Diversity Lab

Course synopsis

Better understanding creates more room for people to contribute in ways that work for them. An inclusive workplace starts with understanding people as individuals. This course introduces autism and ADHD in the workplace, exploring how different experiences of communication, attention, planning and sensory environments can affect everyday working life. Designed for leaders, team leaders, HR partners and colleagues throughout the business, it builds awareness without reducing people to labels or assuming that everyone needs the same support. Delegates explore respectful language, individual strengths, barriers to participation and practical ways to make meetings, instructions, working environments and development conversations more accessible. The full-day workshop combines core understanding with deeper scenario work, practice in supportive conversations and a practical team inclusion plan. The focus is workplace education and inclusion, not diagnosis, clinical guidance or legal advice.

Key focus areas

• Neurodiversity, autism and ADHD: understanding individual experiences
• Challenging myths and using respectful language
• Communication preferences and clear expectations
• Attention, planning, sensory needs and workplace barriers
• Supportive conversations, privacy and individual choice
• Exploring reasonable adjustments with the individual and relevant support
• Inclusive meetings, onboarding and everyday ways of working
• Turning awareness into practical team actions

Included in every course

• Interactive, facilitator-led learning
• Group discussions
• Breakout exercises
• Take-away materials

Course synopsis

A colleague may know exactly what they want to say and still face barriers to being heard. This half-day workshop gives leaders, teams and people professionals space to understand communication differences and disabilities without confusing someone's communication style with their ability. Explore how speech, language, hearing and processing needs can affect everyday working life, and how assumptions, rushed conversations and inaccessible information can create unnecessary barriers. Practical workplace scenarios help delegates listen with care, ask about preferences and identify changes to meetings, instructions and everyday interactions. The focus is awareness and respectful support, not diagnosis or expecting anyone to disclose a disability.

Key focus areas

• Understanding speech, language, hearing and processing differences
• Communication disability, individual preferences and respectful language
• Challenging assumptions about competence and participation
• Recognising barriers in information, conversations and working environments
• Listening patiently and checking understanding without patronising
• Exploring accessible alternatives and appropriate workplace support

Included in every course

• Interactive, facilitator-led learning
• Group discussions
• Breakout exercises
• Take-away materials

Course synopsis

Clear communication is not one style that everyone must fit into. This half-day workshop helps leaders and colleagues adapt how they explain work, run meetings and give feedback so different people can participate with confidence. Start with individual preferences rather than assumptions, then explore clear written and verbal instructions, useful structure, processing time and ways to check understanding. Through practical exercises, delegates reshape a briefing, redesign part of a meeting and rehearse feedback that is specific, respectful and accessible. The aim is not to label needs or prescribe one perfect approach: it is to build a flexible communication toolkit and the confidence to ask what helps.

Key focus areas

• Communication preferences and asking rather than assuming
• Adapting verbal and written styles to different needs
• Clear instructions, manageable steps and checking understanding
• Accessible meetings, preparation and different ways to contribute
• Specific, respectful feedback with space to process and respond
• Practical communication agreements and written follow-through

Included in every course

• Interactive, facilitator-led learning
• Group discussions
• Breakout exercises
• Take-away materials

Course synopsis

Fairer decisions start with noticing the assumptions we can otherwise mistake for facts. Our minds use shortcuts to process information, but those shortcuts can influence who we listen to, how we interpret behaviour and the opportunities we offer. This half-day live online course helps leaders, team leaders, HR professionals and colleagues across the business understand common types of unconscious bias and where they can show up at work. We explore affinity and confirmation bias, the halo and horns effects, attribution bias, conformity bias and assumptions linked to age, gender or disability. Delegates consider examples from recruitment, performance reviews, meetings and work allocation, then practise slowing down judgements, checking evidence and seeking different perspectives. The aim is awareness supported by practical decision-making habits, not labelling individuals or claiming that a single workshop eliminates bias.

Key focus areas

• Unconscious bias and the mental shortcuts behind it
• Affinity bias: favouring people who feel familiar
• Confirmation bias: looking for evidence that supports an assumption
• Halo and horns effects: letting one impression shape the whole judgement
• Attribution bias: assumptions about why people succeed or struggle
• Conformity bias: following the group rather than testing a view
• Age, gender and disability-related assumptions at work
• Practical checks for recruitment, reviews, meetings and work allocation

Included in every course

• Interactive, facilitator-led learning
• Group discussions
• Breakout exercises
• Take-away materials