Below are three exercises for developing inclusive mindset and intercultural competence. Choose one to focus on for at least a week before trying another.
Exercise 1: The Missing Voice
Set the goal:
Actively notice whose perspectives might be missing from a discussion or decision and find ways to include them.
Seek opportunities:
Practice in meetings, when planning, when making decisions that affect others, or when you notice a discussion involving only similar perspectives.
Apply:
During discussions, ask yourself: "Whose perspective is not represented here? Who will be affected by this but is not in the room?" If you identify a missing perspective, find a way to include it or name the gap.
Reflect:
What missing perspectives did you notice today? Were you able to include them? What patterns do you see in whose voices are systematically missing?
Exercise 2: The Assumption Suspension
Set the goal:
Catch yourself making assumptions based on someone's background and suspend them to engage with the actual person.
Seek opportunities:
Practice when meeting new people, when working with people from different backgrounds, or when you notice yourself predicting how someone will think.
Apply:
When you notice yourself making an assumption about someone based on their background, gender, role, culture, or other category, pause. Acknowledge the assumption silently. Then consciously suspend it.
Reflect:
What assumptions did you catch yourself making? Were you able to suspend them? What categories trigger the strongest assumptions for you?
Exercise 3: The Comfort Zone Stretch
Set the goal:
Deliberately seek interactions with people different from yourself, expanding your relational range.
Seek opportunities:
Practice by noticing whom you naturally gravitate toward and deliberately engaging with others.
Apply:
Notice your patterns: Whom do you usually sit with, talk to, or seek out? Deliberately choose to engage with someone different. Approach with genuine curiosity.
Reflect:
Did you stretch beyond your usual relational patterns today? What did you learn from engaging with difference? What would it take to make diverse engagement more routine?