iowa 50319 515-281-4121 800-457-4416 FAX 515-242-5840 http://www.state.ia.us/government/crc