Sondra Thiederman

Sondra Thiederman's Speech Descriptions

Thiederman is widely known as one of the nation’s leading experts on workplace diversity, cross-cultural business and bias reduction. Her programs are designed to diffuse resistance, motivate and provide the practical information that today’s audiences demand.

Her fresh perspective combines humor and illustrations to leave audiences laughing, thinking and changing. She will show your audience how to lead more effectively, create diversity and productivity, reduce bias-related barriers, build more productive teams, and convert diversity-related conflicts into opportunities for increased understanding.

“Bias-Free Leadership: Your Competitive Advantage”

One trait possessed by every successful leader is the ability to interpret accurately the needs and motivation styles of team members and colleagues alike. Most of us would find this task fairly easy were it not for the distortion caused by the subtle biases and pre-judgments that afflict all but the most enlightened among us. This practical, entertaining, and motivating program focuses on how subtle biases interfere with the decision-making process and demonstrates how to minimize their impact on our ability to lead effectively.

“Becoming Bias-Free: Your Workplace Advantage”

The ability to see accurately the people around us is a trait possessed by every successful team member. This task would be fairly easy for most of us were it not for the distortion caused by the subtle biases and pre-judgments that afflict even the nicest of people. This entertaining and practical program focuses on how subtle biases interfere with workplace relationships and demonstrates how to minimize their impact on our ability to form effective teams with people whom we perceive to be different from ourselves.

“’Gateway Events’: How to Turn Diversity Tension into Diversity Dialogue”

Moments of tension are inevitable when working with people whom we perceive to be different from ourselves. These moments might include: • An incident in which we inadvertently utter an offensive comment. • An incident in which someone around us says something offensive to ourselves or a third party. • An incident in which we must discuss a diversity-related issue, but are concerned that it will create tension, bad-feeling, or embarrassment.

As grizzly as these encounters can be, they need not be destructive nor disruptive to our ability to sustain productive relationships. They can, instead, if handled correctly, serve as “Gateway Events” that open to increased understanding and reduced bias. This skill-based presentation supplies participants with techniques for reaching this goal. Illustrated with real-workplace examples and sprinkled with respectful humor, participants will learn exactly what to do when workplace tensions arise.

“The Business Case for Diversity: It’s Right, It’s Smart, and It’s Profitable”

Making the business case for the presence of diversity in the workforce has not always been an easy task. In fact, many of us have been guilty of over-stating the business value of diversity. Fortunately, it is no longer possible to fall into this trap – diversity has been proven repeatedly to benefit the bottom line of corporations in all parts of the country. This research-based presentation uses real-workplace examples and hard data to show audiences that, yes, diversity is the right thing to do, but it also has a measurable impact on the bottom line.

“The Impact of Bias on Innovation and Performance: The Problem, the Solution”

This involving presentation uses research and workplace examples to drive home the fact that a diverse workforce is the best source of cutting edge ideas and profit yielding innovation. It then goes on to point out, however, that this innovation does not happen automatically, but requires a bias-free environment in which contributors of all backgrounds feel comfortable speaking up and making their views known. Specific strategies are then provided for minimizing bias and, thereby, increasing the effectiveness of the client’s diverse workforce.

“Resolving the Diversity Paradox: From Differences to Commonalities”

Identifying what we share is one of the key strategies for defeating bias and creating an environment in which we can work productively together. All human beings, despite their differences, share a great deal more than we realize. This sharing results in the formation and identification of what we call “kinship groups.” This lively and interactive presentation demonstrates specific strategies for identifying “kinship groups” and moving forward in our efforts to achieve harmonious discrimination-free workplaces.

“Is ‘Guerilla Bias’™ Making War on Your Organization?”

This presentation uses much of the same material employed in Sondra Thiederman’s other programs, but, rather than focusing on bias in general, hones in on a particularly insidious brand of prejudice that has thus far gone unrecognized in our workplaces: “Guerilla Bias”. This kind of bias bears this peculiar label because, like a guerilla warrior who lies concealed in beautiful jungle foliage, “Guerilla Bias” hides behind good intentions, kind words, and even thoughtful acts. Designed to involve and entertain while providing practical skills for bias reduction, the program uses real workplace anecdotes and humor to motivate change.

“Bias-Free Sales: Your Key to the Close”

In today’s increasingly-diverse marketplace, sales professionals cannot succeed without the ability to interpret accurately the needs of each and every prospect. More than any other single factor, it is biases– inflexible beliefs about a particular category of people–that create the misunderstandings that in turn bring about reduced sales, lost prospects, and, ultimately, diminished profits. Using real workplace examples along with a touch of humor, this presentation provides skills for overcoming the subtle biases that all-too-often interfere with successful sales relationships.

“Bias-Free Customer Service: The Key to Business Success”

It is common knowledge that bad customer service is responsible for the loss of millions of dollars in business every year. What is less well-known is that it is personal bias -- inflexible beliefs about particular categories of people -- that accounts for much of this loss by creating tension, misunderstanding, and instances of inadvertent offense. Using real customer service examples along with a touch of humor, this interactive presentation provides participants with the tools to identify and defeat the biases that are so damaging to business success.

“Getting ‘Culture Smart’ ™: Skills for Doing Business Across Cultural Lines”

Whether domestically or internationally, learning to do business with other cultures is a necessity in today’s increasingly diverse marketplace. Sondra Thiederman uses her 25 years experience in the field to provide audiences with entertaining yet practical insights into how to do business across cultural lines. Beginning with resistance-diffusing humor and anecdotes, this presentation then achieves participant “buy in” by briefly surveying the demographics of the cultures and groups with which the specific participants most often do business. The talk then uses real workplace examples to introduce immediately-applicable cross-cultural business skills that are pertinent to the client’s needs and marketplace.

“Culturally-Competent Patient Care: Your Competitive Advantage” (Health Care Industry)

At no time in the history of this nation has competition for patients been more intense and the diversity of the population more widespread. If we add to this the fact that close-knit immigrant communities provide wonderful opportunities for positive word-of-mouth, it becomes imperative that we take culture and language differences into account when designing our patient care strategies. Intended to entertain and motivate while providing immediately applicable tools, the program provides the skills necessary to deliver optimum care to the patients most often found in the specific client’s base population.

“Bias-Free Health Care Leadership: Managing Effectively in a Diverse Environment” (Health Care Industry)

One trait possessed by every successful health care leader is the ability to interpret accurately the needs and motivation styles of team members and colleagues alike. Most of us would find this task fairly easy were it not for the distortion caused by the subtle biases and pre-judgments that afflict all but the most enlightened among us. This practical and yet entertaining program focuses on how these subtle biases interfere with the decision-making process and demonstrates how to minimize their impact on our ability to lead effectively in the health care setting.