what is dei training

DEI training stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training. It is a program designed to facilitate positive intergroup interaction, reduce prejudice and discrimination, and generally teach individuals who are different from others how to work together effectively. DEI training is aimed at increasing employees’ knowledge and skillset in ways that will lead to critical behavior changes. The training is designed to help workers learn about unconscious and implicit bias, effective communication methods to employ with ones diverse workforces, and how to create a highly inclusive workplace where everyone is always seen and heard by their peers and leaders. DEI training can be given in either in-person or in an online format, and it can take place in an intensive, short-term timeframe, or over the course of weeks or even months. The training is an important part of an organization’s DEI strategy, but it is not a DEI strategy on its own. DEI training will have an impact if it provides employees with knowledge of historical, social, and organizational context related to DEI; establishes a common language or framework related to DEI that can be referenced throughout the organization; and creates the opportunity to practice having conversations related to DEI.