EB O O K

Creating inclusive
workplaces with Immersive
Learning
Table of
contents

3 The power of VR

3 Inclusive conversations with Immersive Learning

5 A skills-based approach to inclusion

7 Conclusion

8 About Strivr

2
As the workforce grows more diverse, so too does the need to create and foster a more
equitable and inclusive workplace. No company today is exempt from the challenge to equip
employees with better training tools and technologies as their diversity, equity, and inclusion
(DE&I) initiatives have become a paramount focus.

Today, there’s a new way for people to learn. Using Virtual Reality (VR) and advanced learning
theory, this method is known as Immersive Learning. Ample research has demonstrated the
heightened ability of Immersive Learning to facilitate behavioral change, making it a powerful
medium for creating a more inclusive workplace.

The power of VR
Virtual Reality provides a transformative training experience because it immerses learners into
real-world situations and allows them to practice skills in a safe environment.

In VR, learners experience a phenomenon called “presence,” in which the brain treats the
VR experience the same way it would treat real life. This is due to complete immersion into
virtual environments reflective of the ones they will experience on the job. Sometimes, these
virtual environments are captured with 360-degree cameras; other times, they are computer-
generated. Regardless, environmental features of the real world are replicated in the VR
environment, meaning the lessons learned in VR are more memorable and authentic. Learners
walk away from Immersive Learning feeling like they’ve already experienced the situations. It
replicates real-world training.

And learners get this experiential training on-demand in a standardized manner, ensuring
everyone has access to the same experience and concepts, the same safe space to explore
them, and the same opportunity for ongoing education, practice, and growth.

Inclusive conversations
with Immersive Learning

Research indicates that unlearning non-inclusive behaviors requires fundamental changes in

people - in other words, changing hearts and minds. While this may be a long-term goal, the
near term need is to take the first steps toward more inclusive work environments: building
awareness of non-inclusive behaviors and teaching the proper responses. Immersive Learning
is a perfect medium to practice proper responses.

Creating inclusive workplaces with Immersive Learning 3

In the headset, learners can experience and respond to non-inclusive workplace interactions,
rather than passively watch them in videos or make multiple choice selections about how they
would act. Through presence and the feeling that they are actually in the scenario, learners take
on the perspective of different roles, speak to others, and reflect on their decision-making. This
complete immersion helps make them more aware of the conversations they have and witness.

In addition, they get to practice with real-world inputs in the virtual environment, so nuances
like tone of voice, non-verbal gestures, and other microaggressions become more evident and
recognizable. Once they have identified the exclusionary behavior, learners are prompted to
make decisions about if and how to react. Depending on the scenario - as initiator, subject, or
bystander - employees practice their reactions in a safe and low-risk environment.

Become more Identify Make good Demonstrate proper

aware / self-aware behavior decisions action & reaction

What is a Can you identify Do you know what Can you clearly and
non-inclusive the non-inclusive the best next effectively take the
behavior? behavior? step is? next step?

Employees need a In situations where Employees should Immersive Learning

basic understanding
of what comprises
a non-inclusive
workplace
interaction, including
nuances like tone
of voice, non-verbal
gestures, and
microaggressions
microaggressions
and non-inclusive
behaviors surface,
employees can begin
to recognize them in
the real world
learn the proper
response for how to
handle non-inclusive
behaviors, and take
steps to putting it
into practice
enables practice
in a safe, low-risk,
and immersive
environment with
access to immediate
feedback to build
and reinforce the
association between
each skill

Through our research and experience, these capabilities help foster a more inclusive workplace. Immersive Learning is
especially powerful for practicing proper action and reaction in a safe space.

Allowing freedom to evaluate the situation, analyze options, and act on a decision can be a more
effective learning experience when combined with helpful feedback. Immersive Learning intends
to provide the skills necessary for inclusive conversations and promote a productive, inclusive
workplace.

Creating inclusive workplaces with Immersive Learning 4

A skills-based approach
to inclusion

One of the most unique aspects of immersive inclusive conversation training is that all learning
outcomes are mapped to skills that learners should build and practice. It’s not enough to make
employees “feel good” about training. Learners must develop skills that enable them to perform
the intended actions, which can then be measured with immersive analytics, such as verbal
data, engagement data, and more. An immersive inclusive conversation training will build the
following skills.

Creating inclusive workplaces with Immersive Learning 5

Communication Situational awareness

The experiences will help learners
manage emotions and communicate
effectively. This includes receiving
feedback with grace, giving feedback
without emotion, self-awareness
about language and gesturing, and
communicating without getting
defensive.
The experiences will help learners
practice their emotional intelligence by
recognizing the emotions of another
person through visual, auditory, and
verbal clues. They also provide an
opportunity to react as an observer and
as a subject.

Active listening Taking initiative

The experiences will help learners
practice listening to understand, which
requires complete engagement that
can be measured using immersive
data.
The experiences will help learners
practice taking action during
uncomfortable situations like pausing
conversations, either as the subject of
the microaggression or as a bystander.

These skills won’t completely eliminate microaggressions from happening. However, when
developed in combination with one another, they will equip your people with the skills,
knowledge, and confidence to effectively navigate the conversations that follow so that everyone
can feel safe to be themselves at work.

Creating inclusive workplaces with Immersive Learning 6

Case study: An inclusive conversation training in 3 parts

Microaggressions are an unfortunate but inevitable part of work life. But with practice and
preparation for these moments, your employees can learn to engage in productive, inclusive
conversations if and when they do occur.

Part 1: You are a bystander who witnesses a microaggression.

The first experience is designed to help learners practice disrupting a microaggression as a
bystander. In the headset, they get the opportunity to recognize how other people feel and
become an ally who shows support for all involved.

Part 2: You initiated a microaggression.

In the second experience, learners say something that offends another person. What’s important
is that when the offended person gives feedback, learners react in a way that focuses on personal
growth and development. In the experience, learners practice receiving feedback about the
offensive statement/action without becoming defensive. In addition, they practice active listening to
better understand the perspective of the offended person.

Part 3: You are the subject of a microaggression.

In the third experience, a colleague says something offensive to the learner. The experience
helps learners practice pausing the microaggression when it is said, explaining calmly why it
was offensive, and listening to the initiator when they respond.

Conclusion
Every DE&I leader knows the importance of creating a safe work environment where
employees are empowered to perform at their best. Using Immersive Learning for
inclusive conversations isn’t just more effective on an individual basis, it’s also a means to
standardization at scale for enterprise-wide impact.

Creating inclusive workplaces with Immersive Learning 7

About Strivr
Incubated in the Stanford University Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Strivr transforms the way
organizations train and develop their workforce through immersive experiences. Co-founders
Derek Belch and Jeremy Bailenson, one of the world’s leading VR researchers, first teamed
up in 2014 to assess Immersive Learning as an effective tool for training football players. With
sports as a proving ground, they quickly expanded their focus from the athlete to the enterprise.
Today, Strivr is the only end-to-end provider of Immersive Learning solutions.

Strivr delivers a proven software platform enabled by professional services, content production,
and hardware management. Both elite sports organizations and Fortune 500 companies are
using Strivr’s software platform to train millions of employees, seeing a measurable impact
in reduced employee training time, increased customer satisfaction and greater overall
confidence of employees feeling more engaged and prepared at work. To learn more about
elevating performance through immersive experience, visit www.strivr.com.

Creating inclusive workplaces with Immersive Learning 8

For more information please contact
info@strivr.com

©2020 Strivr Labs, Inc.