Twice a year, Seramount’s CDO Collaborative meets in person to connect and interact and foster a community of DEI leaders and change-makers working tirelessly to build inclusive workplaces. These events create a psychologically safe environment to share ideas and experiences and to build the skills and strategies essential for senior executives to confront challenges, embrace change, and maintain an unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
This event’s theme was “Embracing Change: Navigating the Dynamic DEI Landscape with Resilience and Adaptability.” Our goal was to leave our attendees with tangible skills and the inspiration needed to navigate the challenges of today’s dynamic DEI environment. The all-day affair was filled with a cultural experience, research presentations, dining, and networking opportunities among CDOs.
As part of the convening in Chicago, we held our first-ever Experience Lab, a hands-on learning opportunity provided as part of the Collaborative offerings. This initial Experience Lab focused on Change Management & Collaborative Communication and was hosted by The Second City, an iconic improv comedy theater and training center!
Since 1959, this theater has launched the careers of many of the nation’s most influential actors and comedians, such as Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Tina Fey, Joan Rivers, Stephen Colbert, and countless others.
Outside of coaching and preparing the next set of actors, The Second City also offers training courses for professionals to learn improv techniques to take back to their corporate world that help with building confidence and creative thinking. Facilitators from The Second City Training Center led attendees through a series of improv activities and exercises intended to coax participants out of their comfort zone and think outside the box to think of solutions for some of the everyday challenges that limit their effectiveness as change leaders. At their core, the improv activities sought to inspire participants to respond truthfully in the moment, reserve judgment to preserve psychological safety, and reward the risk it took to speak up.
Group photo of CDO Collaborative members standing outside the iconic white arches of The Second City
Improv for Inclusion: Building DEI Through Play and Practice
Throughout the morning, the group of CDOs came together and engaged in classic improv exercises that honed their communication skills and built empathy in a way that would enhance their work in the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) space of corporate America. These exercises included learning how adaptation can lead to collaboration and inclusion, listening to a full statement because the most important information is often at the end, and learning how word choice and the person who delivers the message can change how it is perceived. One exercise allowed participants to acknowledge their own accomplishments and have a partner repeat them back. This game demonstrated that taking time to listen and build relationships within your team helps build empathy. Empathy and active listening foster psychologically safe environments and create space for vulnerability, leading to more creativity and innovation.
Great exercises. [There is] much I plan to [use to] engage with my team and leadership. [It was] a wonderful way to get to know other CDOs and interact before sessions with just presentations.
Wanda Witherspoon, CDO, Sesame Workshop
Photos of the various improv games being played by the CDO Collaborative members at The Second City
Many of the exercises in the workshop encouraged participants to rotate and team up with a diversity of people, fostering a sense of community and interaction. This approach mirrors real-world leadership, where leaders must harness the strengths of every team member and adapt to various working styles and unexpected situations. It serves as a reminder that we can’t always choose our colleagues, but with the right tools and strategies, we can learn to work effectively with anyone. The workshop offered practical tools and real-life scenarios to help participants develop these essential skills and thrive in diverse teams.
Embrace the Core Values of Improv for Effective DEI Work
At the end of the session, the facilitators regrouped with the participants to debrief and reiterate the fundamental tenets of doing improv work:
Respond in the moment
Reserve judgment
Reward the risk
These three ideals—responding in the moment, reserving judgment, and rewarding the risk—are crucial in the corporate and DEI worlds. In the DEI space, expressing yourself and challenging others’ thoughts can be especially demanding. DEI work often involves difficult and uncomfortable conversations, but it is essential for progress. Courage is needed to voice new ideas, and knowledge and confidence are required to actively listen and respond, fostering a forward-moving, inclusive environment.
[This workshop] generated a new perspective in applying the DEI work.
Matilde Roman, CDO, Westchester Medical Center
An experience like this is unique to Seramount’s CDO Collaborative members. If you would like to join a network of CDOs to aid you in the journey of DEI work and gain exclusive access to Seramount’s premier research, contact us to learn more about becoming a member.
Stefani Murray is a Marketing Specialist with the Product Marketing team at Seramount. In this role, she is responsible for creating DEI-focused blog posts, developing partner case studies and collateral, and supporting the product marketing team with various projects. She started at EAB in May of 2021 as a Partner Development Associate.
Stefani Murray is a Marketing Specialist with the Product Marketing team at Seramount. In this role, she is responsible for creating DEI-focused blog posts, developing partner case studies and collateral, and supporting the product marketing team with various projects. She started at EAB in May of 2021 as a Partner Development Associate.
Stefani graduated from St. John’s University in May 2020 with a BS in Communication Arts. She is based in the DC area, where she likes to sightsee, cook, and spend time with family.
