Continental breakfast begins at 8:30 in the Commons Living Room Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say: 10 Skills to Increase Your Diversity Competence Many of our conversations around diversity have us walking on eggshells. This program offers practical ways to quickly transform the quality and effectiveness of our interactions. Participants will learn ten very common statements that are often well intended but may be offensive. Knowing the actual statements is helpful, however, the real learning comes by implementing the ten core concepts that ultimately increases diversity skills and competency for you and those you work with. What others have said: “Maura is one of the most outstanding diversity educators I have ever witnessed. I call Maura the Lily Tomlin or Whoopi Goldberg of the diversity circuit. You will laugh one minute and be teary-eyed the next. Your school or organization will be forever changed because of her presence.” - Dr. Andrea C. Kandel Executive Director National Conference for Community and Justice “Maura Cullen does not merely train participants. She engages, motivates, and challenges them to set aside ingrained preconceptions they may have about those who are different from themselves. They come away with more than the typical training handouts. They come away with a visual and visceral experience that helps them to better understand others’ perspectives.” - Sharon Mangieri Director of Employee Relations & Training Office of Human Resources Western New England College