Group Work
We've learned about the traits of good group members and the importance of positive group dynamics—but what do those practices look like during your first meeting with a new group?
In this section, we'll offer some quick tips to get you started with your new group so you're on the same page before you start your project!
We all have bias—especially the unconscious kind—and it’s preventing us from doing our best work. Gone unchecked, bias can make group members feel resentful, frustrated, and silenced, and it can even lead to outright discrimination and harassment.
Watch the video or check the boxes below to learn 3 ways you can reduce bias during your next group project.
More often, bias comes out in the little words and phrases we choose, which are packed with assumptions. In meetings especially, these often go unnoticed or—even worse—people notice but don't know what to say.
Come up with a shared word or a phrase that everyone agrees to use to disrupt bias, attitudes, or behaviours.
For example, using the phrase "purple flag" is used in the video to draw attention to the phrase "blind spots"—one of the speakers has been using sight metaphors that often portray disabilities like visual impairment in negative ways, and she needs her group members to help her notice when she's used those words or phrases.
You can also ask your group members to respond to bias with "I" statements. An "I" statement invites the other person in to understand things from your perspective, rather than calling them out.
For example, "I don't think you're going to take me seriously when you're calling me 'honey'."
Usually when people's biases are pointed out to them clearly and compassionately, they apologize and correct things going forward (usually).
You can start with saying, "Thank you for pointing that out". It took courage for that person to disrupt the bias, so it's important to acknowledge that.
Then, there are 2 choices on what to say next:
To get to awareness, it's important to move through any feelings of shame you might have for not knowing you spoke with bias. This shared norm can help you listen and learn rather than getting defensive—having a norm can reassure everyone in the group that other people are making similar kinds of mistakes and that we're all learning together.
Once your group has come up with a shared vocabulary and agrees on a shared norm for how to respond, your group should commit to disrupting bias regularly—at least once in every meeting.
If bias isn't flagged in a meeting, it doesn't mean there wasn't any bias—it just means either no one noticed, or no one knew what to say.
When we are silent about bias, we reinforce it. And it can't just be the targets of bias who point it out.
By making a practice of disrupting bias quickly and kindly, we prevent it from growing into something worse, like prejudice, bullying, discrimination, or harassment.
