10 Diversity & Inclusion Activities to do with Your Team
Creating a truly inclusive workplace takes more than just policies. It requires a focused, purpose-driven effort towards inclusive workplace activities that encourages meaningful conversations, reflections, learning, and new connections.
Whether you’re looking for team-building exercises, discussion-based activities, or creative ways to explore different perspectives, these ten DEI activities offer a starting point. From book clubs to cultural site visits, each activity is designed to spark awareness and action while helping to build a workplace where everyone feels valued and heard.
Want to jump ahead to a specific activity? We’ve got you.
Start a Diversity and Inclusion Book Club
A book club is a safe and simple way for people to examine and read texts they may not engage with otherwise. It also gives them a chance to foster interpersonal relationships with coworkers, including sharing new learnings.
To start, reach out to your HR department or inclusivity leaders to collaborate and choose books that align with the conversation and strategy of your company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion program and needs. There are hundreds of books that cover a variety of inclusive topics, including disabilities, LGBTQ+ topics, race, Indigenous people, and more.
Here are a few to get you started:
2. Gender-in-a-Box
This activity explores how societal expectations shape our understanding of gender roles, both personally and professionally. By reflecting on the “rules” that are imposed on different genders, participants are able to safely examine how expectations influence our behavior, limit opportunities, and contribute to broader systems of inequality across a variety of spaces.
Participants begin by dividing into smaller groups. Each group will begin by drawing two large boxes on a board labelled “Men” and “Women”, and list traits, behaviors, and roles that are typically associated with each category.
Once their lists are complete, facilitators lead a discussion on how these expectations shape personal and professional experiences, limit individual expression, and reinforce gender binaries and gender-based discrimination. As a part of the activity, participants should reflect on the impact of these norms on people of all gender identities, including individuals who do not fit within the binary.
Throughout the activity, participants will:
✅ Identify common stereotypes and social pressures tied to gender
✅ Discuss how these roles impact professional and personal experiences
✅ Explore how rigid gender norms affect not only women and men but also non-binary and gender-diverse individuals
✅ Reflect on ways to challenge limiting norms and foster inclusivity for all gender
This discussion-based activity can be adapted for short or extended sessions. For full instructions click here.
3. Take the Implicit Association Test
Compiled by Harvard University, this five-part test has individuals quickly sort words into a variety of categories with the purpose of measuring the strength of associations between concepts, evaluations, and stereotypes.
In other words, this test determines the extent and intensity of the participant’s biases.
The test also asks optional questions that allow the subject to report their attitudes and beliefs regarding certain topics. Employees can take the test and, in a safe environment, discuss their results.
🚀You can access Harvard’s Implicit Association test here.
4. Enjoy 6-in-1 Interactive D&I Exercises
This is actually 6 different exercises all packed into one single booklet! Published by Stockton University, the document contains exercises that will encourage dialogue about differences in the human experience. It explores a variety of topics, from identifying your own areas of marginalization to the societal expectations that result from these identifiers.
It is designed to ease participants into larger conversations surrounding oppression, inequality and prejudice. They are easy to teach and do not involve lectures, relying instead on short interactive exercises to help participants reflect and learn.
🚀Click here to access Stockton University’s 6-exercises-in-1 booklet.
5. Unpack the Diversity Toolkit
This toolkit, called “A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege” was put together by the University of Southern California and explores a number of diversity and inclusion activities. It can be used to inspire discourse and reflection across groups of people on both an individual and societal level.
The activities are best fit for groups of 10-60 people but can be adapted for a larger crowd. As the facilitator, you don’t have to be an expert, but it is important that you are well versed in the topics at hand.
🚀You’ll find the Diversity Toolkit here when you’re ready to get going.
6. Go on a Privilege Walk
This reflective activity highlights the different experiences and opportunities that shape our lives. Participants begin by standing in a horizontal line and take a step forward or backward in response to a series of statements.
For example, the facilitator might say, “Take one step forward if your parents went to college.” As the activity progresses, participants will get the chance to see how various life circumstances (i.e. background, education, and societal factors) shape our pathways in life.
After the questions finish, the group can come back together to discuss their experiences and share insights. They can reflect on how we can create more inclusive and supportive environments for everyone.
🚀Click here to view the privilege walk instructions.
7. Get Deep with The Iceberg Activity
Like an iceberg, much of our culture lies beneath the surface, unseen but deeply influential.
Throughout this activity, which could be in big or small groups, participants explore the deeper layers of culture by reflecting on personal experiences, values, and traditions. Participants will identify:
👉 What cultural indicators can be seen/assumed at a glance.
👉 What cultural indicators cannot be seen but still play an important role in the individual’s identity.
Through guided questions, employees can uncover how cultural assumptions shape their perspectives, communication styles, and workplace interactions.
8. Cook Up a Cultural Potluck
What better way to connect than sharing food?
Whether it’s for a special occasion or once a month, a cultural potluck is a surefire way to unite employees. Volunteers can bring a special dish or dessert that is culturally important to them or reminds them of their upbringing.
🚀 To get started, here’s 23 Diverse Office Potluck Ideas for the Office to get you cooking.
9. Open The Gender-Neutral Jar
The idea of this game is introducing gender-neutral language to the workplace in a fun, interactive way.
Every time someone uses the word “guys” to address a mixed-gender group, they put a slip of paper with their name in a jar. At the end of a specific period of time, ideally a month or less, the person who has the least number of slips gets a small prize.
While it seems harmless to address a group of people as “guys”, it may make some people feel uncomfortable or even excluded. Practice alternatives, including:
☑️ “Folks”
☑️ “Team”
☑️ “Everyone”
☑️ “Friends”
🚀 Learn more about inclusive language best practices here.
10. Visit a Cultural Site
Immersing yourself in a variety of cultural spaces is a meaningful way to broaden your knowledge and perspectives. Whether this means visiting a museum, historical landmark, cultural center, or attending a community event, this experience offers valuable insights into diverse traditions, histories, and lived experiences.
Encourage your team to reflect on what they’ve learned and discuss how cultural awareness can foster inclusivity in the workplace. If an in-person visit isn’t feasible, consider virtual museum tours or online cultural experiences as an alternative.
Creating Meaningful Change, One Step at a Time
Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace takes time and intentional choices. It’s not an overnight process, and can often lead to discomfort amongst participants. However, these steppingstones are often necessary steps to create a conscious workplaces that strive for equality. By incorporating these activities into your team’s routine, you help foster meaningful conversations, challenge biases, and build stronger connections among colleagues.
It is important to note that the key to lasting impact is consistency. Whether through ongoing discussions, regular meetings, or integrating inclusive practices into daily interactions, these activities should inspire long-term commitment rather than a one-time effort. Encourage your team to reflect on their experiences, share insights, and explore new ways to keep inclusivity at the forefront of workplace culture.
