It is necessary for the listener to affirm what he or she understands. Lack of these skills can create an escalating dynamic that invites confusion, deeper misunderstandings and can result in serious conflict. Better communication skills would not be a panacea for racial and gender-based discrimination, but they could help reduce the scope and severity of the symptoms. Barriers to Responding People who experience or witness discrimination are distracted from their learning and ability to work effectively. Students and trainees are dependent on the people who train them.
Employees are dependent on their supervisors for their livelihood.
There is a tension between taking the risk to challenge poor behavior, even in a friendly and constructive manner, and choosing to remain silent, which can appear as approval or acceptance of mean-spirited comments or behaviors. When observers, who are of equal or higher status, choose to ignore disrespect, it is little wonder that those less powerful choose to remain silent. Yet, people who fail to speak up report feeling disgusted with themselves as well as the situation. There are both formal and informal complaint mechanisms designed to look into concerns. These approaches make every effort to minimize retaliatory consequences and to prevent further mistreatment.