Neuroscience of Leadership Speaker Consultant

Leadership Training Workshop on DEI and Belonging

Dr. Terry Wu facilitates this one-of-a-kind leadership training workshop to empower DEI with Neuroscience. He enlightens his audiences with research demonstrating what pulls us apart and what brings us together.

Leaders shine when they bring people of different backgrounds, talents, and opinions together. The knowledge presented in this workshop goes far beyond the traditional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training. It provides an unambiguous, scientific explanation of what drives people apart and what pulls them together. New and experienced leaders can rely on science and apply actionable insights to bridge various divides to reach their goals.

3-minute testimonial for Dr. Wu’s presentation

America is becoming more and more divided. Race, politics, religion, and socioeconomic status are the common causes of increasing conflicts that pit certain groups against others. Newly minted divisions keep dominating the spotlight and creating pain and anxiety.

We have so many ingenious ways to separate people into Us and Them.

We treat Us with kindness and generosity. We have little trust and empathy toward Them, but plenty of animosities and even aggression. Throughout history, Us-vs-Them divisions have led to bigotry, racism, wars, genocides, and unimaginable human suffering. Today, numerous Us-vs-Them conflicts are tearing us apart and threatening our way of life.

Workshop: Advance DEI with Neuroscience

Based on decades of Neuroscience research, it is evident that our brains seek group belonging and group identity. Wherever there are groups, there is Us and there is Them. Us-vs-Them divisions happen automatically without our conscious awareness. Exploitation and weaponization of this vulnerability have caused tremendous harm.

Learning Objectives:

Target Audiences and Details:

Apply the Science of Diversity and Belonging

For several decades, tens of billions of dollars have poured into DEI initiatives and training. However, those hefty investments have yielded limited results. Some DEI efforts intend to preempt lawsuits and meet quotas. Others rely on outdated and divisive practices that drive various groups further apart.

DEI won’t deliver without fostering a sense of belonging. To humans, belonging means safety. It is as critical as food and water. Cultivating belonging is much more than paying lip service. Instead, it requires a deep understanding of what turns Them into Us. Scientific research into belonging has given us much-needed guidance that proves to be effective.

DEI Training Workshop Neuroscience of Leadership
Cheryl Graeve As part of the League of Women Voters and the National Institute for Civil Discourse Network’s sessions designed to help concerned citizens engage our differences productively, Dr. Terry Wu presented “The Science of Us vs Them.” He translates complex Neuroscience findings into interesting and easily digestible understandings for everyday Americans. In a time when our divisions are so elevated in the national story, this session helps us understand better how we can go from “Us and Them” into “Me and You.” Participants in this network care about our democracy and want to be part of building trust and bridging divides in our country. They shared their enthusiasm for Dr. Wu’s presentation, with 87% indicating it exceeded their expectations. I highly recommend Dr. Wu’s talk and consider it an important element in building our human abilities to understand and better engage differences productively. ~ Cheryl Graeve, Director of National Programs, National Institute for Civil Discourse
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