Negotiating Through The Funk: Building Inclusive Leadership Skills

In today’s diverse and complex social and political climate, developing leadership skills that promote inclusiveness and safety in the workplace and community is essential. The Negotiating Through The Funk workshop provides an interactive and engaging opportunity for individuals to develop these skills through reflection, discussion, and creative problem-solving.

The workshop’s objectives are to reflect on personal experiences with race and identity, develop a deeper understanding of inclusive leadership, identify barriers to building an ideal social environment that promotes inclusiveness and diversity, and take practical steps to create a more inclusive and safe workplace or community environment.

The facilitator employs a combination of Socratic questioning, group discussion, and interactive activities to encourage engagement and creative thinking. The workshop consists of four parts:

Part 1: Individual Reflection

Participants reflect on ideas presented through a Race and Identity Development theory handout. They focus on reflecting on personal experiences in the stages of Racial Identity Development and identifying where they are on the spiral, citing specific examples.

Part 2: Group Discussion

Participants engage in a structured group discussion model, focusing on sharing their written reflections and exploring common themes and experiences.

Part 3: Group Activity

Participants work in teams to investigate three questions about building an ideal social environment promoting inclusiveness and diversity. They explore what an ideal social environment looks like and how it fosters inclusiveness and diversity, the barriers to achieving this ideal social environment, and the solutions to overcome these barriers and realize this ideal social environment.

Part 4: Individual Accountability

Participants take practical steps to create a more inclusive and safe workplace or community environment. After the workshop, they identify one action they could implement within their own social space (work, school, etc.) to create a more inclusive and safe environment for their surrounding community.

The Negotiating Through The Funk workshop model is a powerful tool for individuals and organizations to develop leadership skills that promote inclusiveness and safety. The reflective and interactive approach encourages participants to think critically about their experiences, the barriers they face, and the practical steps they can take to create positive change. This model can be applied in various settings, such as schools, businesses, and community organizations, to build stronger relationships and promote diversity and inclusiveness.