Here is a captivating half-day breakout program that affirms the importance of a diverse society. Born with a birth defect (his right arm missing three fingers and shorter than his left) Richard Paul shares some real life experiences of how to work through, deal with and overcome adversity. With the help of Master Peking Duck, hilarious props and audience interaction Richard playfully illustrates the importance of accepting and embracing our differences.

What will your convention/conference attendees learn from this awesome Diversity Workshop/Breakout Session?

1) How to think twice before making judgments or assumptions of others.
2) How to visualize and share the benefits of an all-inclusive diverse society.
3) How to respect others not because of the way they look but because of who they are.
4) How to recognize and appreciate our own individual diverse qualities.
5) How to lighten up when it comes to discussing diversity issues.

Brief Overview:

The program opens up with Richard telling a funny story of a little boy and his mother at a mall. Richard explains that when he was walking out of one of the stores the young boy shouted: “look at that mans hand!” The boy’s mother quickly covered his mouth and dragged him away. Richard describes how he heard the boy screaming clear across the mall: “WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT MANS ARM!” The point of the story is to remind the audience that if we want to get along at work or in our community we need to be willing to understand our diverse differences, open the lines of communication and lighten up when it comes to topic of diversity.

Understanding

Richard and the audience discuss and share their definition of diversity. Together they learn that it goes beyond race, cultural and physical differences, that it is part of everything from the food we eat to the cars we drive and the cloths we wear.

Richard also explains that diversity can be anything from economic status, personal values, education, physical and mental attributes. He uses an example of a baseball team and what it is made up of. He explains that each player has a special talent (pitcher, catcher, outfielder, slugger) each diverse quality collectively working together to make up a winning team. He reminds the attendees that when we each recognize our specialty, and respect others for what they contribute we will as the Bureau of National Affairs wrote: “serve to unite not polarize the employee population.”

As an example of recognizing our individual qualities he demonstrate how he learned to become a ventriloquist. His left and right hand come to life to hysterically give a simple and practical lesson on understanding our differences.

Next Richard gets everyone to play a fun game called pass the duck. The person with the duck in their hand when Richard says stop is instructed to share their talent or expertise. From this playful exercise everyone learns that diversity goes beyond the traditional definition. Together they find out that no two people are exactly alike and from this we learn that each of us are the one piece that when connected through understand makes up the whole picture.

Communication

Here we talk about inner and outer communication experimenting with five volunteers from the audience to demonstrate the differences and likeness of our thoughts. We discuss the need for positive open-minded thinking when it comes to working with diversity issues. We learn that if one is negative or disrespectful with themselves they are less likely to be tolerant of others.

Richard shares some humorous stories that remind the audience of the need to have a more positive outlook and willingness to share with others who and what you are. Then the group is asked to find a partner they are instructed to share some information (hobbies, things they like, things they don’t like and something funny about them) with each other. Then they are instructed to tell the group about the other person. This fun exercise helps to open the lines of communication helping to reduce the assumptions that sometimes blind the truth.

Next Richard brings out another puppet to help summarize and reinforce the need for communication when it comes to our differences. This interactive funny little skit reminds the attendees that the more we learn about each other the more likely we are to treat others with dignity and encourage fun filled, positive, productive working environment.

Lighten Up When It Comes To Diversity!

There many who are so caught up in diversity issues about themselves and others that they seem to build self-created walls. We are all so caught up with the politically correctness of the workplace that somewhere down the line we forgot to have fun.
This segment of the workshop explains how to laugh at adversity and utilize humor to release the tension and stress that can sometimes accompany policy change.

Richard reminds them that if we are to support and promote a healthy/happy diverse workplace there needs to be a window for humor. Not to degrade or hurt others feelings but a workplace that is relaxed and comfortable with it diverse workforce

Richard tells some humorous stories that demonstrate how he used comic relief to work through many uneasy situations. He explains that through humor Norman Lear opened the hearts and minds in the seventies with his sitcoms that discussed prejudice and cultural issues; how people like Bill Cosby have used humor to explain the stupidity of bigotry.

Next his friend Master Peking Duck comically shares how he had to deal with diversity issues when first coming to the United States and then three lucky volunteers are selected for the Peking Duck’s fun diversity game show.”

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