Tips for inclusive communicaton Don’t emphasize a characteristc if it isn’t necessary to do so: For example, let’s suppose that you are telling your team that
an employee from another department is scheduled to work with them on a new project. This employee, a man called Sam,
happens to be gay. It would not be appropriate to say, “Sam, the gay guy from Department X, will be joining us on Monday.”
Sam’s sexual orientaton is not relevant to his work, so drawing atenton to this characteristc is not necessary.
Don’t assume a person’s gender or sexual orientaton: Choose gender-neutral terms if possible. For example, if your
manager is leaving the company and you do not yet know the gender of their replacement, it is more appropriate to use
“they” in reference to the possible candidates instead of “he” or “she” untl a permanent replacement is selected. Do not
assume that a person is heterosexual. It is beter to use terms like “partner” or “signifcant other” instead of “boyfriend,”
“wife,” and so on.
If you need to talk about someone’s disability, do so in neutral terms: It’s true that many people with disabilites do sufer
as a result, but it is presumptuous to make statements such as “Peter sufers from epilepsy” or “Mary is aficted with
schizophrenia.”
Focus on a person, not any disabilites they might have: Do not defne someone by their conditon or illness. For example, it
is beter to say, “Pat has depression” rather than “Pat is a depressive” or “Pat is depressed.”
Do not uphold stereotypes: Making assumptons based on someone’s natonality, ethnicity, or other characteristcs is
ofensive because it shows a lack of respect for someone’s individual talents and personality. This philosophy stays true even
of positve stereotypes.
For example, if you meet a Chinese accountant, it would be inappropriate to suggest that Chinese people naturally make
good accountants because “Asians are so good at math.”
Show respect for race and ethnicity through proper capitalizaton in writen communicaton: For instance, “Natve
American”, “Black”, and “Torres Strait Islanders”, should always be capitalized. If in doubt, look up the term in a dictonary or
use a reputable online resource.
Be mindful of context: Bear in mind that in some instances, it is acceptable for members of a group to use words that would
be ofensive if used by outsiders.
Avoid patronizing individuals or groups of people: If you have a disability, you might have heard someone describe you as
“brave” or “inspiring” for carrying out normal day-to-day tasks such as cleaning your home, going to work