Allyship | Leqture

Session Summary

What does being an ‘Ally’ mean? From case studies to the Wheel of Power and Privilege, this interactive session will take you through a journey of understanding our own power and how we can leverage these to become effective allies, both in the workplace and in other areas of our lives.

You can test your own role, learn about various biases and most importantly, how you can become an ally. The key to being an ally is to take action. It is not good enough to say ‘I am an ally’. You have to demonstrate behaviours and only by taking action will we see real change happen.

To be an ally you need to be curious and be continuously learning and asking questions. In this interactive session, Taz encourages you to ask questions and learn about different cultures. And not to assume – just because one person you know from that culture does something it doesn’t mean it is the norm and everyone will be the same.

Interaction

During the expert session, Taz Latif encourages audience participation through a Q&A session, live demonstrations using the Mentimeter app, and reflective exercises on topics such as allyship, privilege, and identity. Attendees engage in conversations about promoting inclusivity, understanding diverse experiences, and addressing systemic inequality.

Key Learnings

Understanding Your Identity and Privilege

Reflecting on your unique identities and their associated privileges or lack thereof is essential for effective allyship. Use resources like the Wheel of Power and Privilege to gain a deeper understanding of your experiences.

Building Trust and Empathy

Creating trust within communities and practicing empathy are key components of successful allyship. Listen deeply, notice differences and similarities, and invest time in building relationships.

Taking Action Against Discrimination

Becoming an active ally requires taking action to challenge systems of oppression and dismantle harmful beliefs. Hold colleagues accountable for their actions and encourage unity among team members.

Detailed session description

In this expert session, Taz Latif, a renowned DEI consultant, leads a thought-provoking conversation on the topic of allyship. Taz begins by sharing her personal background and experiences that have shaped her focus on allyship as a means to create a more inclusive environment.

She invites participants to engage in a discussion about their own interpretations of the term "ally" and encourages open dialogue around themes like trust, cooperation, understanding differences, and shared goals.

The session delves deeper into the concept of privilege as ability, urging attendees to reflect on their unique identities using the Wheel of Power and Privilege resource. Taz emphasizes the importance of empathy and self-awareness in becoming an effective ally and encourages everyone to examine their personal experiences and associated privileges or lack thereof.

The conversation touches upon the challenges of discussing sensitive topics like race and gender, urging listeners to prioritize self-care during these conversations. Taz highlights racial disparities in career progression and the significance of empathy and understanding between diverse communities.

She encourages everyone to reach out to their colleagues, friends, and neighbors for support and guidance as allies.

Taz shares her experiences with facing discrimination and feeling excluded, despite having a rich family history, and emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and addressing unconscious bias. She encourages participants to take action in preventing discrimination, even as bystanders, and suggests tools like the Harvard Implicit Association Test for gaining insight into this issue.

The session explores case studies from diverse communities around the world, illustrating the importance of understanding and catering to unique needs in order to create truly inclusive environments. Taz discusses the potential negative impacts poor allyship can have on a business, including low morale, disjointed teams, and increased recruitment costs.

The expert session concludes with Taz sharing tips for becoming an effective ally, including deep listening, understanding privilege, building relationships, and taking action. She encourages attendees to read 'Invisible Women' by Caroline Criado Perez to gain a deeper understanding of gender data bias in society.

Throughout the session, Taz emphasizes the significance of empathy, communication, and active listening in fostering inclusive environments and reducing discrimination. She encourages courage and fearlessness in standing up for what is right while acknowledging the importance of unity among team members and holding colleagues accountable for their actions.

The opportunity for participants to ask questions and engage in deeper conversations about allyship remains open at the end of the session.

According to participants

What people said afterwards.

From the survey every participant gets when the session ends, in their own words.

Great session, very inspiring. I would recommend.

In answer to “Any other feedback?”

Very inspiring, thank you Taz for raising awareness on this topic and team for arranging

In answer to “Any other feedback?”

Really loved the session! It’s super inspirational and I’m already thinking about how to implement the learning into daily work and our team.

Inspiring and succinct presentation empowering us to be better allies! thank you very much! :)

In answer to “What have you learned?”

This was truly inspiring & brilliant to participate in. Thank you.

Even though this topic is far from new to me, I really loved the way you explained privilege. i will take your way of explaining it to others in the future. Especially for people who really don´t know much about allyship etc. this session was incredible.

In answer to “What have you learned?”

Thank you so much! it was amazing, she was eloquent and her message insightful!!

In answer to “Any other feedback?”

Brilliant session. Thank you so much Taz.

In answer to “What have you learned?”

Before you book

Questions about Allyship

Is this session interactive, or do people just watch?

It is interactive, and the block above says exactly how for this session. Nobody has to speak up who does not want to: the chat and the polls carry most of it, and the questions can come in anonymously.

Is this for beginners or for people who already know the subject?

What does being an ‘Ally’ mean? From case studies to the Wheel of Power and Privilege, this interactive session will take you through a journey of understanding our own power and how we can leverage these to become effective allies, both in the workplace and in other areas of our lives. It is built for a general working audience: no prior knowledge is assumed, and people who already know the subject get the research and the practical side rather than an introduction.

Is Taz the right expert for this?

Taz Latif is one of the experts we auditioned ourselves, and we produce every session so we see how each one lands. Participants rate this session 4.3 out of 5, across 671 responses, and rate Taz personally 4.5 out of 5.

How long does it take, and what do we have to prepare?

It runs 45 min / 15 min: the talk, then live questions. All you do is pick a date. We brief Taz, produce the session, host and moderate it, run the Q&A, and send you the report within an hour of the end.

Who can join, and where does it run?

A team, a department, an employee network or every single employee at once, with no cap and no per-seat price. It runs inside your own Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Google Meet, or on a branded page we build. No integration, no login, no company device or e-mail.

Can our global colleagues follow it?

The session is delivered in English. You can add high accuracy live subtitles in 8, 16 or 24 languages, so everyone follows in their own. That is a paid option, priced by the number of languages you need.

Will our IT department have a problem with this?

No, and that is by design. There is nothing to install, nothing to integrate and no connection to your systems, so there is nothing for IT to validate: we join your own Teams, Zoom or Meet as a guest speaker, or we host a page and your people open a link. No software, no accounts, and no data of yours that we can reach. It is why hundreds of companies, among them some of the largest technology and financial firms in the world, were able to start within a day.

How does this work under GDPR?

We never receive or hold personal data about your employees. Because the session runs in your own environment, attendance and identity stay with you, and what we report back is aggregated: numbers, ratings and survey answers, not people. That is also why IT approval usually takes minutes rather than weeks.

What do we get afterwards?

You keep the recording and can share it internally. You also get attendance over time, participant ratings for the content and the speaker, the survey answers, and the topics your people asked for next.