Our Associates

Services

• Don’t Touch the Monk and other Faux PasValda Boyd-Ford, a nationally and internationally renowned motivational speaker, has spent more than two decades developing programs and strategies to improve communication. Trying to fit in globally she has made many mistakes, faux pas, gaffs – you name it. Some funny and some downright disastrous! Valda shares the wisdom of her experiences through storytelling, case studies, and personal video clips. She brings a down-to-earth informality to her presentations – making her one of the most intellectually disarming, humorous, and effective presenters on race, ethnicity, privilege, and cultural competency in the nation.
  
  
• The Paralysis of Political Correctness Have you ever been afraid to speak for fear you will say the wrong thing? Worse yet have you been afraid that something you said may end your career? Why are we paralyzed by political correctness? What can we do to eliminate that fear? Valda’s thought-provoking and to-the-point presentation identifies and defines the paralysis of political correctness and explores diverse strategies to eliminate or lessen the fear of the unknown that keep us from doing our best in culturally and linguistically awkward situations.
  
  
• Valda Boyd Ford’s Guide to Living, Laughing and Loving This is a 40-minute journey into the soul of one of America’s brightest new voices. It’s a primer on using grace and humor to get you through it all, whatever and wherever your ALL may be. Valda Boyd Ford has presented and worked professionally in more than 12 countries and over 25 states as an author, executive, nurse, educator, and acclaimed cultural competency and diversity expert. From the refugee camp to the board room — she makes the message relevant for every audience and situation.
  
  
• Cultural Competency 101: Starting Points and Definitions Learn the basics of cultural competency and its importance to your organization. Participants examine the differences in bigotry and racism, ethnicity and race, power and privilege and a host of topics to start the journey towards cultural competency. Structured activities enable participants to appreciate the value of cultural competence in the workplace and everyday society.
  
  
• Cultural Competence 102: Tips for Trainers This course is a must for anyone desiring to develop their facilitation skills in cultural competency and related areas. Participants explore a diversity of strategies and tools to develop their skills as facilitators. Topics include, but are not limited to:
  ■■ Games Trainers Play
  ■■ Reading Your Audience
  ■■ Mirror Talk
  ■■ Storytelling as a Strategy
  ■■ Body Language
  
  
• Cultural Competence 103: Master Trainers’ Seminar This course is designed for trainers and facilitators. Special emphasis is on adult learning theory, presentation skills, (oral, written, and multimedia), and event planning. The course prepares you to move to the next level as a trainer and presenter.
  
  
• Customer Service in the Real World Enhance your bottom line by improving communication with internal and external customers using real world situations. Participants learn how to address challenges like language and cultural barriers, religious differences, rude behavior, and the importance of respect in a demographically evolving society.
  
  
• Organizational Approach to Cultural Competency for Leaders The most important element of any strategy for diversity and cultural competency is to see executives and managers leading by example. Valda examines cultural competence from a larger systems perspective. She addresses, in great depth, the integration and application of concepts related to ethics and organizational culture and the skills needed to conduct daily business in a rapidly changing demographic environment.
  
  
• Race and Racism: Biology, Anthropology, and Mythology It is obvious that people look different; rarely is there difficulty distinguishing one person from another based on the classification of “race.” However, what do those differences mean? Are they biological or are they sociological? Has race always been with us? It is evident that race affects our daily lives, but how and ... why? This presentation explores and contrasts the historical basis of our current use of the term race. Participants will discuss race from a variety of historical and present-day perspectives used to determine and classify race.
  
  
• Unintentional Racism People may unintentionally discriminate against others even while consciously making every effort to behave in a non-racist manner. This course examines the presence of unintentional racism throughout the continuum. Participants will discuss the benefits of culturally competent services in the reduction and elimination of barriers, and in the creation and maximizing of opportunities for access. Strategies to inhibit the presence of unintentional racism and decrease the development of institutional racism will be discussed.