Benefits of Diverse Perspectives

When I was 9 years old, my family moved from Long Island, New York, to Alief, Texas. Before the move, I imagined we’d be living the Texas lifestyle I’d seen on TV: riding horses, milking cows, and wearing cowboy hats while listening to country music.

To my surprise, there were no cows or horses in our neighborhood, the radio played plenty of popular songs like “Y.M.C.A.,” and western wear was entirely optional.

What was new was the diversity of people around me. They reflected a much wider range of backgrounds than I had encountered before, including first-generation Indian and Vietnamese families, a thriving Mexican American community, many more Christians, and far fewer Jews. Everyone was kind and generous, even though our Long Island accents made us seem like transplants from another galaxy.

Growing up in Texas challenged my assumptions and broadened my perspective in ways that might never have happened had I stayed in my Long Island bubble. (It also neutralized my accent, which was a gift.)

When I started coaching speakers, I noticed a new, specific benefit of diversity: Engaging with new people and perspectives makes us better communicators.

Nonprofit marketing communications leader Laurie Beacham also sees diversity as a communication advantage. “Exposing ourselves to diverse groups of people not only makes us better neighbors, advocates, and people, but also better communicators,” she says. “The more we listen to and engage with the world around us, the richer our own worldview becomes, and the more effective we are at influencing that world through communication.”

Diversity goes beyond the obvious, visible categories. In communication, it takes many forms, including public speaking experience; life experience; cultural, racial, ethnic, and religious perspectives; gender and age differences; geographic and socioeconomic differences; and educational and professional backgrounds.

Here are five ways exposure to these types of diversity—and more—benefit communicators.

1. You become a better listener.

   Connections to new people become valuable when you listen to learn. That means being curious, listening without distractions, asking clarifying questions instead of making assumptions, and understanding the speaker’s point of view before responding with your own.

   “Listening is not simply waiting for your turn to talk. It is an act of respect,” says Jackie Stavros, a management professor, consultant, and co-author of Conversations Worth Having.“ When we tune in with genuine curiosity, we create the conditions for the other person to feel seen and heard, which changes the quality of the entire conversation.”

   Will Baker, director of the NYU Global Debate Fund, agrees that better listening leads to deeper understanding and richer conversations. “People are more open to your perspective when they feel heard themselves,” he says.

2. You check assumptions and reduce bias.

   “Experiencing diversity is about more than hearing different voices,” says Angela Kariotis, director of transformative learning at Brookdale Community College and a writer and performer who explores identity, culture, and communication. “It’s about becoming the kind of person who can be changed by them.”

   That may make us think twice about communication shortcuts we sometimes rely on, like making broad cultural assumptions and using idioms not everyone understands.

   “Communication succeeds when we first notice and consider our assumptions, our emotions, and our audience,” says Stavros. “Diversity strengthens that awareness so we can apply it before we speak.”

   Working with diverse groups also encourages you to see people as individuals rather than demographic categories, and consider your own perspective.

   “Diversity doesn’t require us to abandon our beliefs,” Kariotis says. “It asks us to examine how we came to hold them.”

   “When we encounter people whose backgrounds and perspectives differ from our own, our assumptions are tested, and we develop the courage to reconsider our views when new understanding calls for it,” she adds.

3. You gain new perspectives.

   Exposure to unfamiliar experiences introduces you to new ideas and ways of seeing the world.

   "Diversity expands what we consider legitimate knowledge,” Kariotis says. “From oral tradition to personal narratives, diversity reminds us that wisdom is found not just in the words of those we consider wise, but in neighborhoods and communities we’ve never visited or learned from.”

   Diversity in groups can improve decision-making by introducing a wider range of viewpoints and interpretations. Baker has seen this dynamic play out in competitive debate.

   “When women and other underrepresented groups entered competitive debate in larger numbers, they introduced perspectives on poverty, disability, inequality, and feminism that challenged longstanding assumptions,” he said. “Those ideas enriched the discourse and started conversations.”

   Stavros recommends drawing out fresh ideas through open-ended, curiosity-driven prompts that “invite stories, reflections, possibilities, and deeper meaning.” Good questions avoid yes-or-no answers and include inquiries like “What do you think?” and “How do you see it?” “

   In diverse groups, a good question can build trust, surface wisdom that would otherwise never be heard, and move us from assuming we understand to actually understanding,” she says.

4. You communicate more clearly.

   Using insider language, jargon, or acronyms can lead to confusion. On LinkedIn, I frequently see the acronyms CTA, CTR, CTF, CTT, CTI, KPI, ROI, SQL, CRM, and my favorite, TOFU (“top of the funnel,” if you must know), but I don’t always know what they mean.

   Exposure to people outside your usual circles helps you spot these pitfalls before they confuse your audience. It can also introduce you to clearer ways to express your ideas.

5. You demonstrate greater empathy.

   Empathy is a cornerstone of meaningful connections, and we convey it more effectively when we better understand the people we’re communicating with.

   Research by psychologist Adam Galinsky and his colleagues shows that imagining another person’s point of view can improve your ability to interpret their intentions accurately and reduce biased assumptions.

   The more you engage with people whose backgrounds, priorities, and experiences differ from your own, the better equipped you are to understand what matters to them and why.

How to Build More Diverse Connections

Opening yourself up to different people and perspectives isn’t hard, but it does require intention. You can build meaningful connections in Toastmasters clubs, where members often reflect a wide range of cultures, ages, professions, and levels of experience.

“When I moved from Pakistan to Missouri in 2019, I struggled with speaking in front of groups and understanding the local dialect,” says Waqas Ur Rehman, a public speaking coach for tech leaders. “But when I joined the Ozark Orators Club, the members were not only welcoming but genuinely interested in my background.

“I still love being part of a local Toastmasters club,” he adds. “Our cultural differences make our club stronger—they expand our knowledge, sharpen our communication skills, and deepen our appreciation for new perspectives.”

Attending District events, holding officer positions, and competing in speech contests can introduce you to Toastmasters from other clubs and communities, multiplying the benefits of diversity.

Just as I learned when I moved from New York to Texas, diversity delivers far more than new experiences. It teaches us to listen more carefully, question our assumptions more often, and communicate more effectively with a wider range of people. Those experiences won’t always happen by chance. You need to seek them out and make the most of them.

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