Nonviolent Communication Practices to Help Us Understand and Dialogue About Implicit Bias​

What is implicit bias? How do we become aware of implicit bias, and how does implicit bias unconsciously affect our behaviors and attitudes towards other people?

Recently in the news, there have been two trending stories across the country reporting on the impact of implicit bias resulting in law enforcement being called by employees of public businesses. The employees called the police to have male patrons of color removed from the premises, believing they had not acted lawfully, but who in fact, had not broken the law or the policies of the respective establishments. As people, we harbor implicit bias without being aware it is occurring. When people holding positions of power are unaware of their own active implicit bias, their thinking and behavior may result in discrimination, racism, prejudice, and/or even cause in physical harm.

Host Nancy Kahn talks with Lisa Dettmer, co-producer of Talk-it-Out Radio, about how the tools of Nonviolent Communication can first, empower people to hold self-compassion if/ when they realize they have acted out of implicit bias and their actions negatively impacted another person. We can choose our NVC practice, to empathize and communicate around unmet needs when we observe other people acting from implicit bias in ways that do not align with dignity, respect, safety, consideration, fairness, and equity for all people.

It is important to build skills to talk about implicit bias, to raise awareness with others through nonjudgmental dialogue, instead of shaming and blaming other people in our attempts to get them to take responsibility for their unconscious bias.

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