Real Talk Session People Leader/Facilitator Guide

Cultivating a culture of belonging is created through impactful employee experiences, listening to

understand, ensuring safe spaces, and infusing a sense of belonging in everything that we do. Please use
these guidelines to effectively manage in-person or virtual conversations with your teams. We encourage
everyone engaged to:

Listen Deeply Unite Broadly Act Boldly

Recognize that all points of view may not be the same - that is okay! However, if behaviors do not
align with our Ford+ Behaviors we may need to intervene.

Before you start your discussion:

Before facilitating a Real Talk Session, please review the “Real Talk Overview” deck. Then make sure to
follow the instructions found on page 2 of every Real Talk Session. Also, you must complete the relevant
pre-work and review the corresponding discussion guide.
Take time to do some self-reflection as it relates to the topic and take notes on the information that
resonates with you or that you have questions about. Before facilitating about topics that could be
deemed sensitive, it is important that you consider your own biases or confusion surrounding the
issue(s). Furthermore, ask yourself the following questions and feel free to share your answers and
experiences during the discussion:
 How have you come to know what you know, or think what you think, about this topic?
 Why have you valued some information or sources over others?
 Have your thoughts or ideas around this topic changed over time?
If you choose to request a volunteer, please see below for the roles and responsibilities for
People Leaders and Volunteer Facilitators:
Virtual Chat Guidelines (post these guidelines into the chat at the start of every session):
Participants in all chats (vFair, WebEx, Webcasts, etc.) should follow the corporate guidelines for
online chat.
 Remember that we are a global and diverse company, so please be respectful of your
colleagues from around the world
 Be mindful of how your comments can be perceived by or offensive to others, and ensure any
comments are in the spirit of Our Ford+ Behaviors

Session Guidelines:
My role as People Leader or volunteer facilitator is to:
 Provide time management - the session is only 60 - 90 minutes. (90 is recommended)
 If necessary, you may need to stop a conversation that is going on too long. It is
important to allow all participants to have an opportunity to share their story.
 Ensure that respect, positive intent, and emotional safety are maintained at all times.
 Foster civility – It is okay to disagree. Stay focused on the ideas shared and not the people sharing.
 Correct misinformation and ask for clarification when you hear something that may be incorrect or
unclear.
 Protect boundaries. Please do not identify or share the comments and experiences of others; however,
participants may choose to share his/her/their own experiences from the discussion.
 Be prepared to deal with tense or emotional moments.
• If this happens, remain calm and try to turn it into a learning experience. Don’t avoid the
issue but do defer it until you make a plan for dealing with it, if necessary.

Kick off the Session:

 (SAY) “I want to thank everyone for joining the discussion today. Engaging in the Real Talk will be one
of the ways we can execute and deliver on the Ford+ Behavior, care for each other.”
 (SAY) “Although I am not a trained professional on this topic, and I am not here to teach
you; I am here to help guide the discussion today and support our fluency around this
topic.”
 (DO) Have yourself or someone on the team read aloud the "Why are we having this
session?" slide.
 (SAY) The purpose of today is to courageously engage in discussion and to practice
listening deeply and empathetically, in order to learn more to give us the tools to create
a culture of belonging.
 (SAY) I want to remind everyone that this is not a discussion to solve - it is truly an
opportunity to listen, learn, and share.
 (DO) Read aloud the Rules of Engagement before moving on to the “Team Content and
Discussion” slide. (Please use the corresponding discussion guide for thought-starters)
 (DO) Play or read group content – follow-up with the “more team interaction” suggestion from
the discussion guide if desired, highly recommended
 (DO) Have yourself or someone on the team read aloud the ‘highlight moment” on the Team
Content and Discussion slide before getting into the first discussion question
 (DO) Have yourself or someone on your team read aloud the Breakout Guidelines slide the
group prior to placing your group into their rooms (Only read this slide if you are utilizing
breakrooms for your session)
 (SAY) “I would like everyone to take a minute and grab a screenshot of the discussion question
slide” (Only say this if you will be utilizing breakrooms for your session)
Facilitation Breakout Groups Guide:

The numbers below are only a guide designed to promote open dialogue and to maximize participation. It is
encouraged to limit the total number of people in a session to ~30 participants.

# of Participants Minimum # breakout groups Ideal # of breakout groups

6-10 none 2
10+ none 2
20+ 2 4
30 3 6
Breakout Room Recommendations:
 Determine how many breakout rooms you will have prior to the discussion
 Have a stationary facilitator in each of your breakout rooms, if possible. Facilitators can include:
 The People Leader (mandatory)
 Team Members (highly recommended)
 For team members who will be helping you facilitate the breakout rooms, please provide them with this
guide and the discussion guide for that session.

Close the session:

 (DO) Summarize - At the end of the discussion, summarize the main points.
 (DO) Make a reference to the “Resources” slides and encourage continued learning and mental health.
 (SAY) “Thank you everyone for being brave and vulnerable in sharing your stories. We truly appreciate
everyone practicing empathetic listening.”
 (SAY) “I’d like to remind everyone about confidentiality… what happens in Real Talk, stays in
Real Talk. I’d also like to encourage you to identify “One Thing” that you will do to cultivate a
culture of belonging at Ford.”
 (DO) Encourage reflection.
o (SAY) “I’d like to encourage everyone to actively reflect on the comments made by other
participants, especially those you may disagree with.”
 (DO) Share your closing remarks and end the session
 (SAY) “Would you like to share any brief closing remarks?” (If you are not the People Leader)

Escalation Process Protocol:

Our company has a zero-tolerance policy against harassment and discrimination. In the event of trolling,
cyber bullying, defamation of personal character or company reputation, harassment, retaliation, etc. Please
engage the following process:
STEP 1 First, remind all chat participants of the Online Chat Guidelines (copy and paste guidelines
into chat).
STEP 2 If the behaviors continue:
Contact the participant directly via WebEx teams or email (cc:divinc@ford.com). Only
provide the following guidance:

Understanding experiences of others different from yourself is critical to gaining empathy

and ‘opening our eyes’ where and when our Ford team members have not experienced a
feeling of belonging. We would like to remind you to remain respectful and openly engage
as you continue in this session. In the event behaviors continue that are not aligned with Our
Truths, the Diversity and Inclusion Office and the PeopleMatters team will be involved.
STEP 3 If the behaviors continue or there is a repeat offender:
Send an email to member of the DEI Team and cc: PeopleMatters:

Diversity, Equity andInclusion Team: divinc@ford.com or Lori Costew (LCOSTEW),

Amal Berry (ABERRY66), Michelle Miller (MPAINT12), Niambi Powell (NCHILDR1), and
Courtney Bryant (BRYAN77)
PeopleMatters: activity@ford.com or Laura Howlett-Saale (LHOWLET1)

In the event of severe or urgent matters, please WebEx Team chat a member of the
Diversity Team directly.