DEIB Fluency & Understanding Collaborative Intelligence for a More Inclusive Practice

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) fluency has become essential to operating an inclusive law practice, as has Collaborative Intelligence or thinking with those who think differently. DEIB fluency and Collaborative Intelligence strategies and practices can make it possible to unleash each person’s potential and think across habitual dividers, enabling us to maximize inclusivity, as well as communicate more productively to better serve client needs. Demographic data on attorneys compiled by the Supreme Judicial Court has shown some increase in the profession’s diversity, but it is certainly not representative of the myriad of clients from different worlds that may need counsel. DEIB and Collaborative Intelligence concepts can help practitioners meet those diverse communication needs.

When making important decisions, we slowly and deliberately evaluate options and make a conscious decision. But hundreds of times a day we use our intuitive judgment to make quick decisions. Even if in our slow thinking we work to avoid discrimination, it easily creeps into our fast thinking. These quick decisions rely on life experiences and associations; these unconscious biases can unintentionally hinder us and our organizations and lead to decisions that are incompatible with our goals and conscious values. This training provides an overview of DEIB terms and unconscious bias concepts; and teaches you tools to help communicate in more productive ways. We are accustomed to thinking about diversity through the lens of race and gender, etc., but many of us are unaware that there is also a range of differences in how we think. This training outlines four Collaborative Intelligence strategies, recognizing this different kind of diversity so that you can work and think more effectively with others, including your clients, who might approach things using other internal frameworks.