Participants worked through real-world DEI dilemmas drawn from fictional companies. These scenarios were grounded in common challenges like vague “culture fit” language in hiring, unclear communication norms, and onboarding practices that unintentionally exclude.

Learners were assigned both a role (e.g., employee, team lead, HR/ops, leadership) and a fictional organization with its own culture and context. This structure encouraged them to explore each DEI challenge from multiple angles—balancing individual experiences, power dynamics, and organizational priorities.

Using a jigsaw model, learners first discussed challenges in role-based groups, then reassembled into their organization-based teams to co-create policy solutions. This encouraged cross-functional thinking and empathy across perspectives.

The training unfolds over multiple rounds, with participants returning to the same policies after gathering insights from others. Each round deepened analysis and encouraged iteration, mirroring the real-life process of testing and refining inclusion efforts.

To model inclusive facilitation practices, the course incorporates a variety of digital tools that supported multiple modes of participation. Participants use:

• Mentimeter for live polling and real-time sentiment checks

• Jamboard for visual brainstorming and anonymous idea capture

• Google Docs for collaborative policy edits and note-taking

• Padlet for co-creating knowledge, sharing resources, and surfacing themes across groups

Each tool was intentionally chosen to support varied energy levels, communication preferences, and accessibility needs, ensuring all learners had equitable ways to engage.

The course begins with learners reflecting on their own lived experiences of belonging (or exclusion), creating a foundation of emotional connection and relevance. From there, learners step into fictional roles and organizations, exploring DEI challenges through multiple perspectives and examining how power, responsibility, and organizational culture shape outcomes.

Only after building this shared understanding and psychological safety do participants return to reflect on their real-world contexts—applying what they’ve learned to examine policies and practices in their own organizations.

To support long-term impact beyond the session, learners received practical tools and prompts designed to spark analysis and action within their own organizations. These included:

• Policy & practice artifact analysis: Participants reviewed sample policies across five domains (hiring, onboarding, training, culture, compliance) to surface subtle barriers and exclusion risks. This built the foundation for critiquing and revising their own documents later on.

• Organizational audit starters: Learners take home annotated sample policies, checklists, and guiding questions to help evaluate how their organization supports (or unintentionally undermines) DEI values. These resources made it easier to start internal conversations with clarity and care.

• Survey design for insight: One activity involved designing employee satisfaction or belonging survey questions aligned with their organization’s context. This helped participants think critically about how to measure culture, inclusion, and engagement in ways that feel authentic—not performative.

• Independent reflection prompts: Participants received takeaway prompts and optional action planning guides to continue reflecting after the course. These tools helped learners translate insight into next steps that are low-risk, context-specific, and meaningful.