Implicit Bias and Emotional Intelligence Training – Reducing Liability Risk

Racial Intolerance or Racial Intelligence?

• Can you only IMAGINE if everyone was treated fairly, with kindness, compassion, and consideration?
• Can you IMAGINE if no one was judged by the color of their skin or hair color, by their height or their weight, their age or their religion?
• IMAGINE YOUR community treating others at the top of the Ladder…

WHY Emotional Intelligence with Implicit Bias?

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is learning to become aware of our emotions, and to acknowledge that emotions drive behavior that can impact others (positively and negatively). Learning to manage our emotions, in the moment, is crucial.

Implicit Bias is the understanding of attitudes or stereotypes that affect our actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. Most importantly are those biases that are hidden in our unconscious mind, until we bring them forward to our conscious mind.

Learning key components of Emotional Intelligence with Implicit Bias that includes: Emotional Self-Awareness, Behavioral Self-Control, and Ethics and Integrity is crucial part of racial bias and diversity training. This combination helps to improve work as well as home life. Improved de-escalation and diversity awareness starts here.

Decreasing Front-End Risk

Once we are consciously aware of our bias, and learn that our bias connects to our emotions, now we can let that influence our behavior with others (Social Intelligence) in a positive, or a negative way. It’s no longer subconscious, now it is a conscious choice… and now you have accountability that decreases risk liability for the department.

“When you couple emotional intelligence and social intelligence together, the thought of race is no longer an issue, as you treat everyone fairly, with empathy and respect.”

~ Sgt. Mark Cavender, LaGrange Police Dept. Georgia

The problem with Implicit and Racial Bias

If you don’t know what your ‘hot buttons’ and triggers are, then engaging with others negatively, in a pressure situation, becomes a high probability. Most implicit bias training on today’s market is too academic. And, if emotional and social intelligence is not taught in conjunction with implicit bias training, it is difficult to practice in daily life.

Negative emotions can affect the outcome of a situation, just as much as implicit bias. Having racial bias (a bias towards a race other than your own), combined with implicit bias, is heading for an excessive escalated police call.

Anger, Frustration, and Blame mixed with Implicit Bias can quickly escalate the engagement with others. For implicit bias training to stick, it must be taught with emotional intelligence. Having emotional awareness and behavior self-control means we will look to de-escalate every situation we can.

“Failure to issue EI Tools to each employee is a ‘risk gap’ for the agency, and can increase the company’s risk of negative community engagement.” ~ Linda Webb

One-and-done is a Company-wide Problem

One-and-done training, is giving a training that checks the box to say, “We rolled that training out to our employees.” If employees have no way to practice what they learned, that training renders useless, and the company may as well throw that money down the toilet. This becomes a company-wide problem of potential risk exposure.

Imagine providing OSHA training on exposure to blood borne pathogens without issuing proper equipment like latex gloves after the training? Impossible to imagine, because it would never happen. While you wouldn’t think of doing that… failure to provide EI tools with implicit bias training, runs the risk that the training will not be retained, practiced, or used when needed the most.

Proper training with tools to practice with establishes a ‘departmental standard’ that all employees are expected to use their Emotional Intelligence, while understanding their implicit bias in the performance of their job.

Implicit Bias with Emotional & Social Intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is learning to become aware of our emotions, and to acknowledge that emotions drive behavior that can impact others (positively and negatively). Learning to manage our emotions, in the moment, is crucial.

     RITE teaches key components of Emotional Intelligence that includes: Emotional Self-Awareness, Behavioral Self-Control, and Ethics and Integrity. This combination taught with RITE Tools like the Emotional LADDER, helps to improve our EI, at work as well as at home. Improved de-escalation and cultural diversity awareness starts here.

Social Intelligence (SI) is how we effectively navigate and negotiate all social relationships and situations. Learning and using your EI, is beneficial to improving your SI.

    RITE teaches key components of Social Intelligence that includes: Situational Awareness, Empathy Communication, and Conflict Management. These social skill-building lessons taught with RITE Tools like the Stop-Light teaches us how to take a 2-7 second pause, helping to improve our SI, on the street, in the department, and at home. Working on one’s Social Intelligence, improves de-escalation skills.

“The use of the tools and principles taught in the RITE training have been instrumental not only at work but also in my home.

By learning the emotional intelligence tools, I have been able to ensure that I am in the best state of mind when at work as well as at home. This allows me to use better social intelligence with coworkers, citizens I encounter, but also with my own family. When you couple emotional intelligence and social intelligence together, the thought of race is no longer an issue, as you treat everyone you encounter as we all want to be treated and that is fairly, with empathy and respect”.

~ Sgt. Mark Cavender, LaGrange Police Dept., Georgia

“The RITE program is timely especially in today’s society, and what we are facing as a profession. It provides skills to help officers become more aware of not just what’s in front of them, but what’s inside of them. RITE Tools helped us with officer accountability, and to practice EI lessons beyond class.” ~ Sgt. Fred Jones, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Florida

About

RITE Training helps employees improve communication, opening better conversations at work and at home. Unique RITE Tools with EI & SI builds Career resiliency, improves Department morale, and mitigates risk. Check EVENTS page for a training near you, or become a Host site! Contact