TALKS & WORKSHOPS
The topics outlined below are an illustration of subjects I regularly speak about. Topics can be tailored and blended to achieve your desired outcomes taking into account your organisation’s specific circumstances.
Often a series of workshops provides the best outcome, although there is still plenty of value in one-off events that start a different kind of conversation about DEI, through mindset shifts, open-mindedness and critical thinking.
Difficult Conversations
Starting a series of diversity workshops with this particular training on difficult conversations helps to set the scene and equip the audience with important skills ahead of moving directly into the diversity topic.
Harriet collaborates with Mia Forbes Pirie on this topic, adding Mia’s expertise as a highly experienced, effective and award-winning mediator to the conversation. Mia offers sessions including ‘Difficult conversations: moving from polarisation or silence to communication, understanding and collaboration.’
Mia and Harriet have co-led events for many years together, including day retreats and shorter workshops.
120 minute workshop
Shattering the Diversity Glass Ceiling™
Companies want and need to get an excellent return on their DEI investment and initiatives; however, this isn’t always the case. After initial improvements, progress can stall or even reverse. Sometimes this is because of gaps in implementation, knowledge gaps or a lack of management buy-in and communication. Internal pushback is common. I call this hitting the diversity glass ceiling. It occurs despite training on topics like unconscious bias, policy changes, and inspiring talks from external speakers on various DEI topics.
No matter how an organisation presents its DEI profile to the outside world, the story can be different on the inside, which will ultimately undermine the business. In this session, I set out a range of key indicators that occur if your organisation has hit the diversity glass ceiling.
Drawing on research, best practice and success stories, a broad range of practical suggestions are laid out that will support your organisation with breaking through the diversity glass ceiling to create a truly diverse and inclusive workplace, which will also enhance future business results, brand reputation and culture.
The focus of this session is on information sharing, candid conversation, and critical thinking about the dynamics at hand. A further conversation on future DEI strategy is highly recommended as a follow-up.
50 minute keynote
90-120 minute workshop
Why Should We Care About Gender Balance?
In this workshop, Harriet shifts the conversation around gender balance far beyond the moral case to encompass several more compelling layers of argument through her unique framework. This supports her audience to leave behind scepticism and become proactive allies for gender balance, inclusion and belonging.
Risks and opportunities are discussed at the business, brand and individual career level. A powerful part of this session is an open conversation exploring how the current, patriarchal system hurts men as well as women, albeit in different ways.
A shared vision is created for a different way forward on a bigger picture level: how would we like it to be for men in the future, and what difference would that make?
How might gender balance and a different culture in the workplace be part of this? What kind of difference will it make for women, humanity and the planet?
50 minute keynote
90-120 minute workshop
From Imposter to Invincible
Delivered either as a talk or a workshop, Harriet breaks down the myths around imposter phenomenon, including why imposter syndrome is a DEI issue NOT a mindset issue. This empowering approach will help you let go of blaming yourself for your self-doubt, and help you create a team and organisational culture that supports everyone's self-belief, psychological safety and success. Harriet shares confidence and mindset hacks that quickly bring self-respect and the full respect of others, elevating your profile and effectiveness.
50 minute keynote
90-120 minute workshop
Download: Why “Imposter Syndrome” is a DEI Issue
Breaking Down Gender-based Stereotypes
Gender stereotyping is a key contributor to lack of equity, inequality and gender-based violence. Dismantling stereotyping is a key part of moving towards equality.
This session focuses on understanding the breadth and nuances of gender-based stereotypes for men and women, and explores the research into the impact that these have at the individual, organisational and wider societal levels.
Beyond this, the key outcome of this session is that participants reject and move beyond unhelpful gender-based stereotypes. They start to work together to create a stronger environment of mutual respect and sense of belonging for all in the organisation, with staff seeing individuals not genders, and all that each individual brings to the table.
Attendees realise that neither men nor women are winning in the current paradigm, it is more like everyone is losing, albeit in different ways. This works powerfully to get everyone on the same side, keen to create a new future that works better for everyone.
50 minute keynote
90-120 minute workshop
Women & the Self-Worth Crisis: A Call to Action
In this powerful, eye-opening session, Harriet explores why women don’t feel good enough, through outlining the impact on women’s self-worth of cultural, media, political, medical, corporate and religious paradigms.
Discussion follows on the additional impact of intersectional factors and individual life experiences. The detrimental impact of women feeling inadequate is outlined at individual, organisational and global levels. Harriet works with her audience to co-create a vision for the future, ensuring that personal and organisational pledges plus action steps are clearly defined, with the aim of creating a new future where women are valued and know their worth.
This session has the most impact when it is a mixed group, with every woman who attends inviting at least one man personally to attend.
Women who take part in this session often identify a need for further support to help them to overcome their own self-worth challenges. Additional 121 and small group coaching is available.
50 minute keynote
90-120 minute workshop
Allyship & Inclusive Leadership
Harriet outlines what it is like to be someone who is either upholding the current system of inequality, someone who is neutral or someone who is proactively part of change. The point is made that allyship is for all, and that there is not only an expectation for men to change, although their buy in can be the most impactful in moving the needle forwards.
The identity, mindset and behaviour of an excellent ally is discussed, giving participants direct and practical guidance they can implement.
This session includes giving yourself and others permission to get it wrong sometimes; mistakes are part of the learning process and change is not an overnight matter - how to handle, making or witnessing mistakes along the way is a vital part of the process.
Part of being an excellent ally is being a leader for the future: research insights on leadership traits and career cycle norms, how these interplay with gender stereotyping, and barriers to diversity, equity, inclusion and gender balance.
120 minute to full day workshop
Allyship programme
We Need to Talk About Sex
The sexualisation of women in the media and in the wider world remains rampant and is an under-emphasised topic that feeds into how women are seen and treated in the workplace. Creating workplaces that are safe for women to thrive, where women are respected and their careers can progress means having a workplace where women are not sexualised, not harassed and not blamed for being on the receiving end of unacceptable behaviour. Workshops offered in this area:
The Psychology of Victim-blaming: Harriet is an accredited VictimFocus trainer and in this full-day workshop, she helps participants to explore and understand the issue of victim-blaming of women and girls subjected to male violence. This training is as relevant for women as it is for men and significantly increases participants’ understanding of the barriers women face and the challenges of true allyship.
Tackling the Sexualisation of Women: This shorter workshop delivered collaboratively with Daniele Fiandaca of Token Man Consulting is based on original research conducted by Harriet and Daniele and is designed to help participants to understand the impact of the sexualisation of women in the workplace and how to address these issues as a woman and an ally.
Please note these are essential but difficult conversations and it is important for an organisation to have appropriate support in place following the workshop. We are able to assist you with this.
Workshop - varied timing