In this episode of Season 3 of the Demystifying Diversity Podcast, host Daralyse Lyons explores communication and expression in the workplace, and how the ability to share thoughts and feelings effectively plays a pivotal role in creating cultures of belonging. Join Daralyse as she learns communication dos and don'ts from this episode's guests, who share their insights about how to use communication and emotional intelligence to develop safe and inclusive workplace cultures.

In this episode, you will learn about:

* How psychological safety is paramount to creating inclusion and belonging, and also in getting the best out of employees.

* Why it is important for colleagues and supervisors to try to communicate effectively, and to adopt a mindset of learning from mistakes, as opposed to avoiding them.

* How listening is the most important skill in creating a safe workplace culture for all employees.

* The value of feedback, and the importance of taking it seriously as part of creating healthy workplace cultures.

* The damaging impact of retaliation on employee morale, and on retention and innovation.

* How acknowledging a colleague's humanity can bridge gaps in understanding, and/or ideals.

Our guest experts this episode include:

Tom Edwards - Tom is an Associate Professor of Instruction in Engineering Management and Director of the Department of Engineering, Technology and Management at Temple University. And he's an organizational expert who utilizes research, practical application and teaching to drive innovation in the pursuit of organizational missions.

Tanner Gers - Tanner is the President and Founder of AccessAbility Officer, a data-driven disability inclusion firm who helps companies “Drive Ability D&I and Maximize ROI”. Tanner also serves as a board member for Menus4All, and recently co-authored Foresight Augmented Reality's solution proposal for the US Department of Transportation's Inclusive Design Challenge. Tanner is a US Paralympian, World Championship team member as well.

Marta Rusek - Marta is a digital storyteller with a passion for helping mission-driven organizations tell their stories. She works full-time as a social media strategist for a nonpartisan, pro-democracy, legal nonprofit in Washington, DC and she maintains a freelance client roster as a storyteller-for-hire who uses vulnerability and versatility to amplify important narratives.

Will Bubenik - Will is the Founder and CEO of Nebula Media Group, whose mission it is to ensure that websites are accessible so that people with disabilities can access them. From audits and fixes to training and coaching, Nebula Media Group provides customized accessibility solutions so companies can attain, maintain, and sustain a true accessibility and compliance program at their organizations.

Tomar Pierson-Brown - Tomar is the Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusive Excellence and a Clinical Associate Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She is the Director of the Health Law Clinic, a medical legal partnership with UPMC - Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Jeff Mayner - Jeff is a financial services professional and full-time entrepreneur who prior to his transition to entrepreneurship, worked in IT and telecommunications, and prior to that, he served eight and a half years in the United States Navy.

Caroline Heffernan - Caroline is an Assistant Professor in the School of Sport Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple University whose areas of interest center around the application of allyship in sport and gender in sport leadership.

LaTonya Wilkins -LaTonya is the founder of the Change Coaches, LLC, an organization dedicated to creating revolutionary leadership development, culture change, and extraordinary personal growth. She's also the author of Leading Below the Surface, How to Build Real and Psychologically Safe Relationships with People Who Are Different From You.

Crystal Harold - Crystal is an Associate Professor in Human Resource Management and a Paul Anderson Research Fellow at Temple University's School of Business. Prior to pursuing her current career path, Crystal worked as a strategic human resources consultant for numerous governmental agencies, including the Air Force, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, and the Department of the Interior.

Tre'vell Anderson - Tre'vell is an award-winning journalist, social curator, and world changer who has dedicated their career to centering the stories of those in the margins, grace spaces, and the intersections of life. Named to the Roots 2020 list of the 100 Most Influential African Americans.

Lily Zheng - Lily is a diversity, equity and inclusion strategist and consultant and the author of three published books, the most recent of which is DEI Deconstructed: Your No Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right. Lily works with organizations around the world to create the equitable, inclusive and just organizations of the future.

Jacqui Lipton - a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, an attorney, a literary agent at the Tobias Literary Agency, and the author of numerous academic texts. Jacqui also wrote Law and Authors, A Legal Handbook for Writers, which is a must-read book for authors looking to know their rights, increase their self-advocacy skills, and understand the intricacies of the publishing industry.

Deborah Tannen - Deborah is a professor at Georgetown University and a widely acclaimed, extensively published bestselling author, best known for her book, You Just Don't Understand, Women and Men in Conversation, which was on the New York Times Bestseller list for nearly five years.

Shanna Hocking - Shanna is a thought leader, keynote speaker, and writer with 20 years experience working in leadership development. She's the author of One Bold Move a Day and the host of The One Bold Move a Day Podcast.

Timothy Welbeck - Timothy is the Director for the Center of Anti-Racism Research, and an Assistant Professor of Instruction at Temple University, a civil rights attorney, a scholar of law, race, and culture, a writer and a hip-hop artist.

Silvia Masiero - Silvia is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems at the University of Oslo, and the author of more than 20 peer-reviewed works in the domain of Information and Communication Technology for Development, also known as ICT4D. She co-edited the open-access work Covid-19 From the Margins of the Pandemic: Invisibility in Policies and Resistance in the Datafied Society.

Kelli Clark - Kelli is the Chief Culture Officer at Aon United. She directs the firm's strategies for inclusive people, leadership and culture initiatives, and she played a pivotal role in scaling Aon's signature cultural workshop Leading Aon United to reach more than 8,000 colleagues virtually while maintaining more than 98% positive feedback scores.

Anel Duarte - Anel specializes in facilitating one-on-one and group practices under the trauma sensitive and trauma informed lenses. A trauma survivor herself. Anel holds safe space for participants to explore their internal experiences through yoga, body movement, meditation, the use of rituals and breathing techniques.

Rachel Lyons - Rachel is the executive director at Space for Humanity, a non-profit organization which aims to make space flight available as a way to expand human perspectives. She's the former vice-chair of the board of Directors of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space USA, and is also host Daralyse Lyons' cousin.

Elizabeth ‘Liz' Taylor - Liz is an assistant professor in the sport and recreation management department at Temple University's School of Sport Tourism and Hospitality Management. Her work examines gender discrimination, homophobia, sexual harassment and assault within the athletic industry.

Amanda Arias - Amanda is the Director of People and Culture at Jubilee Media. Prior to her current position, she accumulated more than 10 years of experience helping growth-centric startups build high performing teams, and her professional motto is, treat people like people.

Click here for a full transcript of this episode.

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