BUSINESSES - NON PROFITS - B-CORPS
TRANSFORM YOUR WORKPLACE SO EVERYONE CAN THRIVE
And enjoy the benefits of happier
staff, lower turnover, and higher productivity.
A lack of inclusion might be hurting your organization more than you realize...
Throwaway remarks, unwritten rules and customs, and small microaggression may be feeding into your workplace culture, despite your best efforts.
Tensions can mount and staff may unexpectedly quit but they don’t know how to articulate why...
Knowing how to manage this kind of conflict is tough. Preventing it is easier.
When your staff feel a sense of belonging and inclusion, you set them up for success.
And then they are more likely to stick around.
I can help you look through a critical lens to assess how your workplace can be more inclusive. Ready to get started?
Art, history, and storytelling: The secret ingredients we use to help you self-reflect and think critically to create a more inclusive workspace.
The results you can expect when you invest in our corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion workshops
- Help teams and managers better support each other
- Enjoy higher productivity levels by making the workplace a happier and more positive place
- Reduce turnover by giving staff a sense of belonging to your organization and its mission
- Increase profits
It gave me a path that I could immediately put into practice.
What a terrific conference!
One of the highlights for me was Dr. Melissa Crum! Her presentation was clear, filled with humor and gave me a path that I could immediately put into practice. She was able to put things in an easy to relate way which gave me more tools with which to focus on for my organization.
Denise G.
Outreach & Inclusion Manager
Elford, Inc
Your journey starts here.
Assessments
Gain tools and customized plans to increase productive problem-solving communication.
Workshops
Interactive workshops that invite self-reflection and critical thinking to reach success.
Audits: Shine a light on the ignored areas at your workplace
This is the best place to start.
Through a six-part organization-wide process, my team and I investigate systemic barriers, biases, and inequities within policies, practices, and workplace culture to give you a highly customized diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan.
We’ll read through your policies and guidelines and hold focus groups with leadership and staff to uncover unspoken rules that are holding your institution back from leading the way.
Audits are not essential, but are a great place to start, so we can recommend the best path for workshops and further action.
Assessments: Metrics to make your interactions more productive
This is a great place to set benchmarks for personal and team growth.
The Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI® ) allows you to see an individual’s or group’s progression along a continuum of cross-cultural competence. Because of this, the IDI provides in-depth insights into how individuals and groups make sense of cultural differences, and also how they respond to cultural differences.
Watch to learn more.
The Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory® (ICS®) is an assessment that helps you understand your conflict and communication style, so you can better resolve conflicts and solve problems across cultural boundaries.
Watch to learn more.
Both assessments come with additional tools. Click below to set a meeting with Dr. Crum to learn more.
Know your team's capacity for inclusion
The Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®) gives you tools to create a culture of belonging.
Watch as I share a personal story of me expanding my capacity for inclusion while working with an organization in Ghana. The IDI assesses intercultural competence, helping staff understand and adapt to diverse perspectives from the communities and customers you serve without compromising values. It offers a comprehensive model for self-awareness and bridge-building, guiding progress toward inclusive practices.
Have more effective communication with your team
The Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory® (ICS®) aims to enhance awareness of diverse communication approaches to make conflicts productive.
Watch as I explain the Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory (ICS) and its workshops that help leadership, and staff grasp their communication and conflict management styles so you have more effective team management, explain organizational goals, and have productive conversations with stakeholders. I share personal experiences to illustrate how misinterpretations can arise due to different styles.
Interactive workshops that invite self-reflection and critical thinking
I offer three series of workshops for leaders.
Workshops can be live and in-person, live and virtual, or virtual self-paced courses to fit your busy schedule.
The time it takes to deliver each series is up to you - the workshops can be held as often as twice a week or as little as twice a month.
DEI 101 Workshop Series
Are you ready to lead with purpose and create a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected? My comprehensive 11-part DEI workshop series is designed for anyone who wants to make a difference, but is concerned about "getting it wrong." If you're feeling uncertain about the latest terminology or historical context of identity, this course is for you.
I create a supportive environment where you can develop the competencies to execute inclusive practices with confidence.
- Building a Common Language: Learn shared definitions and terminology to foster clear communication.
- Developing an Inclusive Culture: Discover strategies for creating a workplace that values diversity and equity.
- Equipping Yourself with Practical Tools: Learn the history and gain the skills to address your implicit bias and understand structural racism and other barriers to inclusion.
- Reducing Turnover and Increasing Confidence: Develop a thriving workplace where all team members can communicate with a shared understanding of the language.
You can get this series as a self-paced course, in-person, or live via Zoom.
Now you’re ready for...
Application of Knowledge
This three-part series is designed for everyone from front-line staff to leaders seeking to enhance collaboration with peers and leaders, inclusion of stakeholders, and alignment with core values in their institutions. Each workshop builds on the next, equipping participants with the skills to navigate complex challenges, foster trust, and drive positive change.
In breakout groups, we'll process and unpack experiences and discover how to mindfully engage with the communities they serve.
Subtle Acts of Exclusion
Learn to recognize and address small but significant actions that can harm inclusion in your organization. This session will empower you to transform these moments into opportunities for trust, equity, and support.
Brave Space Practice
Move beyond the concept of "safe spaces" to cultivate environments where difficult conversations can happen with empathy and accountability.
Investigating Dominant Culture Norms
Unpack how dominant cultural norms like defensiveness and fear of conflict shape dynamics in the workplace. Explore actionable strategies that promote equity and trust within their organizations.
And finally...
Making Organization-Wide Change
Explore, reflect, and transform your visitors' experience and organizational practices.
Designed for everyone from leaders to front-line staff, this two-part series equips you with actionable strategies to build stronger relationships, foster innovation, and align values with daily practices.
Taking Risks with a Growth Mindset
Discover how embracing mistakes and encouraging risk-taking can inspire academic success and character development for both teachers and students. Learn how to create a culture of growth by connecting relationship-building and experiential learning principles.
Operationalizing Values
Bring your organizational values to life by defining behaviors that align with your mission and vision. This hands-on workshop offers clear frameworks for creating a shared language, reducing subjectivity in decision-making, and embedding values into performance metrics and everyday practices.
Unlocking Inclusive Leadership in 90 Days:
Create a DEI Committee Governance Structure without Certification or Formal Experience
Tired of navigating the complexities of inclusion and belonging with few resources and no support from leadership? Let me be your resource!
Learn more about my transformative 90-day course for DEI advocates like you. In this course, you'll:
- Gain clarity and find power in your role.
- Gain support and buy-in from leaders and colleagues.
- Learn a data-based sustainable strategy.
- Align work with your organization's needs.
Stop the confusion and burnout—feel confident in your inclusive leadership and create a workplace where everyone thrives!
Not exactly what you’re looking for? Create your own customized diversity training workshop..
This option allows you to craft a session tailored to fully meet the needs of your organization.
Whether you’re striving to create strong lines of communication with leadership, or resolving conflict, we’ll work with your team to reach their goals and create a more equitable environment.
Want a different approach?
We’ll create an informal weekly club for your staff
where we use books as tools to break down bias
Dialogue and action: A club for shifting workplace culture
Designed to foster connection and community, this weekly one-hour club uniquely gathers colleagues, regardless of their title or position, into honest and critical conversation.
By creating a space where authentic dialogue can occur, teams have the opportunity for greater productivity, empathy building, and higher retention rates.
This action-oriented club meets for eight weeks, focusing first on discussion and then on applying DEI concepts specifically to your team.
Participants leave with the tools and courage needed to create change from wherever they are.
Potential books include:
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brené Brown
The Conversation: How Seeking and Speaking the Truth About Racism Can Radically Transform Individuals and Organizations by Robert Livingston
Subtle Acts of Exclusion: How to Understand, Identify, and Stop Microaggression by Michael Baran and Tiffany Jana
We Can’t Talk About That at Work: How to Talk About Race, Religion, Politics and other Polarizing Topics by Mary-Francis Winters
I am confident to hold meaningful conversations with my company.
“Dr. Melissa Crum is a phenomenal diversity practitioner and educator. I have been fortunate enough to see her present twice, where I learned about numerous subjects regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion that I am confident to hold meaningful conversations upon returning to my company.
Her vast knowledge in this arena have led to invaluable discussions stemming from her guidance. I look forward to working with her at future events.
Mia W.
PHR, SHRM-CP
Workforce Diversity Analyst
ODOT Human Resources Division
Your questions answered
(and maybe a few more)
What kind of organizations do you work with?
Our process works best with organizations that have fewer than 250 staff. We work with all organizations; from corporate businesses to nonprofits and B-corps with everything in between.
Do you help with registration?
Sometimes, when organizations register large groups and need to repeat workshops (because there are more than 50 people), we are asked to register participants in different sessions. There is an extra fee for this, but it’s no problem to do.
How many people can attend the workshops?
We have a maximum capacity of 50 people to keep the sessions intimate and interactive.
For organizations with more than 50 people we can hold multiple identical workshops.
Which workshop should I book?
The workshops have been designed to go through consecutively.
DEI 101 is a good place to start so you can build up your language toolkit. Then you can move through the remaining series to apply your knowledge and make a change.
Will you (Melissa) facilitate all sessions?
If I am available, yes! If not, I have a fantastic team that I have trained who can deliver these workshops with the same results.
How do we decide who should be in which workshops (if we have more than 50 people)?
It’s important to have a real mix of all staff in each workshop - it’s important not to separate people based on their position in the organis=zation. Mixing up hierarchy is key.
Do you lead virtual and in-person workshops?
Yes. I have traveled across the United States. I’ve also held plenty on Zoom.
Hmmm, none of your proposed workshops meet our objectives. Will you create a customized workshop?
Yes, absolutely. Just get in touch and we can have a chat to put together a proposal.
The training sparked interest and made staff question how they teach works of art.
This session allowed our staff to start thinking about their teaching in important new ways. They were already skilled at critical thinking (both doing so themselves and prompting others to do so), and are in the habit of reflecting with their peers after tours.
But now, they have a shared language with which to discuss issues of multiculturalism and an interest in continuing that conversation. They had the opportunity to practice reflections and discussions, and they worked in groups to design a gallery talk about one object.
The training sparked interest, made them question how they teach works of art at the Crow Collection, and started a conversation that is continuing both at formal trainings and casually between educators as they compare notes.
Carolyn A.
Educator Programs Manager, Crow Collection of Asian Art
Dallas, TX
