“…the Ambassadors LOVED you and your presentation received 5 out of 5 from every single post-conference survey respondent.” Nancy Traversy, CEO Barefoot Books, following Homa’s keynote for the company’s 20th Anniversary celebration
“Over the years, my work has taken me to many programs on global engagement, multiculturalism, and inclusion. I have found Homa’s most effective, in balancing the best available research with the kind of personal engagement and anecdote that produces impact. Each time, I leave with a sense of connection to the issues, and with the tools, insights, and inspiration to translate words into actions.” Robert Ahdieh, Dean, Texas A&M Law School
“We received a great deal of positive feedback from our 950 plus members and guests in attendance regarding your insightful remarks on the value of cultivating global citizenship for career success. Guests loved the human perspective that you shared and how it can be translated to the business world. They also appreciated the anecdotes you shared and appreciated your great ideas and advice.” Kaarina Koskenalusta, President and Chief Executive Officer, Executives’ Club of Chicago
Homa is a sought-after speaker and trainer in the areas of Diversity & Inclusion and Global Citizenship – two important topics which usually remain in silos, but which she helps bring together in ways that are personally fulfilling, strategically aligned and engaging from any perspective. Homa assists learners of all ages to bridge the gap between a company’s global mission and an individual’s own role as a global (and local) citizen, helping facilitate courageous conversations, cultural competence and the psychological safety to innovate and build stronger teams among diverse individuals.
Below are a few sample presentations; all are interactive, current and non-partisan. Choose one, mix topics or explore particular local/organizational priorities with Homa to customize themes that best suit your circumstances.
- Diversity is Not the Goal: Exploring Transformative Principles for Building Real Relationship: Against the backdrop of what we call the “diversity deception” and informed by great thinkers from Black Elk to James Baldwin, this multi-media, music-infused session with Eric Dozier and Homa Tavangar explores our original model toward relationship building, entailing: proximity, frequency, reciprocity, knowledge and imagination. Explore what these elements mean, how they have been translated in real life, and what they might look like to your organization, to go beyond diversity, toward real relationship.
- How to Build Authentic Inclusion to Unleash Human Potential – and Happiness: Fostering real inclusion goes beyond tolerance or checking off a diversity requirement. It calls for deep inquiry, psychological safety, empathy, authenticity and meaningful interactions. Homa’s research with Susan Cain’s Quiet Revolution on learning across the introvert-extrovert temperament spectrum, and other work on building empathy, global citizenship, racial literacy and cultural competence, help guide positive, productive action toward diversity and inclusion. We will explore best-practices used by world-class organizations and their practical applications, storytelling to include all voices, anti-bias techniques, and recognizing cultural cues.
- Transformative Leadership for Transformative Times: During this interactive talk, which particularly lends itself to women’s leadership development and other Employee Resource or Affinity Groups, Homa shares her personal history and has audiences consider their own journeys that have gotten them to this point. Our transformative times call for a new model of leadership – one which is more global, feminine, inclusive and abundant. Learn from current examples of this type of leadership and begin planning how to implement this in your own environment.
- What Does It Take to Build a Global Mindset? And Why Does It Matter? Extensive research at the MBA level shows that a “global mindset” implies inquiry, creativity, adaptability, empathy, a sense of self, code-switching, and key subject knowledge, among other skills. The fact that the jobs of the future are largely unknown makes the development of this wide-ranging mindset critical. Explore simple steps and practical tools that anyone, anywhere can use to begin building global competence, and learn how to apply these to any topic or challenge. Whether you’re looking to transform your work culture, or simply to inspire staff, this session has lasting impact.
- Tangible Ways to Build Cultural Competence and Deep Inclusion: Learn how to have compassionate conversations across differences, marked by deep listening. Recognize implicit bias, the difference between cultural appreciation and appropriation, and how to be an ally, without blaming, offending, or avoiding. Learn from real case studies. Share questions and conundrums in a safe space.