Collaborating inclusively

The tools in this toolkit are designed to be used in a group setting. There are several reasons why some people may feel less able to contribute in group settings than others, such as their gender, ethnicity, neurodiversity or level of seniority. To generate the best ideas, challenge assumptions and design well for people and planet, creating an environment where everyone feels safe to speak openly is essential.

Every time you gather to use a tool:

Speak last if you are the boss, know you are someone with a loud voice or occupy a privileged position.

Try rounds, where you invite everyone in the room to share in turn, rather than free-for-alls where people speak when they want to.

If you are a leader, reward candour and vulnerability, demonstrating that this is something you welcome.

These tips scratch the surface, and we recommend that you explore inclusion and psychological safety further as a team or as an organisation, if you have not yet done so.

Assign one person in the room to represent non-human stakeholders; it is their job to be the voice of the voiceless and to provide a different perspective.

At the end of a session together, close with a quick round of feedback about what worked and what didn’t, both in terms of how you found the tool and also how you found the experience of acting more inclusively.