A team meeting about diversity

Listen to a team meeting about diversity to practise and improve your listening skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Preparation

Transcript

Nina: As you know, our team has grown a lot in the past year and we feel we need to address the diversity in the team.

Brenda: How do you mean, 'address the diversity'?

Nina: Well, we all know that diversity in teams is a good thing, but it can also be a challenge for some people to respect and value people's differences. We've got a really diverse team here – people of different nationalities, backgrounds, religions, ages … and sometimes I don't feel we make the most of this.

Stefano: Yes, and even if it isn't specifically challenging, many people are simply unaware of the isolation that some team members may feel because they are different.

Brenda: So, what does this mean? What are we going to do?

Nina: Well, we need to create a workplace charter. You know, one that promotes equality, diversity and inclusion.

Brenda: That sounds like a good idea. But will people just see it as something the management team has created? Maybe they won't even pay attention to it.

Nina: I know. That's why we're going to involve everyone in creating it.

Stefano: That's a good idea. We could run some workshops and get ideas from the employees about how we can create a more inclusive workplace.

Nina: Exactly. I was thinking that before that we could run some team-building sessions so they can experience the value of diversity for themselves.

Brenda: Yes, I like that. Many people see diversity as something negative, often because there are different opinions or ways of doing things.

Nina: Yes, I know, but if there's no diversity, then the risk is that we all work in the same way, think the same and see the world the same. This makes it hard to be creative and to innovate.

Stefano: I completely agree, Nina. OK. So, what do you want us to do?

Nina: Stefano, can you look for a successful trainer who specialises in running workshops and team-building sessions on diversity and inclusion?

Stefano: Sure. I'll be happy to.

Nina: And Brenda, can you find a fun venue? Somewhere that is quite diverse itself. Something that's not the usual seminar-style environment?

Brenda: Sure. That'll be fun.

Nina: And I'm going to do some further research into how other organisations are benefiting from their diversity. I can share this with the whole team.

Task 1

Exercise

Task 2

Exercise

Discussion

How diverse is your workplace? How can diversity benefit your team?

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Language level

B1 Intermediate

Topics

equality and diversity

yes, diversity in teams is a starter to grow up diversity culture in country .Each value and respect different ideas , things and people. And sharing those thing,understanding of getting equality will move to well developed civilization.

When I begun my course at Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, I didn't like before of work with other people. The main reason of this is because always exist some people that don't do them work of the best ways and hence the responsabulity of the bed work is put on the hands of someone else. For example, you are working with people that frequentily make a bed work and you must have been correcting their work when they have wrong, but the problem here is how often they make a mistake. Sometimes one activity is put on the hands of someone else, when it's supposed that the activity is their responsability, not yours. However, at my 2nd semestrer at university, I joined in a group of people that have so different ways to see differente situations about something and I can see, today, that I learnt a lot with these people, which is amazing. The conclusion of this long coment is that: sometimes we are thinking that work with people is really bed, but we can have a lot of experience work with other people, learn how look at something of a differente way, for example.

there are so many diversity at my work also. I agree that different diversities get different ideas and experience and creative things.We also imitate who working skills, thinking skills and management skills as well.We can share our experience and culture also . Finally,i would like to advice you that different diversity is good one to improve your business.

In my office, there are many people from different origins, cultural groups and kinds of think. This is good because each insight might look since various points of view.

GOOD that is the world is need to help each other

When we talk of the diversity in team work I think that is important because from point of view business is necessary have people aligned for achieve of goal, and for this the ideas and opinions of the all can be complementary.

In my opinion it's very important to have diversity in all the type of groups because it will help you to have new ideas, new ways to think, learn about other countries, cultures or religions. No matter which are your thoughts or your way of life, you have to respect others thoughts and ways of life. I believe that the best way to do it it's sharing time with many different types of persons and learning how to work with them.

Diversity is the role of the life , we should learn from different culture different prospective which may lead to more success in the organization ..

I had a diverse workplace when I worked on ship. We got people from different countries like Russia, Ukraine, China, Philippine and so on. We had different ideas and ways in solving problems. It was fun. But not every times, we had a problem such a pronunciation when we talking. We used to talk about our traditions, ways of living and so on.

The harmony in the work group can be created by making the most of each person's skills and therefore the differences of thought and opinions, which must be verified and accepted from time to time, if they contribute to solving problems and achieving objectives