Hi All

I am currently in the process of writing my first book which is on NLP and the Management of Diversity. I have been a OD Consultant, Trainer and Coach for over 20 years. Most of my work has centred around developing the skills of business managers to influence and effectively manage teams to produce business results. Increasingly the UK has become a multi-racial and multi-cultural society and whilst I personally think that is a wonderful thing, conflict and mis-understanding amoungst the workforce has increased.

A number of organisations (predominately public sector) have invested heavily in diversity training programmes. I personally don't think these programmes have had much impact at the behavioural change level. In the past three years I have been delivering diversity management (and related topics) using my NLP training skills and the outcomes have been phenomenal! Managers are really able to appreciate and value differences when I explain (at lenght) the presuppositions that the 'map is not the territory' and that to connect with a person at a deeper level you need to meet them at their map of the world.

I use a range of techniques that help managers enrich their own maps and also increase their behavioural flexibility when working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

I have seen NLP yeild great results in respect to getting people to understand and respect each others differences. I am therefore commited to pursuing my goal to influence organisation to use NLP as their chosen method for diversity training delivery. Hence the reason why I am writing this book! I am, however, aware that my contribution to this topic todate has been limited to my personal experience. I would therefore like to invite anyone who is interested or has some personal experience to share their thoughts and ideas with me on this subject... they would be greatly welcome.

Also if there is anyone out there who just wants to know more about this subject please get in contact, I will be more than happy to share my thinking to date on the subject.

Thanks and looking forward to your comments!

Humaira

Humaira,

I work at a small state-funded university in the midwest of the United States and have had the opportunity to manage a number of international graduate assistants -- primarily from India -- over the last few years.

I would be very interested in communicating with you about this subject as I am always looking for ways to hone my skills in this area.

Oh, and by the way, good luck with your book!

Take care,

Venus

I didn't think anything much about this topic until I ran a workshop for a multinational FMCG company in Malaysia. With Malay, Chinese Malay, Indian Malay, Indians, Chinese, Filipinos and an Englishman it was a very diverse group!!

I should have guessed I would meet with prohibitions about touch but I never guessed I'd be challenged with prohibitions about using the imagination.

I'm guessing that this was based on a local interpretation of an islamic text that spoke of the dangers of fantasy.

I found the following reframe worked. I said to this woman "You're a successful director of a large company in this country and at the same time you have an important role as a wife, you cook for your family and look after the children. How do you know what you're cooking for dinner tonight?"

Actually by the end of the week every body in the group were happily going in and out of trances listening to hypnotic stories and learning language patterns so it just goes to show we're not so different after all.

I'm fascinated by how nlp language patterns translate in other languages besides english and I've thought of using the patterns as the basis of a functional guide to language learning. So you'ld take the most common words in the language and then learn them by rep system, by submodality, by the role they play in meta model and milton model patterns and so on.

Best of luck with your book.

robin

Years ago I was teaching at Racal customer training School. I had one group of students and they had a culture where you lost face if you said you didn't understand.

They took twice as long to teach as I couldn't say "do you understand this?"
I had to ask lots of questions without putting them on the spot.

Hi

Thanks for your comments and input! I definately think the effective management of diversity is the number one skill needed for leaders of today. From all my training and experience of delivering nlp programmes.. I am convinced that NLP practices and principles make the shift in people's thinking in a way that no other training models/concepts have been able to do todate (and I have 20 years of trianing delivery behind me...so have some idea what I am talking about).

My book has taken off to a bit of a slow start (trying to earn a living does occassionally get in the way of creative flair - or so I am discovering). Nevertheless I am still moving towards my goal...slowly but surely....will keep you updated when I have something concrete to share!

....thanks again for your input!

Humaira