Sondra Thiederman
Since receiving her doctorate with an emphasis on cross-cultural
studies from UCLA, Sondra has helped hundreds of groups develop
solutions to their cross-cultural and diversity leadership challenges.
Among her clients are such leading organizations as General Motors,
Xerox Corporation, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Marriott Corporation, the
Mayo Clinic, Century 21 Real Estate, American Express, The Federal
Reserve Bank, Motorola, and AT&T. She has also addressed notable
associations including the Arthritis Foundation, the Mortgage Bankers
Association, the American Society of Association Executives, and the
American Immigration Lawyers Association. In addition, she has served
as consultant to the University of California and the American Cancer
Society and has been appointed by Elizabeth Dole to serve on the
Diversity Cabinet of the American Red Cross.
Sondra has extensive media experience including mention in such national publications as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and U.S.A Today.
She is published in professional journals ranging from T&D to Real
Estate Today to Association Management, and has written on diversity
for the web site Monster.com. She is the author of four books including
the award-winning Profiting in America's Multicultural Marketplace and, most recently, Making Diversity Work: Seven Steps for Defeating Bias in the Workplace.
Most Requested Programs:
Bias-Free Leadership
This practical program focuses on how our subtle biases interfere with
the decision-making skills of even the most skilled managers and
demonstrates how to minimize their impact on our ability to lead
effectively. Designed to entertain and motivate while providing
immediately-applicable tools, Bias-Free Leadership
creates both cognitive and emotional receptivity by diffusing
discomfort, communicating respect, and demonstrating the business
necessity of becoming bias-free.
Seeing Straight: How to Reduce "Guerilla Bias"
Based on the premise that even people have biases that interfere with
effective workplace performance, This entertaining and involving
presentation provides the audience with practical skills for minimizing
bias in themselves and others. Drawing on material from her book,
Making Diversity Work, Sondra focuses, less on the blatant (racism,
sexism, etc.), and more on the subtler people biases that she calls
Guerilla Bias.
The Virtue of Conflict: How to Thrive in the Face of Diversity Tension
Moments of tension are inevitable when working with people whom we
perceive to be different from ourselves. This does not mean, however,
that these encounters need be destructive or disruptive to your ability
to function effectively. They can, instead, serve as Gateway Events to
increased understanding and reduced bias. This skill-based presentation
supplies participants with techniques for turning diversity-related
conflicts into opportunities for connection and increased
understanding. Illustrated with real-workplace examples, participants
will learn exactly what to do when workplace tensions arise.
The "Magic": How to Identify What We Share
Identifying what we share is one of the key strategies for defeating
bias and creating environments in which we can work together with both
harmony and productivity. This lively presentation demonstrates
specific strategies including an acting technique called the Magic for
identifying shared Kinship Groups and moving forward in our efforts to
achieve discrimination-free workplaces.
Diversity Backlash: From Resistance to Acceptance
If we are to succeed at overcoming resistance to diversity, the needs
of every population " including white males " must be addressed with
respect and in the true spirit of inclusion. What is diversity? What
does it have to do with me? Does diversity require that I abide by
strict rules of political correctness? Does it mean I am obligated to
lower my hiring standards? This presentation answers these questions
while making it clear that diversity is not about blame, but about the
responsibility we all have to build workplaces in which everyone has
the opportunity to succeed.
Bias-Free Customer Service
Accidental offense, missed communication, negative word-of-mouth, lost
customers '�" each of these revenue-costing nightmares is the certain
result of the subtle biases that too many of us bring to our
interactions with customers of diverse backgrounds. The answer to this
challenge is to become aware of our biases so we can work to defeat
them and, in turn, begin to see each customer as an individual with a
unique set of needs and expectations. Most customer service
professionals know that the only way they can succeed is to understand
their customer's communication style, needs, and expectations. While
supplying specific information about diverse customer populations, this
practical yet entertaining presentation shows how we can all overcome
the subtle biases that block this understanding.
Bias-Free Sales: The Key to Success
In today's increasingly-diverse marketplace, sales professionals cannot
succeed without the ability to accurately interpret 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, reduced profits. All accomplished sales
professionals know the importance of building good relationships with
prospects. 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 this important stage of the selling
process.
