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

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Diversity = New ideas!

In these days, we are connected with a lot of people from different areas of the world. You can know people from other countries even other areas of your birth country. Is important that we are aware about it. No matter how are your thought or your way of life, you have to respect others thought and ways of life. We have got a diverse team. We are from different countries and different kind of people. There are males, females, old and young people. It's funny in christmas when we share our traditions.

The Importence Of Diversity Racism has been the reason for a lot of wars and conflicts in the world for years. During these wars, people killed others who had different colours, ideas, and religions. Why? Why couldn't we learn how to live together? I don’t understand why we don’t accept that people have different colours, religions and ideas . But nowadays a lot of companies in the world have many staff are from different countries, religions, ideas etc. These companies try to prevent conflicts among their own staff by arranging seminars, common holidays and cocktails. Diversity of religions, colours and ideas are not important as much as old times for modern day people. That’s a good development. I think that making common activities like that help to improve friendship and solidarity among staff.

I had a diverse workplace when I attended to the internship period. There were people with different beliefs, ideas and perspectives. Fortunately, we had weekly meetings so as to define the activities and new solutions to problems, according to each category and the people's role. The diversity helped our team by doing some researches, plans and reports more effectively and quickly, since it increased new ways of doing them.

In my country there is a very diverse population. We've all lived together in peace for years . We can share our pain, happiness and hopes. I think if people respected other people's differences, the Earth could be like a palace. Nowadays we fight as one world against the COVID-19 and I believe that we have to know that our differences are not more important than life. We have only one world and we have tou share it.

In my organization, we have a big diverse team; everyone has his own beliefs and background and we all respect each other.

In this case you should clearly find out the positive results out it. Specially innovation and creativity, is it so?

My workplace is diverse in the way we have differences about our beliefs, religions, behaviours and ages. We believe that diversity benefit us when we need to find solutions for our clients, ¡that is really good!

I'm sure that diversity is most important for making innovations and realize them. Cause different people have a different ways to solve the problems. So human resources have to create new ideas and organize team-building sessions for consolidate diferent peoples.