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 We will: communicate hope, inspire, challenge outdated perceptions, and widen the door of opportunity and accessibility.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.
There are many resources which provide information, reports, and insights into diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. This is not a comprehensive list. If you use one you'd like to recommend, please let us know.
Across the wide diversity spectrum, we have organized resources by category:
Note: you may need to scroll up slightly to view all listings.
Business communicators will benefit from information related to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility.
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.
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.
International Association of Business Communicators
JustWorks Blog Posts
Understanding Microaggressions: 7 Examples and How to Reduce Them
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
Articles and resources for thinking about and working with bias in the workplace.
NBC News - LGBTQ History Month: The road to America's first gay pride march
EcoWatch
Rebekon Consulting
Raleigh Realty
"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
Have one to suggest?
Let us know.
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.
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.
For example:
Harvard Business Review - Equitable Health Care Requires Inclusive Language
by Nkem Chukwumerije
Word on the Street: How to Respect my Ethnic Name
From an article by Anparasan Sivakumaran, also known as Anpu
The BBC/Worklife published an article that calls attention to language that unintentionally hurts people, "The harmful ableist language you unknowingly use."
Handshake’s Employee Resource Groups identified language principles that would ensures all students are treated with respect and dignity. The list of terms includes concepts to know, expressions to avoid, and words to incorporate into your vocabulary, job descriptions, and conversations with students.
Details, concepts and explanations for creating more inclusive language.
Assessing phrases and words that usually go unchallenged, and changing personal habits requires patience and empathy. Some of these words are harmless and meant to be educational. Others 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."
Provides shared definitions and concepts on terms necessary for anti-racist work.
Offers a range of articles covering inclusive language topics such as:
This breaks down exclusive language into categories to raise awareness and inclusivity:
Covers Background of word/phrase, NCDJ’s Recommendation, and any alignment/differences with AP Style
An organization focused exclusively on LGBTQ workplace equality, they have a number of resources and toolkits, including their pronouns guide.
Are you in love with language? This podcast examines language through family, history, and culture. The focus is on an understanding that language and respect; language and fairness; and language and justice are all tied together. Treating people with humanity is a part of really knowing how language works.
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.
The causes of weight-related issues are complex and multi-factorial. For the purpose of this paper, we emphasize the important role played by social, economic, and political influences. Though individual agency plays a role, fixation on individuals’ responsibility for weight serves to oversimplify and overstate.
Weight bias is associated with higher rates of stress, depression, and unhealthy relationships with food for those who experience it,
