DIVERSITY TRAINING FILM PICK CRITERION #1: INSPIRE A BROAD AUDIENCE

One of the great powers of film is its ability to spark conversation that is both challenging and compassionate. This enables participants to leverage the kind of transformative learning that’s crucial for cultural diversity training. But how do you choose a film that’s right for your goals? Read on for our series of tips on how to select a film resource to support your equity efforts.

Criterion #1: Engage A Broad Audience Studies show that the more absorbed people are in a story, the more the story changes them. This makes perfect sense. People to whom a diverse audience can relate are a moving example of the fact that all of us have a stake in racial equity – it offers a system in which all of us can thrive. 

When participants in a diversity activity relate to a story in a film, when they can resonate with the truth of a story and see the speaker's vulnerability, they are accessing their own humanity. From this place of connection, people are more open to learning a new perspective. 

To help your session achieve maximum impact, select a film that features powerful stories that resonate across cultures and genders. This provides an emotional foothold into the topic, as well as a place from which participants can be open to reflect more deeply on what they are experiencing.

In this way, the film will help address the wariness that some participants may be experiencing prior to or during a training. This support will strengthen the event, and help ensure that its effects continue to resonate long after the screening is over.

The Takeaway So when you're selecting materials for use in your training, go for ones that cast a wide net! To catch the full list of suggestions, subscribe to our blog using the link to the right of the page.