Sensitivity training, also known as diversity training, is a type of program designed to help facilitate respect between groups that include people with different genders, religions, ages, races, or sexual orientations. The exact procedures can vary depending on the leader of the training, but typically involve lectures, discussions, and exercises to help participants understand and respect one another. The training can be implemented anywhere, but tends to be most common in workplaces and educational environments.
Discussion between participants is usually one of the main focuses of training. Sensitivity training often begins with an instructor asking participants to bring up any issues of concern that they face in the work or school environment. The instructor generally encourages participants to give their perspectives and work together as a team to come up with alternative ways to deal with conflicts and to better communicate with one another. Participants may also perform role-playing exercises, in which the instructor comes up with various conflict scenarios and has them act out the most effective ways to handle various situations with different types of people without tension.