Language has the power to divide and destroy, yet we are all human. If we truly listen to each other, understand, and actually communicate, then language has the power to unite, to bring love, friendships, and change the world for the better.

How we label each other, and most importantly how we label ourselves, shapes the lives of those around us.

Language evolves, words can have different meanings based on culture, and when we translate, we can miss out on the emotional connection and context of our words, and often we speak without listening.

Joanne promotes a Diversity & Inclusion and specialises in Transgender Awareness and knows only too well how language, when used as a weapon or through carelessness can hurt and exclude people.

She reminds us that, that each of us has value, and simply put; that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and it is that, being listened to is key to belonging and feeling included.

When going through her own journey, she finally was able to overcome her own limiting beliefs, by simply saying “I am”, and was able to realise that by taking responsibility for believing in herself, then everyone else followed…

Key Take Away:

• To learn to listen and to understand that, what we say and how we say it, shapes our lives and those around us..!

We recognise that in our business it is our leaders that have the most impact on the culture of the organisation. By ensuring we develop and nurture inclusive habits and behaviours in our leaders we can ensure that our people feel that sense of belonging and are able to thrive and perform at their best.

It is an old cliché to say “People don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses, and this has never been truer, it happens all of the time. If organisations do not invest in developing their leadership, at all levels, then it is hardly surprising that poor workplace cultures are able to exist.

Joanne Lockwood will explore the key attributes of an Inclusive Leader, and how these skills can bring people together and build a positive workplace culture. When encouraged this can improve a team’s passion and purpose and with it an increased sense of belonging.

Nurturing an inclusive culture in the workplace is good for business across the board – your employee experience and engagement is directly linked to the culture of your organisation

In this session, Joanne Lockwood introduces the kinds of positive change your own organisation can focus on. By taking steps like building relationships between different departments or creating opportunities for everyone on staff to contribute ideas or feedback on how things could be improved within their department or company overall.

There are many ways you can make sure every person feels valued at your workplace so don’t wait any longer – get started today.

Key Take Aways:

• Recognise the importance of ensuring the basic employee hygiene factors are in place before attempting to woo people with motivation.
• Understanding how different perspectives and motivational factors can influence employee experience.
• Understanding why Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Cultural Intelligence (CQ) are the foundations to employee motivation and communication.
• Being able to recognise the 6 key traits/6 Cs of an Inclusive Leader, why they are important and how to nurture them.

Supermarkets have been telling us for years that we, as consumers, are demanding our fruit and vegetables to be perfect, to all be the same size, shape, and colour. Consequently, millions upon millions of tonnes of perfectly good apples, carrots, potatoes, and courgettes are being discarded each year.

Yet when we dive deeper, we find that these discarded items still have the same crunch and are still as nutritional, the potatoes make perfectly good French Fries – our fruit and veg does not have to conform to this very narrow visual standard as we’ve been led to believe.

As recruiters and talent acquisition professionals are we potentially discarding candidates who do not fit this idealistic mould, the belief that meritocracy is fair and works for all – our biases, perspectives, and preconceptions of the way we have always hired to meet this narrow definition of ideal is discounting perfectly good candidates from diverse, marginalised, and underrepresented background and communities. We are even led to believe that hiring for diversity is hiring for second best.

By stepping back and questioning perspectives, biases and challenging the old mantras of “we hire the best person for the role” we can start to be Consciously Inclusive, to open our thoughts to candidates who may not look the same but have perfectly valid skills, passions, and motivations to success in a role (and a bit of crunch).

In this session Joanne gives her thoughts as to why the approach currently taken by many organisations is broken. Many of our biases are conscious and it is therefore the responsibility of organisations to develop this conscious inclusion culture and vision to recognise the value of all people. Joanne challenges thinking and highlights strategies for a starting point on this journey, the destination is up to you!

Key Take Aways:

• How to challenge yourself to think inclusively.
• Why simply hiring diverse talent will not work if the organisations culture is not fit for purpose.
• How tiny changes can make a significant impact to achieving an organisations D&I vision.

We all feel we are not good enough at some point in our lives, but if left to grow it can be a barrier to workers achieving their full potential and can adversely affect mental health.  As many as 70% of adults have felt imposter syndrome at some point in their life according to a review article in the International Journal of Behavioural Science, but whilst it is hard to pinpoint the exact figures people from underrepresented or marginalised communities, are more likely to experience imposter syndrome.

The more marginalised you are the more heightened your imposter syndrome may be because of your own internalised beliefs of never feeling good enough and not belonging means you often work twice as hard to ‘prove’ your value.  There are numerous stressors that add to this.  The fear of being ‘found out’ can quickly become all-consuming and feeling the need to hide by having a secret identity heightens imposter syndrome.

In this interactive and engaging session, Joanne Lockwood speaks about her own experiences and battles with imposter syndrome and her limiting beliefs and how she was able to over most, but not all of them.  Also, what you can do right now to address the feeling and impact of imposter syndrome yourself and to be able to support others?

Key Points:

• What is Imposter Syndrome?
• Why do we feel like imposters?
• The impact of imposter syndrome.
• How to overcome imposter syndrome.

In a survey conducted, it was found that almost 30% of employees have experienced workplace bullying, and 43% of employees who work from home reported being bullied.

Workplace bullying, just like any other bullying, can negatively impact one’s health and productivity. In this workshop, we’ll be exploring what is workplace bullying, how to spot workplace bullying, the potential effects of workplace bullying, and how you can deal with a workplace bully.

Any mistreatment that is harmful and targeted at a person, especially at a workplace, can be considered workplace bullying. The remarks or actions of a bully can be mean, offensive, intimidating, or mocking. Workplace bullying is usually directed at a person or a group

In this interactive and engaging session, Joanne Lockwood speaks about how to spot the signs of bullying, discrimination and misuse of power dynamics.  Also, what you can do right now to stand up, report it and how to support others?

Key Points:

• Identifying Different Types of Workplace Bullying.
• Who is Doing the Workplace Bullying?
• Effects and Impact of Bullying.
• How to Take Action and show Allyship.

In line with many organisations, you are looking to reach out to future employees and be as inclusive as you can be, am I right? Of course. If 2020 taught us anything it’s that we need to be person centric, and understand the need of the individual, but even with our best of intentions, we can often find that ideal candidates do not engage in your recruitment process or drop out early on.

In this session Joanne will talk you through some of the myths and the ways you can overcome these to implement a strategy to align your recruitment vision with your D&I objectives.

Discover how to:

• Find your starting point by align your corporate vision and values to your requirement marketing and candidate engagement strategy.
• Realise what bedrocks and training you need to put in place before going to market on any diversity hiring mission.
• Understand how you need to be able to build trust with your candidates in order to get them to share their information.
• Recognise how language is important and how you can ensure you develop a cultural and emotional intelligence to engagement.
• Measure the effectiveness of initiatives around diversity hiring that go beyond first base, through onboarding and beyond.
• Consider the needs of individual candidates, and recognise that your new ATS or Talent Pipeline Tech may not work for everyone.

Imagine a world where everyone, irrespective of their background, feels truly seen, valued, and empowered. A world where organisations thrive not just because of their products or services, but because of the inclusive cultures they foster and the diverse talents they nurture. This isn’t just a lofty ideal; it’s a tangible, achievable reality, and the journey starts with conversations like the one we’re inviting you to.

Why Attend?

In our increasingly interconnected world, diversity and inclusion aren’t just buzzwords—they’re essential pillars for driving innovation, fostering creativity, and ensuring sustainable growth. However, simply acknowledging diversity isn’t enough; creating a genuine sense of belonging and understanding how to actively champion inclusion makes the difference.

Our fireside chat is more than just a discussion—it’s an immersive experience that promises profound insights into the world of inclusive culture. You will be joined by Joanne Lockwood, The Inclusive Culture Expert with SEE Change Happen. This dialogue promises to shed light on not just the ‘what’ of inclusion but the ‘why’ and the ‘how’.

Typical Topic Areas?

Conscious Inclusion: Grasp the intricacies of conscious inclusion and identify where your organisation stands on the Continuum of Inclusion.

Psychological Safety: Delve deep into creating environments where individuals are unafraid to share, innovate, and challenge the status quo.

Embracing Perspectives: Understand the power of Emotional and Cultural Intelligence in bridging gaps and fostering a cohesive work environment.

Inclusive Leadership: Discover the traits that define truly inclusive leaders and how they can shape organisational culture.

Measuring Culture Change: Learn about the metrics and indicators that can help you measure and nurture positive cultural shifts.

Belonging: Explore the concept of belonging and why it is the crucial next step beyond mere inclusion.

Allyship: Equip yourself with strategies to combat microaggressions and discrimination and learn how to transition from a passive ally to an active one.

Actionable Takeaways:

• Recognising the Allyship Spectrum: You will be able to grasp the nuances between passive and active allyship. You’ll understand the roles and responsibilities at each point on the spectrum, helping you pinpoint where you are and where you’d like to be.
• Transitioning to Proactive Support: You will be equipped with the tools and mindset shifts necessary to move from merely observing to actively championing inclusivity. You’ll understand the steps, conversations, and commitments required to elevate your role as an ally.
• Tackling Microaggressions & Discrimination: You will gain the skills to recognise and address microaggressions and overt discrimination in real-time. You’ll learn strategies to effectively call out or call in such behaviours, ensuring a respectful and inclusive environment for everyone.

Do we stop to consider what it is like to be us, and recognise how we can celebrate the difference in all of us?

Learn how we can become self-aware of our own behaviours and enrich our of perspectives and views of others.

The fear of saying or doing the wrong thing is often cited as a major barrier to many inclusion initiatives – Joanne’s talk introduces the importance of both Emotional (EQ) and Cultural Intelligence (CQ) as a foundation for creating an inclusive workplace culture.

In this interactive and engaging session, Joanne Lockwood speaks about what you can do right now to step up and step into celebrating the differences in all of us and the strength it brings.

Key Points:

• Key steps to understanding ourselves and our own triggers.
• What is Inclusion and the Dimensions of Diversity.
• How to use Emotional and Cultural Intelligence to embrace difference.
• Challenge some of your biases and perspectives.
• Becoming an Effective Ally – what you can do!