DEI FAQs
At Hyphens and Spaces, we know that every organization's journey toward fostering a culture of belonging is unique. That's why we've compiled answers to some of the most common questions we receive about our work, approach, and services.
Whether you're looking for guidance on our training programs, strategy development, or how we tailor our offerings to fit your team's needs, this page is designed to provide clarity. Browse through the questions below to learn more about how we partner with organizations to create more inclusive, equitable, and effective workplaces.
Don't see your question answered here? We'd love to hear from you directly. Reach out to us at hello@hyphensandspaces.com with any inquiries—we're always happy to connect!
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01
Why Should I Have DEI Training at My Organization?
Answer: What DEI training does is create alignment among teams around how to have conversations about identity, experiences of inclusion and exclusion, and experiences of equity and inequity. It allows people to bring to the surface things that can enhance their connection and contribution. Our training equips people with the skills to engage effectively in workplaces that are increasingly diverse. Those are skills that we don’t get in many other places that we’ve been.
Our training allows you to have the office environment where people really feel that they can thrive regardless of their backgrounds.
02
What Does Diversity Training Include?
DEI training typically includes a combination of conversation, practice, and information sharing. During training people develop skills, increase their context, shift mindsets, and increase their motivation around taking action in the spaces of the diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
03
What is Diversity Training in the Workplace?
Diversity training (or DEI training) ultimately helps people be more effective with each other. Under that umbrella, there are many possible topics to focus on that can get in the way of effectiveness including, bias, poor communication, or closed mindsets. Training topics should address the topics that most impact teams and support business goals.
04
How is the Diversity Training Delivered to Your Business?
We are a virtual first company and so our trainings typically entail virtual gatherings of teams, or small groups where we can discuss topics in a more intimate settings and where people have more space to speak, process, share and ask questions.
05
How Long is the Training?
Trainings range between one and a half hours and two and a half hours depending on the subject matter. We also sometimes offer worksheets, articles, and videos to create some additional context in advance of the session so that we can really maximize our time together.
06
What Makes Our DEI training So Effective?
We structure all of our trainings using adult learning principles. That includes ensuring that the subject matter is relevant to people. To understand that, we start by assessing the team to understand the needs and challenges. We then use real examples and scenarios from real life, things that we’ve gathered and learned over the years, things that are happening in the media and in society to offer relevant content. This helps to make the training content immediately applicable to people. We also ensure to spend the majority of our time together within conversation, small groups, large groups, or even in pairs where people are encouraged to share their experiences and talk about what actually affects them. Many times, participants share real situations that they’re experiencing and get live coaching during the session. The also supports immediate applicability.
07
Why is DEI Training Important?
DEI training is important because we don’t otherwise take out the time to develop skills in engaging people who are different from us. The training allows time to take a dedicated pause to think, to practice, to set goals and to reflect so that you can be conscious of diversity, equity, and inclusion as you go about your life. Our trainings give you a toolbox that you can fall back on and use when you need to. Similar to any other muscle or skill, you need to practice it and develop it and strengthen it in order to be able to use it.
08
What is our Approach to DEI Training?
We consider the whole person. We know that your work life is only one aspect of who you are, and you have skills and relationships that go far and wide beyond work. We want to honor all of who you are, and all of what you bring to the table while staying focused on what we can accomplish in our session. We start every session with a very clear objective in order to stay focused on what we’re trying to do. But, within that objective, we might find that the agenda that we had set out doesn’t actually allow give participants what they need in order to reach that objective. So we adjust. We’re more focused on the impact then sticking to our our particular agenda. All of our sessions are offered in a series which allows everyone to bring their own experiences and to practice in order for our training to “stick” and encourage transformation. Our workshops allow us to meet with a team and offer some skills, context, and coaching. People can then go apply these new insights as they go about their days.
09
Can You Do DEI Training for a Virtual Office?
Yes. In fact, our trainings are done virtually for the most part in order to support our philosophy around impacting and embedding these actions into how people work. Being virtual also allows us to be cost effective.