Diversity and Inclusion Training Through Drama-Based Learning

At Steps, we deliver impactful diversity and inclusion training through immersive drama-based learning that reflects the real challenges and behaviours seen in workplaces today. With over 30 years of expertise in drama-based training, we’ve worked with organisations across the globe to build more inclusive, respectful, and high-performing workplace cultures.

If you’re exploring ways to foster diversity and inclusion within your team, our experiential approach offers something truly different. We don’t just inform, we challenge thinking, surface bias, and equip people with the skills to act differently.

Whether you’re a people leader, HR professional, or part of a wider transformation initiative, we’re here to support your journey with learning that resonates and lasts. Talk to us today to explore how our approach could align with your goals and the realities of your workplace.

Understanding Diversity and Inclusion in the Modern Workplace

The workplace today brings together people from a wide range of backgrounds, identities and lived experiences. Embracing this diversity is not only about doing what’s right, but also key to stronger collaboration, innovation and trust. Workplace inclusion fosters an environment where everyone feels they can contribute fully and is treated with fairness and respect.

This is where the importance of DEI training becomes clear. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not achieved through policy alone; they require awareness, commitment, and consistent action. One of the most common challenges is unconscious bias, which can affect everyday decisions and behaviours without people realising it. Through structured learning and honest reflection, people begin to recognise these patterns and develop more inclusive ways of working.

From Compliance to Culture: The Need for Meaningful Change

For many organisations, diversity and inclusion begin with mandatory training focused on policy and legal compliance. While this is an essential step, it rarely leads to lasting behavioural change or a sense of shared ownership. To make a real difference, inclusion must be something people live and practise every day.

That shift requires moving beyond information towards meaningful engagement. People need opportunities to explore their behaviour, see the impact of their choices, and build the confidence to do things differently. This is where drama-based learning truly shines, providing space for reflection, dialogue, and practical exploration of real-world workplace challenges.

We work alongside people to help them make inclusion part of their daily culture, not just a concept they’ve heard about. When behaviour begins to shift from within, the change is more authentic, more sustainable, and more powerful.

Our Drama-Based Approach to DEI

At Steps, we use drama-based, experiential learning to support real behavioural change around diversity, equity and inclusion. Our sessions reflect the real-life experiences and challenges people face in the workplace, capturing subtle behaviours, language and tone that influence how inclusion is felt and practised.

Through immersive training, participants observe, discuss and sometimes step into situations that mirror everyday working relationships. This enables meaningful reflection and constructive dialogue in a safe environment. Rather than offering a prescriptive set of actions, we encourage curiosity, empathy and honest engagement.

By engaging both thought and emotion, this approach enables participants to shift from awareness to accountability. Inclusion becomes something participants actively practise within their working lives.

See, Own, Change, Live – Our Behaviour Change Model

Our Steps to Change model sits at the core of our methodology. It provides a structured process for enabling lasting behaviour change, guiding participants from awareness to action in four progressive stages:

• See It – Participants recognise the behaviours that currently exist and explore how those behaviours impact others, both positively and negatively.
• Own It – The focus shifts to personal reflection. Everyone considers their role in sustaining or challenging the culture around them.
• Change It – With support, participants experiment with new approaches and practise more inclusive behaviours through role-play and guided exercises.
• Live It – Learning is then embedded through reinforcement, feedback and workplace application, helping inclusive behaviours become part of everyday working life.

This structured process supports real change, not just in what people understand, but in how they choose to act.

Key Learning Outcomes

Our programmes equip participants with skills and insights that they can apply directly to their day-to-day work. Key outcomes include:

• The ability to recognise and respond to non-inclusive behaviour
• Deeper insight into unconscious bias and its everyday impact
• Practical communication tools grounded in empathy and respectful challenge
• Greater confidence to demonstrate active allyship in real scenarios
• A clearer understanding of inclusive behaviours and their role in team dynamics
• Enhanced cultural competence for working in diverse environments
• A sense of personal responsibility for shaping a more inclusive culture

These outcomes are grounded in participants’ own experiences, ensuring they are meaningful, relevant, and long-lasting.

Workshop Themes and Formats

At Steps, our drama-based learning programmes are designed to be flexible and fully tailored, ensuring each session reflects the lived realities of your workplace. We offer a wide range of diversity and inclusion training themes; each grounded in current challenges and rooted in behavioural change.

Common areas of focus include:

• Inclusive Leadership: Equipping managers and leaders to role-model inclusive behaviour, support diverse teams, and lead with empathy.
• Unconscious Bias Training: Exploring the often-hidden drivers of exclusion and helping individuals identify, interrupt, and reduce bias in real time.
• Microaggressions Workshops: Highlighting the impact of subtle, everyday exclusions and offering language, tools, and techniques to respond constructively.
• Allyship and Advocacy: Supporting individuals to speak up, support others, and create psychologically safe spaces.
• Respect and Belonging: Helping teams build cultures where difference is not just accepted but actively valued.

We deliver these themes across multiple formats: in-person, virtual learning, and blended sessions. Each is adaptable to group size, location, and organisational structure. Whether for a group of senior leaders or a global team, we scale our work to suit. Sessions range from short, focused modules to full-day experiences and multi-phase programmes, supported by post-session resources to embed learning.

Delivering Bespoke DEI Training for Managers and Teams

At Steps, we design and deliver equality, diversity, and inclusion training tailored to the needs of different roles and levels within an organisation. We understand that effective learning looks different for someone in a leadership position than it does for a team member.

For managers, our programmes focus on their ability to influence culture. Sessions explore how to lead conversations, model inclusive behaviour, and build fairness and accountability into everyday decision-making.

For teams, the emphasis is on shared ownership and inclusive collaboration. Through real-life scenarios, we explore assumptions and interpersonal habits that shape workplace dynamics and offer alternatives that foster trust and respect.

Each programme is built around the real challenges and language of the people in the room. From scoping to delivery, every detail is shaped to be practical, relatable and immediately usable, making our workplace DEI programmes both effective and enduring.

Why Choose Steps Drama for Your DEI Journey?

We bring together decades of experience in drama-based training with a deep understanding of how real behavioural change happens in the workplace. Our approach doesn’t rely on abstract theory or one-size-fits-all content, it’s grounded in the everyday realities your people face, brought to life through expertly crafted, interactive learning experiences.

What sets us apart is how we work: always in partnership, always bespoke. We don’t just deliver sessions; we help organisations build the conditions for an inclusive culture to grow. That means learning that resonates, challenges, and sticks.

Our global team of DEI experts and facilitators are skilled in holding space for honest reflection, difficult conversations, and practical application. Whether you’re looking to shift attitudes, develop inclusive leadership, or strengthen allyship across regions, we have the capability and sensitivity to support your goals.

Choosing Steps means working with a partner who understands the nuances and complexities of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and who will help you move from intention to action with care, creativity, and impact.

Get in Touch to Start Your DEI Journey

If you’re ready to take the next step in creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re exploring options for your leadership team, wider workforce, or a global rollout, our team is here to support you with tailored, drama-based DEI training.

You can call us directly on +44 (0) 20 7403 9000, email us at mail@stepsdrama.com, or get in touch through our contact form. Let’s start a conversation about what meaningful change could look like in your organisation and how we can help you bring it to life.