Amber Benton Amber Benton

BASICS OF GOC

Trying to have productive, “in the moment” conversations can lead down a dark (read: unproductive) path if you have not practiced your approach to people with different identities and needs. One of the simplest ways to do this is by using goal-oriented communication. Continuing reading to learn more about goal-oriented communication.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

BASICS OF RQ

When you witness harm being done, you can utilize restorative questions to address and ultimately, resolve the situation. Restorative questions are the questions practitioners use in restorative practice and restorative justice approaches. Continue reading to learn more about restorative questioning.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

BASICS OF NVC

It’s hard to have an inclusive work culture if people do not have inclusive skills. Nonviolent communication (NVC) is one of the skills that can be learned. Continue reading to learn about this 4-part approach to more inclusive communication.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

SUPPORT LGBTQIA2S+ EMPLOYEES

June is Pride Month so we’re focusing on ways to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, and two-spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) folks in the workplace. Here are a few basic ways to show support this month and every month.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

3 TYPES OF WORKPLACE BOUNDARIES

Are you setting a rule or a boundary at work? Research shows that workers support mental wellness at work. Often, people do things in the workplace to protect their mental well-being such as setting a boundary. How do you know if you are setting a rule for others or setting a boundary for yourself?

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

DEFINING DEI

What is diversity, equity, and inclusion? You can Google the definitions for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). However, if you consider yourself a DEI advocate and/or aspires to be a DEI professional, it is important for you to define these terms for yourself.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

WE SHOULD ALL BE…

In Women’s History Month, it is important to understand the need for inclusivity in feminism. At its core, feminism advocates for gender equality and fighting against gender-based discrimination. However, feminists have not always been inclusive of their efforts.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

TRAUMA-FREE CONTENT SHARING

Hearing and seeing negative news on the regular affects us. Studies have shown that viewing violent news causes trauma.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

how to respond

Last week, I shared how to decide if you should respond to subtle offenses (i.e., microaggressions). If you missed it, you can find it here. But I know some of you also want to know how to respond.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

SHOULD YOU RESPOND?

When it comes to microaggressions, you may want to think twice about responding, especially if you have one or more marginalized identities. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself before responding to a microaggression.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

HOW TO ASSESS DEI WORK

In a previous role, I was constantly asked for tools to help faculty and staff assess DEI contributions. I could not find exactly what I was looking for so I created my own.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

3 OOO REPLIES…

Seasonal days are upon us and many folks are planning to be out of the office (OOO). While it is tempting to still check email and do work while you are “off", it is important to maintain boundaries between your personal and professional life. To help with setting boundaries, here are three (3) OOO replies you can use before your next off day.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

A BLACK WOMAN IN GHANA

I recently took a solo trip to Accra, Ghana for the American holiday known as Thanksgiving. It was my second time visiting Africa and my first time visiting Ghana. I spent five (5) days attempting to immerse myself into African culture and learn as much history as I could in my short time there. While Ghana was an extraordinary experience for me, it also stirred up mixed feelings about my origin story and identity.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

A LANGUAGE FOR DIGNITY

Person First Language (PFL) emphasizes the person before their identity. You may have heard of PFL in regards to people with disabilities. However, PFL is not exclusive to people with disabilities. In fact, PFL can and should be extended to other marginalized communities. For example, you can apply PFL to people who are incarcerated and people who are at lower-income levels.

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

HOW TO HOST AN INCLUSIVE MEETING

Sending a Doodle Poll and a calendar invite is one thing. Organizing and hosting an effective and inclusive meeting is another thing. You are probably thinking: "I know how to run a good meeting.” But do you really?

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Amber Benton Amber Benton

15 SITES FOR DIVERSE STOCK PHOTOS

Working in the diversity/equity/inclusion (DEI) field, I try my best to make my flyers and presentations inclusive of people from different backgrounds and cultures. However, many of the stock photo options in programs do not always have an abundance of Black and Brown people.

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