In this article:
- What to do and what not to do when it comes to inclusive messaging
Many brands are putting significant resources into improving diversity and inclusivity — and if they’re not, they should be; diversity and inclusivity are core CRM values. A big part of that commitment is using more inclusive messages, which refers to both spoken and written language, avoiding unconscious biases, stereotypes, and assumptions about age, race, gender, ethnicity, and more.
Using inclusive language is an ongoing process that requires patience and a willingness to learn. This important initiative will help you connect with more audiences without unintentionally making anyone feel uncomfortable or excluded. Here are some dos and don’ts to guide you.
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DO: Be flexible
Even without overtly racist or sexist language, it’s important to re-examine your lexicon. For example, you may have used phrases like “they gypped me” and “peanut gallery” without knowing their origins are rooted in racism. On top of that, everyone has unconscious biases as a result of their own backgrounds and experiences.
Identifying problematic language and removing it from your vocabulary takes time; old habits are hard to break. Be patient with yourself and others as you work through this process, and above all, be willing to learn and adapt. This flexibility will go a long way towards creating a more inclusive environment for your colleagues and consumers.
DON’T: Get defensive
It’s important to understand that if consumers call for the use of more inclusive language, it’s not a personal attack. Sometimes, however, the first instinct is to go on the defensive, especially if you never meant to exclude marginalized people in the first place. While it’s an understandable reaction, it’s particularly unhelpful here, and just makes it more difficult to create a diverse environment.
Remember that you’re not alone. Dealing with unconscious biases is something that everyone faces — you’re not being singled out or insulted. If you make a mistake, or someone asks you to correct something unintentionally offensive, taking that feedback with grace creates a more open environment where people feel comfortable voicing their concerns.
DO: Use person-first language
To avoid grouping people into characteristics, use language that puts the person first. Person-first language is particularly important to people with disabilities because they don’t want to be defined by what makes them different. For example, instead of saying “a blind woman,” the phrase “a woman who is blind” is considered a person-first approach.
This can be tricky, because some communities actually prefer identity-first language. Start by excluding mentions of race, gender, sexual orientation, or other factors unless they’re relevant to the conversation. From there, default to a person-first perspective whenever possible, but always take personal preferences of marginalized groups into account.
DON’T: Treat any identity like the default
This goes hand-in-hand with person-first language — the end goal is to stop treating certain groups as the “default” and point out anything that differs from those expectations. Again, this requires training those unconscious biases, as we tend to treat the default experience as that which mirrors our own. We’re also influenced by the media we consume, which overwhelmingly features the same type of lead.
It’s time to stop thinking about identities as “the usual” and “other.” The beauty industry has had great success with this — just ask Rihanna, whose Fenty Beauty foundation line-up expanded on the typical “10 shades of beige” and redefined industry standards. Just because something has always been done a certain way doesn’t mean it should continue. Examine your own language and be aware of stereotypes that automatically assume certain identities to certain roles.
DO: Be gender neutral
This is one of the hardest parts of using more inclusive language — how often have you referred to a group of people as “guys” or “dudes” out of habit? It’s a harmless action on its face, but digging deeper, those terms actually imply that men are the assumed (or preferred) gender in a given group. Similarly, ads overwhelmingly show women in traditional (and outdated) gender roles — they’re grocery shopping, cleaning the house, and raising the kids (and those are the less offensive depictions).
Gender-neutral language eschews these stereotypes and doesn’t make assumptions about gender roles — or gender at all, actually. This can be as simple as replacing “you guys” with “y’all”, but also involves the much more complicated work of understanding damaging gender stereotypes and removing them from your vocabulary (and marketing).
DON’T: Use derogatory mental health terms
Words like “crazy” and “insane” are extremely commonplace and appear harmless. Something that’s “nuts” could be weird, amazing, terrible, or anything in between. A person behaving erratically might be called “psycho” or “schizo.” Most of us have used these words without thinking twice about it, but these terms are extremely stigmatizing for the millions of adults living with mental illness.
Like implementing more gender-neutral language, avoiding the use of derogatory mental health terms is hard because they’re so deeply embedded in language and culture. Finding alternatives is a good start — consider “preposterous” instead of “crazy,” for example — but for most people, this is an ongoing exercise in self-correction.
Using inclusive language is a lot of work, but it’s worth it. Not only is it better for humanity, it’s good for business — making consumers feel seen and heard is a critical part of the modern marketing landscape. Take the time and effort to foster inclusivity and you’ll be rewarded with those long-term customer relationships every marketer wants to build.