Organizations that want to bring about a change implement diversity and equality training. They educate their employees on the importance of diversity and inclusion creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace. As you look for the best diversity and inclusion training for your organization, consider these factors:

Topics Addressed
Ensure the topics for diversity training cover a wide range that are relevant to your organization's needs. This may include areas such as cultural competence, unconscious bias, gender equality, and inclusive leadership to comprehensively address all aspects of diversity and inclusion.

Budget/Pricing
Determine the best price point for quality training with your allocated budget. Consider the long-term value of investing in high-quality training that can lead to increased employee satisfaction, better retention rates, and improved overall performance.

Trainer Qualifications
Look for certified trainers with extensive experience in DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) matters. Qualified trainers bring a wealth of knowledge and practical insights, ensuring that the training is effective and resonates with employees at all levels.

Size of Tool Needed
Assess whether the training tool can accommodate your organization's workforce. This includes considering the scalability of the training program to ensure it can effectively serve a small team or a large, global workforce as your organization grows.

Ease of Use
Prioritize user-friendly interfaces to enhance employee engagement. Training platforms that are easy to navigate and interactive can help maintain employees' interest and ensure they get the most out of the learning experience.

Learning Objectives
Define the specific learning objectives you aim to achieve through the training. Clear objectives will help measure the effectiveness of the training program and ensure it aligns with your organization's broader DEI goals and values.

Once you’ve selected your equality & diversity training tool, it’s time to implement. Let’s talk about the 4-step approach to a successful roll-out.

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1. Choose the Right Approach

Demo different equality & diversity training tools to find the right fit for your organization. Once you've selected a tool, you'll need to decide how to roll out the training to your employees.

Will it be mandatory for all employees? Offered as a voluntary training? Made available to all employees but with a preference for those who self-identify as members of underrepresented groups?

• Mandatory Training: Consider making the training mandatory for all employees to ensure broad awareness and engagement.
• Voluntary Training: Offer the training as a volunteer opportunity for employees to self-select based on their interest.
• Preference for Underrepresented Groups: Make the training available to all employees, with a preference for members of underrepresented groups.

2. Coordinate, Coordinate, Coordinate

Once you've decided on your approach, the next step is to implement it. This will likely require some coordination and planning.

• Coordination: Ensure proper coordination across departments to allocate time and resources for training.
• Scheduling: For larger companies, schedule training during dedicated timeframes to accommodate all employees.
• Flexibility: Provide options for completing training during work hours for both larger and smaller organizations.

If you're rolling out the training to a large company, you'll need to ensure that everyone has the time and resources they need to complete the training. You may need to adjust work schedules or create dedicated training time frames to accommodate everyone.

If you're rolling out the training to a smaller company, you may be able to implement it without too much disruption. However, you'll still need to ensure that everyone has the time they need to complete the training. You may need to allow employees to complete the training during work hours.

3. Monitor Effectiveness

Once you've planned and implemented the training, the next step is to monitor its effectiveness. This will help you determine how the training is working and where to pivot.

There are a few different ways to monitor the effectiveness of training. One way is to track employees' performance before and after the training. This can be done through things like tests, surveys and interviews.

Another way to monitor training is to track the company's performance indicators before and after the training. This can include things like customer satisfaction, employee retention and safety incidents.

Monitoring the effectiveness of training is an important part of ensuring its success. By tracking employees' performance and the company's performance indicators, you can make sure that the training is having a positive impact on the business.

4. Conduct A DEI Training Retrospective

Upon completion of the DEI training, it’s time to find out what worked and what to improve. Remember, 360-degree feedback is key here. Speak with everyone who participated in the training, including the team, managers and of course, leadership.

Timing is key. You’ll have to decide when people have had enough time to reflect, but it’s still fresh in their minds. This critical point allows you to gather insights and make an informed decision about next steps.

How To Conduct A DEI Training Retrospective

Gather Feedback: Reach out to those who participated in the training and ask questions like:

• Did you find any parts of the training beneficial? If so, which topics?
• Did you find any topics confusing, redundant or otherwise unhelpful?
• How did you feel about the training format?
• Has this training changed your outlook on the company culture?

To get honest feedback, consider making an anonymous survey so people feel comfortable sharing their true feelings.

Analyze Data: Take the data collected from your feedback survey and look for overarching trends. Are certain topics mentioned again and again? Do people tend to have similar feelings about the DEI training? What can you learn from outlier answers?

Adjust Your DEI Strategy: Get with key stakeholders to discuss your findings and recommendations. Discuss the successes and challenges of this roll-out using real employee feedback.

If possible, demonstrate positive changes that have already happened because of this DEI training. Remember, key stakeholders can make or break a DEI strategy. Their input and buy-in is key to driving DEI momentum.

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How to Sustain Your DEI Efforts? 

Launching DEI training is a significant first step toward building a workplace that’s inclusive and where each employee is heard and valued. However, to truly embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into your organization's fabric, continual efforts are very important. Building on initial training, here’s how you can sustain and strengthen your DEI initiatives to ensure lasting impact and continuous improvement.

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1. Create a DEI Task Force

Form a team to drive DEI efforts, stay updated, review policies, and allocate resources.

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2. Integrate DEI into Policies

Embed DEI into hiring, evaluations, and career development practices.

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3. Promote DEI Through Communication

Share DEI updates and successes through internal and external channels.

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4. Provide Ongoing Training

Offer regular workshops, interactive modules, and guest speakers.

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5. Evaluate and Adapt

Use surveys and metrics to assess DEI efforts and adjust strategies as needed.

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6. Celebrate Progress

Recognize achievements and organize events to celebrate diversity.

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Start Your DEI Journey Today

The best diversity and inclusion training ensures everyone is accountable for positive change. Luckily, there are training programs to support your journey. CT3 makes positive workplace behavior possible. With engaging and accessible modules, teams who use CT3 focus on active learning, not passive attendance. CT3 is transformation through training. Take the first step for your team today.