Overcoming Bias: Building Authentic Relationships across Differences

Control, Conquer, and Prevail!

Everybody’s biased. The truth is, we all harbor unconscious assumptions that can get in the way of our good intentions and keep us from building authentic relationships with people different from ourselves. Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman use vivid stories and fun (yes, fun!) exercises and activities to help us reflect on our personal experiences and uncover how our hidden biases are formed. By becoming more self-aware, we can control knee-jerk reactions, conquer fears of the unknown, and prevail over closed-mindedness. In the end, Jana and Freeman’s central message is that you are not the problem—but you can be the solution.

Tiffany Jana is the founder and CEO of TMI Consulting. TMI’s clients include the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the YMCA, the Robins Foundation, and Virginia Commonwealth University. She was named one of Diversity Journal’s 2013 “Women Worth Watching” and was one of three finalists for the National Association of Women Business Owners’ 2014, 2015, and 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Matthew Freeman is the cofounder and senior executive consultant at TMI Consulting. He has worked with groups including the National Institutes of Health, the United States Congress, and Initiatives of Change as faculty for their Trustbuilding fellowship in Caux, Switerland He has also worked with dozens of non-profits, religious institutions and banks across the United States.