Developing a Multi-Cultural Practice & Marketing: Breaking through Unconscious
Stereotyping or Distorted Perception
By Dolores P. Martin, Esq. and Andre DeLoach, BA, MA.
HANDOUTS & BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Program Description & Objectives:
Effectively mediating with participants from different cultures requires understanding of
culturally fueled expectations & reservations. This understanding is vital in doing
outreach, ads, & social media interaction in order to grow a multi-cultural practice.
This program is about discovering new perspectives, opening ourselves to a new
awareness of race, ethnicity & culture. It will consist of a general lecture regarding
dominant vs. non-dominant cultural norms, unconscious stereotyping and expectations.
We hope to explore the idea that “A ‘One Size’ culture does not necessarily fit all”.
Case in point: Consider what an average American looks like. What do they eat?
Where do they live? What do their family and friends look like?
Our society condemns overt racism and prejudice, however, prejudice that is not
immediately apparent and quite often unconscious remains hidden, often manifesting in
ways that go unawares by the individual who is acting. There are times that it is even
undetected by the victim because of prevailing cultural conditioning.
The workshop discussion will include explanation of research done regarding how
individuals carry unconscious expectations, attitudes or narrow focus when meeting and
dealing with people from other cultures than our own dominant one. These things can
affect our ability to provide the best service to our clients during sessions that require
great diplomacy and a truly open mind. As mediators and attorneys we do “spot
evaluations” of clients, witnesses, and mediation participants. By developing a “open
minded” cultural reference, we can better assist in pointing out likely areas of consensus
and solicit resolutions that each side may not have considered absent the mediator’s
sensitivity to culturally driven positions.
The interactive exercise is designed to include all participants in a cultural evaluation
exercise. The practice provides for anonymous sharing of the evaluation and feedback
discussion from fellow participants creating a safe atmosphere in which to develop
diversity awareness.
This is followed by a practical application of such knowledge to marketing factors in
doing outreach to grow a multi-cultural practice. This session will explain the use of a
“Value Proposition Design” Model. The model takes into account what one’s target
clients really want and need in terms of alternative dispute services by knowledgably
addressing their likely issues with regard to family, business, legal and community.
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Discussion of objectives and means that would have value for various non-dominate
cultures serves to enhance the mediator and/or attorney’s ability to promote themselves
as informed and culturally understanding individuals.
© 2013 by Dolores P. Martin
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Using Value Proposition Design to Build a Multicultural Practice:
A Suggested Method
NB: Please download Pdf. illustration of Value Design Schema available on
www.ocmediationconference.org as part of registration materials. It will be used in the workshop and is
part of this handout & bibliography.
STEP 1
Write your business hypotheses regarding what you believe your customer’s most
important jobs, pains, and desired gains are

State how you believe socio-cultural factors might your prospective customer’s
jobs, pains, and gains, if at all
STEP 2
Test the validity of your hypotheses with prospective customers “in the field”

Be sure to field test your hypotheses with individuals who closely resemble your
target customer(s) in terms of the multicultural factors in which you are most
interested

Be mindful of the fact that socio-cultural factors may significantly influence how
you complete this step!
STEP 3
Determine which of your hypotheses were validated and which were not

Can you discern any socio-cultural patterns that based on your collected data?

Were you surprised by the results? Were your hypotheses and assumptions
supported? Were they contradicted?
STEP 4
Make a determination whether to (1) proceed with designing (or modifying) your
products & services, (2) gather additional prospective customer feedback, or (3) halt the
inquiry altogether

You may decide to halt or postpone the inquiry at this stage because you’ve
learned that you need to substantially deepen your understanding of your target
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customer before proceeding further OR because you don’t have the needed
resources to deliver the required level of customer value indicated by the data.
STEP 5
Tentatively design or modify your products and/or services based on the supported
hypotheses and related feedback
STEP 6
Field test your products & services to determine if they deliver the value customers want

This is an ideal time to seek feedback on what type of relationship the customers
want to have with you and how they want you to communicate with them

Similar to your earlier hypothesis testing, now test the validity of your products &
services with individuals who closely resemble your target customer(s) especially
in terms of multicultural factors
STEP 7
Determine whether to continue offering your new products & services, modify them, or
to discontinue them
The suggested method outlined above is based, in part, on the Customer Development
Model created by Steve Blank (www.steveblank.com) as presented in the May 2013
Harvard Business Review article entitled: Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything
https://hbr.org/2013/05/why-the-lean-start-up-changes-everything/ar/1
and
on the Value Proposition Design model created by Alexander Osterwalder, Yves
Pigneur, and Alan Smith as presented in the following BusinessAlchemist.com articles
entitled:
Achieve Product-Market Fit with Our Brand-New Value Proposition Designer Canvas
http://businessmodelalchemist.com/blog/2012/08/achieve-product-market-fit-with-ourbrand-new-value-proposition-designer.html
Test Your Value Proposition: Supercharge Lean Startup and CustDev Principles
http://businessmodelalchemist.com/blog/2012/09/test-your-value-propositionsupercharge-lean-startup-and-custdev-principles.html
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PROGRAM BIBLIOGRAPHY: RACE, ETHNICITY & CULTURE*
*This program is about discovering new perspectives, opening ourselves to a new
awareness of race, ethnicity & culture. A bibliography is provided as a tool to assist
participants in their self-education. It is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather a starting
point for consideration of issues, exposure to new images and ideas.
BOOKS:
“Issues in Racism” by Mary E. Williams, Lucent Books, Inc.,
“On Toleration” by Michael Walzer, Yale University Press
“The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindedness” by Michelle
Alexander, The New Press, Inc.
“The Nature of Prejudice” by Gordon W. Allport, Ph.D., Basic Books.
“Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools: Differences That Make a Difference” by Howard
D. Stevenson
“The Roundhouse” by Louise Erdrich
WEBCASTS/ FILMS:
“America by the Numbers | The New Mad Men (Preview)” by Maria Hinojosa| PBShttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQWpgSIt8Qk
“The Domestic Crusaders” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-SG5rc1wDA
[4:00min]
Wajahat Ali's "The Domestic Crusaders" - a 2 Act drama/comedy about an American
Muslim family living in a post 9-11 world
“The Tech Awards 2014 Gala – Khan Academy Salman Khan” – The Tech Museum
of Innovation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-SG5rc1wDA [6:02 min]
“30 Days 30 Mosques” by Bassam Tariq and Aman Ali - Stand-up comedian Aman Ali
and filmmaker Bassam Tariq drove across the US to visit 30 mosques in 30 states over
the 30 days of the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting and spiritual purification for
Muslims. It is a journey that covered 12,000 miles. And they have been blogging
throughout.
“The New Black” by Yoruba Richen - the story of how the African-American
community is grappling with the gay rights issue in light of the recent gay marriage
movement and the fight over civil rights.
NOTE: The presenters do not benefit from the sale or recommendation of books or articles listed above.
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Annotated Bibliography and Suggestions for Further
Reading Related to Value Proposition Design
BOOKS:
“Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services that Customers
Want” by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur (2014)

This book provides an in-depth explanation of the Value Proposition Design
concepts and model showcased in this conference session. The authors guide
readers through a step-by-step process of using their model, utilizing richly
colored illustrations and down-to-earth language to communicate their ideas.
“Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and
Challengers”, by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur (2010)

This is the initial publication of the book series created by Osterwalder and
Pigneur. This book offers a detailed introduction the Business Model Canvas, of
which the Value Proposition Canvas is a derivative. Even though seemingly
written for a somewhat more traditional business audience, the text is very
accessible to the diligent reader without a business background. Also, the major
concepts of the book are equally applicable to leaders in the nonprofit sector.
“Business Model You: A One-Page Method for Reinventing Your Career” by Tim Clark
with Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur (2012)

This book demonstrates how individuals can use the Business Model Canvas to
map out new career directions for themselves. A unique and inspirational feature
of the book is the use of success stories of people who have used successfully
used the canvas and related concepts to jump-start their careers. Business
Model You may prove especially useful to alternate dispute resolution specialists
who are interested in launching their own practice or for those who want to be
bring out innovation in the field.
ARTICLE:
“Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything” by Steven Blank, Harvard Business
Review (journal) (May 2013)

Veteran entrepreneur and educator, Steve Blank, explains how one might use his
Customer Development approach alongside the Business Model Canvas in a
synergistic way.
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Read online: https://hbr.org/2013/05/why-the-lean-start-up-changes-everything/ar/1
NOTE: The presenters do not benefit from the sale or recommendation of books or
articles listed above.
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