This declaration is by communication professionals who deliver oral, written, or visual messages that influence perception, build awareness, drive decisions, or affect behavior. Our collective commitment to intentionally supporting diversity and inclusion means acknowledging, seeking, learning about, celebrating, and embracing likenesses and differences, as well as building connections.
Communication professionals believe that we must proactively speak truth to power and take a “seat at the table.” Our world is shifting, and we must do more than just respond: We must be leaders. We find ourselves with an opportunity to chart the course in our profession and build a culture of respect for all people. This is the moment to proclaim that our field has the resources, networks, skills, and platforms—to make socially responsible decisions. After all, communicators are connectors. It is our responsibility to open dialogue, influence the groups we engage with, and nurture relationships with our members, peer organizations, company leaders, employees, and stakeholders.
We must improve how marginalized groups are represented in marketing, news, and media; we must amplify the voices of our members, peer organizations, company leaders, employees, and stakeholders who are members of marginalized groups; and we must provide content that celebrates and supports diversity throughout the communication field.
We will constantly ask: What specific impact can we have in our organizations and circles of influence? How can we improve diversity and inclusion of race, age, socioeconomic status, disability, neurodiversity, faith, skin color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or national origin? To lead change, we must be courageous and step outside of our comfort zones with intention, conviction, and action. We must use our skills, our compassion, our networks, and our resources to emphasize the decisions we recommend or make.
The communicator’s role will be a catalyst that encourages dialogue and demonstrates human dignity within our profession. We will: communicate hope, inspire, challenge outdated perceptions, and widen the door of opportunity and accessibility.
Make a commitment to intentionally support diversity and inclusion.
Business communicators and our workplaces will benefit from championing diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging. Our collection of resources is not a comprehensive list. If you have any resources you'd like to recommend, please let us know.
The most important part of incorporating DEIAB into our everyday work is showing up with an open mind, an open heart, and a desire to listen and learn.
Some key resources:
International Association for Business Communicators
The Centre for Global Inclusion
Serves as a resource for research and education for individuals and organizations in their quest to improve diversity and inclusion practices around the world.
Creative Equity Toolkit
has links to hundreds of practical resources, inspiring case studies and important research on increasing diversity in the arts.
Diversity Action Alliance
Bringing together the world’s top leaders in Public Relations and Communication in pursuit of an urgent and critically essential goal: to achieve continuous improvement for people of color as measured by recruitment, retention, and representation in management.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
Fairplay Talks
News stories and events across the wide diversity spectrum in both the public and private sectors worldwide.
Graduate School of Stanford Business DEI
We are committed to making positive change in the diversity, equity, and inclusion of our community, teaching, and research, now and into the future.
Harvard Implicit Association Test
Harvard University's Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report. The IAT may be especially interesting if it shows that you have an implicit attitude that you did not know about.
JustWorks Blog Posts
Nonprofit Quarterly
Not only has implications for nonprofit organizations. Content and thought leaders on:
Siemens - Belonging Transforms podcast series
Episode 1: The role of big business in driving diversity, equity and inclusion.
Episode 2: Creating places where we can all belong
Episode 3: How inclusive language creates belonging
Unmasking Microagressions
Educational Guide to Promoting Inclusive Conversations
We all carry our own implicit biases with us every day, even as we attempt to make casual conversation. We cannot necessarily see the environments we swim in - or the assumptions we make or the things we take for granted.
This information is a starting point and a flexible framework for using language that is empowering and respectful. It is meant to help start consideration for best practices and general guidelines; it is by no means exhaustive or definitive.
As the Linguistic Society of America defines it, "Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities."
Terminology that refers to attributes or identities such as race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability, religion, age, or immigration or veteran status can adversely overemphasize an identity, feed stereotypes, or be discriminatory.
Conversely, there are times when noting a person’s identity or attribute can be an important affirmation and recognition and needs to be included.
People have complex identities. Language should avoid boxing people into a specific identity.
The principles share details, concepts and explanations for creating more inclusive language. It assesses phrases and words that usually go unchallenged. and changing personal habits requires patience and empathy. Some of these words are hurtful; usually said unintentionally without knowledge of their history or implications. This guide provides principles to remember:
Explains a wide range of concepts: Ableism, Cisgender, Dominant culture, HUGs, Inclusive development, LGBTQIA, Mansplain, Neurodiversity, Pronouns, Transgender, and more. Includes a list of phrases to avoid (and why) from "bossy" to "hacker" to "peanut gallery."
Smithsonian - National Museum of the American Indian - The Impact of Words and Tips for Using Appropriate Terminology: Am I Using the Right Word?
As DEI communicator Kim Clark states, "We are still on unceded land. Oppression is not a thing of the past. Listen/Read Native voices on the history."
When we understand how we benefit from harm done long ago, and how, we can begin to see how we might be inclusive now -- and what benefits of belonging bring to all of us.
NBC News - LGBTQ History Month: The road to America's first gay pride march
Mental Health Resources in the LBGTQ Community
EcoWatch
Raleigh Realty
Rebekon Consulting
Black hair and professionalism
"The word neurodiversity refers to the diversity of all people, but it is often used in the context of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as other neurological or developmental conditions such as ADHD or learning disabilities. The neurodiversity movement emerged during the 1990s, aiming to increase acceptance and inclusion of all people while embracing neurological differences."
CBC News: Canada needs workers — so why aren't more companies hiring the neurodivergent?
Fast Company: Neurodiversity is critical for innovation in the workplace.
Harvard Business Review: Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage: Why you should embrace it in your workforce.
Harvard Business Review: Autism doesn't hold people back at work. Discrimination does.
Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School: What is neurodiversity?
HR Brew: People with Autism seek allies in the workplace. Advocates say HR can help
HR Brew: New Microsoft program connects recruiters with neurodivergent talent
Hubspot's The Hustle Daily Newsletter, How To Manage and Accommodate ADHD at Work
Ologies Podcast episodes (includes other resources in the show notes):
Stanford Neurodiversity Project
Stanford University Research: Neurodiversity at Work
Website: Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Weight bias (also referred to as fatphobia) is prevalent across countries, including the US, Canada, and the UK. It’s still legal in much of the US to pass over an applicant based solely on their weight and size.
In an article in the Journal of Eating Disorders, the authors define weight bias as “negative weight-related attitudes, beliefs, assumptions and judgments toward individuals who are overweight and obese.”
They note, "We extend this definition to include individuals of low as well as high weights. Weight-related issues include obesity and eating disorders, but importantly also include disordered eating and non- or sub-clinical variants or symptoms, such as overweight, body image dissatisfaction, restrained eating, disinhibited eating, emotional eating, and compensatory behaviors.
Articles and resources for thinking about and working with bias in the workplace.
