CONVERSATION STARTERS
A Collection of 72 Provocative Questions to Start Conversations In Classrooms, Employee Teams or Book Clubs.
Who is one under-appreciated storyteller that you know from your cultural background but whom others might be unfamiliar with? How could you promote them?
Find two stories from recent news about the same subject that have opposing perspectives. Why are they different, and what biases do they show?
When’s the first time you recognized a part of your identity in a story (movie, book, TV, etc.) and how did it make you feel?
What’s an example of a story from the dominant culture, and what’s a story or perspective that’s missing from it?
What’s your favorite movie or TV show, and what kind of identities are depicted? What kind of identities or stories are missing?
Who is the greatest storyteller in your life, either someone you know or someone who creates media? What’s the greatest lesson you ever learned from them?
Write 3-5 sentences describing your identity. How have these words changed over time?
What is one conversation or activity that you could engage in to better understand an identity different from your own?
When
have you felt safe and
valid in the
workplace to discuss your
identity?
When have you felt unsafe or uncomfortable?
What is one non-obvious thing you can share with others about your identity to help them understand it better?
What’s an institution or program that supports your identity or helps you explore it? How?
What is one proactive thing you could do to be more of a role model to people who share your identity?
How much of your home life do you
feel comfortable sharing at work
and why do you feel this way?
Where do you see diversity in your own family and how would you define diversity?
What values were you taught by your family members and which ones did you develop on your own?
Have your assumptions or perceptions about family ever been challenged by someone else? How?
What’s one thing about your family that you take for granted, but might surprise other people?
When is the first time you saw a family that’s different from your own? How was it different and what did you think about it?
How was culture discussed in your home growing up or in your school? What was missing?
How do you feel about the idea of being a global citizen, and what does this mean to you?
List 2-3 cultures or subcultures you know nothing about. Now go and discover one new fact about each one.
THEME:
CULTURE
What’s a subculture you’re part of, and is it inclusive or open to new people? Could you do something to make it more inclusive?
What’s a conversation around culture that makes you uncomfortable? Why?
What’s a stereotype about your cultural background you want everyone to know is wrong? How could they help change other peoples’ misconceptions about it?
What’s an example of a time you saw your culture depicted in the media? What did it teach people about it?
Looking back on your upbringing, what perspectives were missing?
What was a formative moment in your education that shifted your perspective of yourself, others, or the world?
How many teachers did you have in elementary school who were BIPOC or disabled?
Can you name a young activist, could be someone you know personally or someone you don’t, doing advocacy work you find inspiring? What’s the best way to support them?
Who was the teacher who most changed your life? How were they different from others? What was the most important lesson you learned from them?
What’s one fundamental thing you’d change about the education system structure? Why?
What are the values most important to you and which specific retailers share those priorities?
Can you identify 2-3 ways that a retail store’s layout or placement of products may be biased and proactively raise these concerns with a store owner/manager?
Have you ever felt a bias against you in a retail or customer service situation? What did you do … and what do you wish you did?
Pick your favourite brand and see if they have any kind of diversity, equity or inclusion mandate. How are they implementing it? What did you learn?
What are 2-3 independently-owned stores in your neighborhood, and what do they add to the community?
Think of your favourite retail space.
Is it physically accessible to people who need mobility assistance?
What could they change to make it more physically accessible?
In your workplace, what team members lack representation and what are 2-3 things you could do to correct this imbalance?
THEME:
What external voices that offer a different perspective could you bring in either as consultants or testers to offer a new lens on the work you do?
THEME:
Do you consider your workplace to be diverse? Why or why not?
THEME:
What’s a recruiting, hiring or interview practice you think hurts hiring more diverse candidates?
How could your organization change it?
If your workplace or organization had an “emotional intelligence” index,
how would you say it rates?
What are a few ways they might reassess emotionally supporting their employees?
Is there someone on your team you could go to if you were having a difficult time? What is it about them that makes them someone you can go to for support?
THEME:
Challenge yourself to discover 2-3 reasons why the stories that appear at the top of your social media feed or your Google search results rise to the top. What does this teach you about how the algorithms work?
THEME:
What
are some
technology platforms
developed by inclusive teams or started by underrepresented founders that you can support or switch to using?
THEME:
Does your hiring process make it more or less difficult for diverse applicants (people of color, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, etc.)?
Take a look at the leadership team of a big tech company for something you own. What did you learn, and what do you think it says about the company’s work?
What’s a way your organization uses technology in their work? What does it say about your team’s values or operational priorities?
Can you name one Person of Color, LGBTQ+ person, or person with a disability working in a leadership position in tech? If not, find one or two and share their story.
What is an actionable way in which you can meet diverse, nontraditional entrepreneurs in business and consider working with them?
THEME:
Consider the stores or businesses that you buy from regularly. What more could you do to seek out and buy from more diverse businesses?
THEME:
Other than money, what’s a way you as an individual or your team could support a diverse entrepreneur? What would that look like?
THEME:
Find 2-3 small, crowdfunded entrepreneurial projects from a diverse team? What do the products they’re creating offer to the industry they’re a part of?
THEME:
What’s something underserved or missing in your community that a diverse entrepreneur could offer?
What do you think is stopping them?
THEME:
Do you think you could spend more of your own money supporting diverse entrepreneurs instead of defaulting to buy everything from an online retailer? Why or why not?
THEME:
Consider your personal leadership style: do you emphasize inclusion or vulnerability as a key quality?
Why or why not?
Think of a time you had an effective mentor. What did they do to make you feel included or heard?
How can you do the same for someone else?
Think of the leadership of your team or school; does the leadership represent the diversity of those lower in the hierarchy?
THEME:
Would you feel comfortable bringing an issue of discrimination to your team’s leadership? Why or why not?
Do some research and find an organization or two that offers specific third party certification for diversity, equity and inclusion. How could they be helpful to your team?
THEME:
Write down a few sentences describing the ideal leader and pick out some specific words and phrases. What jumps out about them? Do you feel like they assume a certain identity?
What political figures personally give you hope, and why?
THEME:
In your local community, who is— and perhaps more importantly, who isn’t—currently involved?
THEME:
Has an opposing political viewpoint ever changed your mind or made you think about something differently?
THEME:
Are there any instances of voter suppression laws or discrimination in your area? What needs to be done to challenge them and how could you help that effort?
THEME:
How would you describe the diverse makeup of your local community? Is that reflected in your local representation?
Do you know the names and beliefs of your local politicians?
What are some values or policies they have implemented and who do they help or hurt?
How has your community, town, or city evolved in the time you’ve spent in it and do you feel it has become more or less inclusive?
What are some ways that the structures and spaces around you might create inequity?
Do you have anyone in your life of a different generation who offers an unusual perspective to help you think about the past and future?
What’s an inequitable system put in place in the past you think needs to be overhauled or replaced? What would be the first step to do it?
Find and share a quote by a diverse voice in the futurism or thought leader communities. What do you like most about it?
What are some physical spaces or infrastructure that’s prioritized in your local area? Which communities do they serve, and who is left out?
