This extract from Building a Culture of Inclusivity by Advita Patel and Priya Bates is © 2023 and reproduced with permission from Kogan Page Ltd. All rights reserved.
Words are powerful. They can inspire, motivate and persuade or cause harm, annoyance, rage and upset. Words can influence how we interact, from the people we communicate with within our community to those we vote for in power. How we communicate can also influence culture and behaviours in our organizations. Think about your organization or an organization you’ve worked at previously. Did you ever feel you had to adjust the way you spoke or wrote your emails? Did you at any point feel uncomfortable at some of the words people used? When we’re embedded in an organization’s culture it’s difficult to spot issues with how people communicate. Which is why it’s important to take a step back and reflect on whether or not the language we use is contributing to the oppressive systems that often surround underrepresented groups of people.
Inclusion and accessibility expert Ettie Bailey-King argues that we need to go a step further in our quest to build an inclusive culture. She believes that our focus shouldn’t only be on inclusion but on anti-oppression (Bailey-King, 2022). We believe Bailey-King has a valid point. We don’t live in a world that’s equitable. However, changing the environment around us so we build equitable ways of working shouldn’t be dependent on a handful of people. We all must take responsibility and ensure that we take a stand on how we deconstruct the oppressive systems that surround us. We know it’s not easy to develop new habits in writing or speaking. It takes months of unlearning, intentional effort, mistakes and overcoming fear, but when consideration is given to how we communicate inclusively, the organization, the people we work with and the systems that surround us will see tangible benefits.
In this chapter we will:
What we’ve shared in this chapter is intended as a guide to help start the conversation in your organization. We can’t cover every nuance or phrase. There will be terms stated which will ignite debate and discussion. There will also be words we’ve suggested you use that will evoke anger and annoyance. It’s okay for you to feel that way. It takes time for people to understand the rationale, and time is sometimes something we don’t give ourselves. However, whether you take our guidance or not, knowing how some words could cause direct or indirect hurt and exclusion is essential.
An important point to note. It’s not our role, as communication professionals, to be the ‘language police’ and tell every person we meet what they should and shouldn’t say. But it’s our job to lead by example, influence and educate where we can through the stories we share and the campaigns we promote. We must ask questions and be curious on why certain words and language are used to describe situations or people. Ask curious questions and encourage a discussion – it’s the only way to break down boundaries, cultivate change and help people feel included in our workplace.
Throughout this book, we have shared our thoughts and research on why cultivating inclusion is essential and how we can address some key challenges in organizations as communication professionals. We’ve explored how an inclusive culture can help organizations increase their profitability, performance and overall engagement in the workplace. However, a crucial part of cultivating inclusion depends on how people in our organization feel included in the conversations and the communications we share across the workplace.
Inclusive language is the words and phrases that avoid biases, slang and expressions that discriminate against people based on their identities. Cultivating an inclusive culture is impossible if we don’t understand why inclusive language is critical to help people belong and feel included. It can take conscious effort and continued learning to communicate without bias and discrimination. As well as avoiding offence, it ensures that we treat everyone with dignity and as equal members of our community. You might be reading this and believing that sometimes we take inclusive language too far and that it’s impossible to say anything without someone correcting you. But here’s the thing. Language constantly changes: how we describe things, reference people and introduce new words to our vocabulary. Our everyday speech is full of new words, helping us express ideas that didn’t exist 20 years ago, like Google, blog, paywall, etc. If you believe things are changing too quickly or people take more offence now than before, we suggest you take some time to understand your biases and beliefs. You can’t build inclusion or use inclusive words if your barriers and beliefs hold you back. It’s okay to disagree with some of our explanations, terms and references in this chapter, but it’s not okay to completely disregard how language can help improve belonging.
From the work we’ve undertaken over the years and from external research, belonging can be challenging if you don’t see yourself represented in any form of communication (Deloitte, 2021). The conversation around inclusive language, specifically around gender, has been bubbling away for a few hundred years, but some believe it was a movement that started in the early 2000s. In fact, discussions on gender-neutral terminology have been an ongoing debate since as far back as 1375 when the singular ‘they’ appeared in the medieval romance William and the Werewolf, to describe an unnamed person. However, grammar purists argued that using the singular ‘they’ was an error because a plural pronoun can’t be used as singular (Learn English, 2019). However, ‘you’ was a plural pronoun that had become singular, replaced with thou, thee and thy, and was used as singular for centuries (City of West Hollywood, 2018). So you could argue whether the debate was really about grammar or more that some grammar traditionalists (the majority of them male) feared losing dominant masculine language demonstrating power and hierarchy.
In the 1970s, Casey Miller and Kate Swift, both American feminists, created a manual called The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing (Miller and Swift, 2000). The book stated that the existing sexist language in literature excluded women, and gender-neutral terms should be used in writing. Simultaneously, conversations about gender ideologies in academia were being discussed, and in 1975 the National Council of Teachers of English published a set of guidelines on the use of non-sexist language. This publication led to backlash from purists who believed that the guidelines were ‘mischievous and unnecessary’ (Alter and Millicent, 1976). However, this backlash wasn’t only pertinent to the 1970s. In 2019 the European Commission’s inclusive language guidelines sparked controversy (Boffey, 2021). The handbook set out gender-neutral forms of address and other phrases to ensure that all Europeans felt included in communications. However, the critics of the manual stated that the guidelines were trying to erase Christian beliefs (it was suggested that the word Christmas should be avoided). Critics believed that the handbook was in danger of dividing communities. The inclusive handbook was withdrawn with the promise of an updated version to be published. There’s no doubt some mistakes were made with the handbook, but ultimately this demonstrates that some people are uncomfortable with change. To be told what to say and not to say can cause conflict and resistance. For some, things are moving quickly, and for others, not quickly enough, which often leads to conflict.
To address some of the conflicts you may face when supporting organizations with inclusive language support, you may need to explain the why behind the change. In this book, we’ve tried to explain the importance of understanding the ‘why’ behind diversity, equity and inclusion. Why is it important to you? Why is it important to your leaders? Why is it important to your colleagues? And why is it important to your organization? And if it isn’t essential, then understanding the reason why that is the case is equally important:
If you don’t have open and honest conversations about the blockers and barriers, then like the European Union inclusive language guide, there’s the risk that people will resent it rather than see it as a tool to support them.
Before you can start to create a document, like inclusive language guides, you have to understand the purpose. You must understand your workforce, what matters to them and what they need from the guide. This research will allow you to create something meaningful for your organization or clients. Difficult conversations shouldn’t stop work from progressing. We’re in danger of losing the art of communication thanks to fear that often surrounds us because we’re afraid to make mistakes or learn how to have productive disagreements. You need to enter those discussions with an understanding that everyone will have a different point of view (we’re not a monolith) and listen to what some people are telling you.
As we said earlier, the way we speak and write constantly changes based on new technologies, products, experiences, migration, trade, the environment and social change. The explosion of new technology has created a whole other world of language, where people now use symbols, gifs, emojis and abbreviated words like ‘lol’ (laughing out loud) and ‘IMO’ (in my opinion) to communicate with each other. As we travel and experience new cultures, we adopt words from many different places, such as sushi, shampoo and a la carte. We create new words by combining words such as brunch (breakfast and lunch). The reason for sharing these examples is to demonstrate that even though some believe that changing how we communicate is too ‘politically correct’ or ‘woke’, we’ve continuously evolved our language and are capable of adapting. It doesn’t matter what dialect we speak. We need to continue to be curious, ask questions and avoid assumptions.
How we communicate can help build relationships and forge connections. For many, language has been embedded in our vocabulary through learned behaviours, repetition and culture. But when we don’t have exposure to communities different from ours, we will struggle to understand how for some, the words we use can be steeped in negativity. This can often create barriers in systems and processes around us, which can discriminate against people based on their age, disability, ethnicity, gender, race and sexual orientation. To create a fairer and more equitable society, we must be aware of how we contribute to these oppressive systems that directly or indirectly impact underrepresented people.
Changing our mindset around common terminologies that are not considered inclusive can be complicated and sensitive. How we communicate with others is beyond the workplace, and often our friends and family can significantly influence our language and words. Many of us don’t realize that some of what we write or say may be offensive to others or that certain words may imply bias or discrimination against someone’s characteristics. It’s important to note that when you start observing your language and some of the terms you may use, it can bring discomfort. We may get defensive or feel ashamed that we’ve been using phrases and words that some people may have been hurt by or found uncomfortable. But this is all part of learning, and rather than feeling defensive, it’s critical to keep in mind the ALLMe 4A framework we shared in Chapter 6: acknowledgment, awareness, action and accountability. To create an inclusive culture in our organizations, we must go outside our comfort zones and be prepared to adopt an inclusive mindset.
It can be challenging to do this when each person has different preferences and a unique background. But to foster a culture of inclusivity and to ensure you’re using terms that are free of bias, discrimination or prejudice, follow the five steps below:
Inclusive language principles must apply to all forms of communication, including conversations, meeting papers, documents, letters, emails, newsletters, reports, press articles, webpages and ‘corporate’ publications. To help your workforce understand what inclusive language means, we advise creating an inclusive language guide, so people have some guidance. However, an inclusive language guide won’t answer all the questions. It has to be a starting point, with the understanding that it’s a working document. It’s virtually impossible to cover every nuance, detail or the latest thinking. The guide is likely to cause some disagreement, but you have to look at the broader purpose of the document and ensure it addresses key concerns from the research you have undertaken.
The guide should give the following:
An overview of the behaviours expected and how people can support to cultivate inclusive cultures.
The principles to consider when you’re writing communications, whether that’s internal or external.
Recommendations for what language you should and shouldn’t use when discussing topics such as age, disability, gender, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and sexuality.
The guide must be clear, accessible and as straightforward as possible. It’s not a rulebook; it’s a guide which will continue to evolve, change and adapt over time. To give you a starting point, we’ve written examples to help support you with some common inclusive language barriers. You need to understand that this is a guide aimed at English-speaking organizations based on the equality acts from Canada, the UK and the USA. There will be terms and references in the examples we’ve shared below that you won’t agree with, and there will be references to standards that may not be appropriate for all countries. We highly encourage you to do your due diligence and research before implementing any policy or guide within your organization.
The guiding principles
There will be some fear when you try to write inclusive communication: some people will be worried about making mistakes or may even disagree with the information in the guide. That’s okay. Remember that there’s no definitive answer to what inclusive language is. It’ll depend on context, country and individual. As we’ve said, be curious, ask questions and be respectful. However, be mindful that repeated mistakes may cause a lack of respect and can be distressing for others. If it continues or it’s on purpose, it could signify bullying or discrimination, which is unlawful and must be managed through the appropriate process.
This guide is a reference tool to help you think about some of the terms and phrases you might use. Remember, the information we share is from our research and experiences. The phrases and words we’ve shared below will likely change depending on geographies, location, culture, etc so please undertake extensive research before implementing the guidelines in your organization.
Language discrimination occurs when people are treated differently because of their characteristics and identities.
Discriminatory language includes words and phrases that:
A report in 2021 by the United Nations claims that 50 per cent of people hold ageist attitudes, which can lead to poor health and reduced quality of life for older persons (WHO, 2021). The review also shared that age is also a determining factor in who receives medical treatment and procedures.
To tackle age discrimination, you must understand that it can apply to anyone, both older and younger adults. Ageism for younger adults is often seen through areas such as employment, housing and politics. In 2022, the UK Government passed the Elections Act 2022 policy when voting to eliminate voter fraud. The list of identification which will be accepted includes concessionary travel passes for older people, but travel passes can’t be used by young people or students (Toynbee, 2022). Critics of this new act have argued that this move will deliberately exclude young people and minorities from voting, as the UK doesn’t provide a free mandatory national identity card which may help to mitigate some of these challenges (WHO, 2021).
Alongside being aware of potential discrimination externally, you have to be mindful of unacceptable comments such as ‘They won’t understand how to do that as they are past it.’ You should only refer to age if it’s relevant in your communication, for example, where funding is only available for a specific age group. Avoid using age to describe an individual or a group where it’s not relevant, for example ‘old workforce’ or ‘young and energetic team’. Instead, you could say ‘experienced workforce’ or ‘effective and vibrant team’.
Reflection points
Age discrimination can be a barrier to many opportunities for older and younger people. Be aware of how the language around age may inadvertently discriminate and cause stereotypes.
Ageism can seriously affect people’s health and wellbeing, and cost our societies billions of pounds. It’s important to use evidence-based strategies, improve how data is collected and undertake robust research to build a movement that can change how people think, feel and act towards age and ageing.
To understand ageism, you must check in on your bias, beliefs and attitudes on stereotypes that suggest certain ages are either good or bad at things. For example, try not to assume because someone is young that, they’ll be good at technology, or if they are older, they won’t understand technology.
| Inclusive language | Not inclusive language |
| Older person / people Younger person / people |
Old man / lady, OAPs, pensioners Young man / girl, kiddo |
| Energetic, driven | Young at heart |
| Youth, learners, teenagers, students | Immature, kids |
| Adolescent | Juvenile |
| People over… / people under… | Senior citizens, youngsters |
Approximately one billion people have disabilities worldwide (Humanity & Inclusion, 2022). This means that more than one in eight people alive are living with either visible (i.e. paralysis) or invisible (i.e. depression, diabetes, HIV) physical, mental or neurological conditions.
Ableism assumes that there’s an ‘ideal’ body and mind and that if bodies deviate from this ideal, they don’t have value. The social model of disability, developed by people with disabilities, says barriers in society are disabling people rather than their impairment or difference (Scope, 2020). In November 2022, US Airlines reported mishandling more than 800 wheelchairs in October 2022 (Wichter, 2021). Media reports have shared stories from people who have been stranded and left alone for hours because airlines have forgotten them or there have not been enough resources to support them. In September 2022, a video went viral on social media of disability campaigner Jennie Berry who had to drag herself across the floor of the airplane because no aisle chair was available. It’s claimed that a staff member told Ms Berry that she should wear a ‘nappy’ when travelling. The story sparked fury across social platforms leading to a petition for aisle chairs to be made mandatory on all flights (ITV News, 2022).
As communication professionals, we need to consider the reputational impact on organizations caused by poor behaviours of colleagues due to inexperience or lack of education. We may not be responsible for training and development, but we can certainly influence our leaders through feedback from our colleagues and external media. It’s also critically important that we avoid tokenistic gestures and defining individuals against their disability/condition if it’s irrelevant to the communication we are writing.
Reflection points
Focus on the person, not their disability (while being aware that in some instances, such as the Deaf community, being deaf is often seen as part of the person’s identity).
Avoid medical labels, they don’t say anything about the individuals and they reinforce stereotypes.
Be mindful of how you describe a person’s disability, and don’t imply weakness or abnormality. Avoid using terms such as ‘suffers from’, ‘afflicted by’, ‘victim of’, etc. These phrases imply hopelessness and passivity.
| Inclusive language | Not inclusive language |
| Non-visible disability, physical disability, cognitive disability, learning disability | High functioning, low functioning |
| … uses a wheelchair | Wheelchair-bound, confined to a wheelchair, in a wheelchair |
| Deaf (with a capital D), hard of hearing, partial hearing loss, partially deaf | ‘The deaf’, ‘fallen on deaf ears’, closed ears, tone deaf, hearing-impaired |
| Blind, blind people, limited vision, low vision, partially sighted | ‘The blind’, vision-impaired, visually impaired, blindsided |
| Person living with dementia | Victim of dementia, battling with dementia |
| Accessible car park | Disabled car park |
Discrimination against someone’s sex, sexual orientation, gender or intersex status is unlawful in some countries (there are still 69 countries that have laws that criminalize homosexuality). Depending on which country you live and work in, understanding some standard terms in the context of gender, sex and sexual orientation is essential.
Cisgender is when someone’s identity is the same as the gender they were assigned to at birth.
Gender expression is how someone may choose to express their gender identity. It could be through how they dress, speak or act. How someone looks or dresses doesn’t always reflect their gender identity.
Gender identity is each person’s individual experience of gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person’s assigned sex at birth or differ from it.
Non-binary, gender fluid or gender queer don’t identify as either male or female. Some people have a gender that blends the two elements, and others don’t identify with either. Other terms include bigender and agender.
Sex refers to biological attributes based on your organs, hormones and chromosomes. People can be male, female and intersex.
Sexual orientation describes your physical or emotional attraction to others (e.g. straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual).
Transgender is a term for people whose gender identity differs from their sex at birth. Some transgender people may transition at any point in their lives. During transitioning, a person may change their clothing, appearance, name, pronouns or identity documents. They may also undergo hormone therapy or other medical procedures or surgeries. But some transgender people may not pursue any medical intervention which doesn’t delegitimize their transgender identity.
A Stonewall report in 2018 shared that 40 per cent of LGB+ workers and 55 per cent of transgender workers have experienced workplace conflict, compared with 29 per cent of heterosexual, cisgender colleagues. More than a third of LGB+ colleagues say that they hide their sexual orientation or gender identity at work because of negative behaviour from their colleagues (Stonewall, 2018). It’s vital to consider how we communicate information to our colleagues when referencing different identities and terms. As we’ve shared throughout this chapter, language evolves, but it’s our responsibility to keep ourselves updated with what’s happening. For example, in the UK, the term ‘transsexual’ is still referenced in the Equality Act 2010, but it’s now generally considered outdated and misleading (CIPD, 2019).
Reflection points
Use gender-neutral terms instead of making a sex distinction, e.g. you or they/their/them, not he/she or him/her.
Don’t make assumptions about people’s gender or sexuality. Make every effort to replace ‘husbands and wives’ with ‘spouses and partners’.
Avoid gender-based expressions that highlight gender stereotypes, e.g. ‘man up’, ‘you throw like a girl’, ‘that’s a woman’s job’ or ‘even my mother could do that!’.
| Inclusive language | Not inclusive language |
| Transgender person | A transgender, transgendered, transsexual |
| Crossdresser (if self-identified) | Transvestite (unless self-identified) |
| Gender affirmation, sex reassignment surgery, gender confirmation surgery | Sex change, the sex change operation |
| Gay / lesbian | Homosexuals, lifestyle choice |
| Sexual orientation | Sexual preference |
| Chair | Chairman |
| All, people, folks | Ladies and gentlemen, guys, girls and boys |
| Agreement | Gentleman’s agreement |
| Humankind, people | Mankind |
| Doctor, nurse | Female doctor, male nurse |
Approximately 20 per cent of adults in the UK experience a mental health condition. With so many people experiencing common mental health problems, being respectful and thoughtful around the words you use about mental health can positively impact everyone.
Using person-centred language to avoid negative labelling and to prevent people from being defined by a condition is essential. However, using mental health language for everyday emotions is not the best way to describe what you mean. Using words like ‘crazy’ to describe a busy day or ‘OCD’ to describe someone clean and tidy can be problematic. These words often minimize the debilitating issues experienced by people with a clinical diagnosis.
Reflection points
Try to focus on the person’s experiences instead of labelling them in medical or prescriptive terms.
Avoid using terminology to refer to a situation metaphorically, e.g. ‘I’ve had a crazy day!’ or ‘I’ve had an insane time’.
Breaking down the stigma around mental health is crucial for helping people talk about their mental health so they can access life-saving therapeutic interventions.
| Inclusive language | Not inclusive language |
| Mental health condition | Mentally ill |
| Living with bipolar | They’re bipolar |
| Person who has… (bipolar, depression, etc) | Crazy, mad, insane |
| They have depression | They’re struggling with depression |
| Discharged | Released (from hospital) |
| A person experiencing a mental health condition | ‘The mentally ill’, ‘suffering from depression’, ‘victim of OCD’ |
Around 10 per cent of the population is neurodivergent. Neurodiversity relates to the fact that no two brains are the same. This means that our biological make-up results in natural differences in how we communicate, problem-solve and use creativity. Autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) are all in the range of neurodivergence.
Reflection points
People with neurodivergent identities experience a broad range of emotions, thoughts, behaviours and sensory experiences that are different from neurotypical people.
People don’t have ‘neurodiversity’; they are neurodivergent. Neurodiversity isn’t a trait that an individual can possess, it’s a biological characteristic.
Identity-first language is often preferred by some people in neurodivergent communities, for example, the autistic community (Autistic Advocacy, 2019). If you’re unsure, ask, because not everyone is the same.
| Inclusive language | Not inclusive language |
| Neurotypical person | Normal |
| Person with dyslexia | Dyslexic |
| Affected / impacted with autism | Suffers with autism |
| Condition | Disorder, impairment |
| Person with a brain injury | Brain damaged |
Dismantling racism requires addressing systemic bias, from structural to linguistic. Conversations on race, religion and ethnicity can only progress if we are willing to make mistakes so we can correct them. There is no one-size-fits-all language for discussing race, religion and ethnicity, but we should review the words we use from the community’s perspective, not the dominant group’s power structure. We must use the most specific terms to describe a person or a group.
Race is a social construct to categorize groups of people, usually based on their physical traits regarded as typical amongst people of shared ancestry. Ethnicity is a term used to describe a social group with a shared cultural identity, including religion, cultural traditions, language and customs. To ensure we communicate as inclusively as we can about race, religion and ethnicity, it’s vital to be as clear and specific as possible. For example, before using a broad term such as Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME), think about whether or not you could refer to a person or group’s heritage or background instead, such as ‘South Asian’ or ‘Black African’.
We know there are many conversations on whether Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC), a term used in America and Canada, and BAME, a term used in the UK, are appropriate to use. Some believe that as an ‘umbrella’ term to bring together groups to communicate topics like anti-racism, it’s a relevant term to use. However, in the UK, the government recommended that organizations remove the acronym as it excludes other marginalized groups due to the broad nature of the term ‘minority ethnic’. However, in Canada and in the USA, BIPOC is still widely used and is accepted as a general term to describe underrepresented groups. A big challenge with terms like BAME and BIPOC is that they are not understood widely, and it implies that people are one homogeneous group. It also ignores that minority ethnic groups are often a global majority. The term also excludes white minority ethnic groups.
Ultimately, it’s not illegal to use the terms but do speak with groups and individuals in your workplace to sense-check their preferences before communicating further.
Reflection points
A person’s skin complexion doesn’t define their nationality or cultural background.
Only use a person’s race if it is directly relevant to your point.
Not all members of religion observe the same practice. We should not make assumptions about individuals based on their religion or belief system. Ask, respectfully, if you’re not sure.
| Inclusive language | Not inclusive language |
| Blocklist, allow list | Blacklist, whitelist |
| Small detail | Nitty gritty |
| Dual heritage / biracial | Mixed race, mixed |
| People / person of colour | Coloured people, foreigners, colourblind (in the context of race) |
| Asylum seeker | Illegal immigrant |
| Black people | The Blacks |
| Asian people | The Asians, the Chinese |
| White people | The Whites / caucasian |
| Enslaved people | Slaves |
| First name | Christian name |
| Antisemitism | Anti-Semitism, Jew (as an adjective or adverb) |
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