Should I let employees participate and help teach in the workplace diversity training?

Ms. Mason,

I would recommend for the first training session to be inclusive of cross-functional members/employees. The "pros" would have an insight into the culture of the organization and be prepared to adapt part of their presentation to the actual client. Definitively, the presenters would plan for a Q & A session at the end of each segment, so all attendees are afforded to participate and/seek clarifications. Taking it from an HR perspective, I don't see a hurdle in having your own employees taking part in the presentation/training sessions, i.e. provided they are qualified. That would be cost-effective if you are seeking to train a larger group, and beneficial in terms of talent development in the organization.

I think there is real value in allowing employees to participate wherever possible. Make the expectations of their role very clear as in : reviewing Q and A, making recommendations, team teaching, etc to clarify boundaries up front so you don't have hurt feelings later.
In order for diversity training or any other iniative to really take hold you need a sense of buy in and ownership.
I try to use employee committees to work in most initiatives I do for clients for that reason. I provide technical expertise, facilitation, and project management.
If they get "fingerprints" on it they are much more likely to support it.
I have found culture kills strategy every time- outsiders will never know your issues as well as you do.

I would caution against using them in most of the training due to legal issues that arise on most topics discussed. The employee would be, however, a great source for role play participants if that is going to be included in the training.

There is no easy answer for this one. There are many variables to consider. For instance, if you encourage employees to participate in the training, will the rest of the employees listen as carefully? How is the employee who is training others regarded by the group being trained? How good is the person at presenting? Even if well-liked/respected, if the presentation is dull, the audience has (mentally), left the building.

Participating on a panel might be very good, particularly if the employees can provide vivid accounts of their own experience. Having employees on the panel can add credibility and interest.

Be sure you know approximately what panel members or trainers believe about diversity! Once the person is upfront, it will be too late to rein him/her in.

Great question Donna. I like diversity training that involves employees. A positive way to involve employees is to encourage open and deeper discussion, communication and participation during the training. Perhaps the firm you're using would be able to facilitate activities where people could share their talents and perspectives. Another idea might be to use your employees' skills to keep your diversity program going, sort of like a train the trainer model.

I've found that the most effective diversity training is the one that goes beyond describing differences to helping people examine their own beliefs and impact on creating an inclusive work environment. A helpful approach is for people to determine what diversity means to them on the inside rather than having someone tell them from the outside. http://www.guyfarmer.com/diversity

It depends on the individuals you choose, I find that most people lack the patience necessary to be effective trainers no matter how good their communication skills are.

If you are going to develop their training skills to do this kind of workshop, which takes time to do, are they going to deliver anything else in the future? If not it's probably not the best use of your time and theirs.

I have to be honest though, I find diversity training suspect at best. It's another form of training with no real measurable outcomes in the workplace and little to no demonstrable ROI.