Why Inclusivity Starts with Intentional Language
Language is a powerful tool, and as communications professionals, we know how important it can be in helping people feel seen and validated in their experiences. As brand custodians to our clients, it’s also our responsibility to tell stories in an authentic way while staying up to date about the language used and preferred by diverse communities.
At Cutline, we know language continues to evolve. The words we choose require ongoing care, questioning, and research. Here’s how intentional language makes a meaningful impact on our client work and within our agency.
Intentional language opens the door for people to feel seen
The strongest stories resonate with audiences because the creator has made a connection and earned the reader’s trust through intentional language.
By choosing the phrases and terms preferred by different communities, we aim to honor people as experts of their own lived experiences. For instance, when learning how to write about the disabled community, we asked Sarah Todd Hammer, author, dancer, speaker, and disability advocate, “What’s one thing you wish brands knew about language around disabilities?” She shared that:
“Disabled” is the term most preferred by the disabled community
“Person with disabilities” is also accepted
People have their own preferences for self-identification, so feel empowered to ask!
Avoid terms like differently-abled, handi-capable, and any old and outdated terms
Being aware of evolving language is essential to advising our clients and ensuring style guides are up to date. Here are some additional resources for staying educated:
Brands that got it right: Google’s All In program
Additional resources: National Center on Disability and Journalism
People-first communication over “proper” English
Communications folks are lovers of language and style guides, but we also know when to break the “rules.” Sometimes, using perfect grammar and “proper” English is not the best way to reach your audience—and doing so may even come across as exclusive or unrelatable. Here are a few examples of people-first communications, how we should use them, and why it’s important to respect their historical context:
Inclusive language. Stories need to be understandable and relatable for people to connect with them. Writing as people speak has been increasingly popular thanks to internet culture, social media, and now even corporate brands. Accessible voice, tone, and language help make ideas accessible to more people.
Pronouns. They/them pronouns are officially in the dictionary as a way to refer to nonbinary individuals. While some resisted these terms early on—because using plural pronouns singularly was grammatically incorrect—people are increasingly using “they/them” as the default to either refer to people whose pronouns they don’t know or respect people’s preferences. In both cases, it’s a practice we’ve embraced at Cutline.
Additional resources: NPR’s guide to gender identity terms
AAVE. As internet culture becomes more ingrained in our everyday lives, the use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) has been (not so subtly) appropriated by white-owned brands, oftentimes under the guise of “internet speak”. As we counsel our clients, it’s important to remember that AAVE is a dialect, not a “trendy” way to reach younger audiences, and we must credit the creators of the culture. “There is a dissonance when all the hallmarks of black culture are there (vernacular, music, style, etc.) but the people are used decoratively,” writes Medium contributor Patrick Marché. “Now more than ever, brands and companies’ engagement with blackness needs to be reassessed. It must go beyond the superficial.”
BIPOC, WOC, AAPI. While these groupings are used frequently, they can sometimes feel like a shortcut for generalizing non-white groups. It is lazy to lump us all together as if we all face the same problems,” said Sylvia Obell, host of the Netflix podcast “Okay, Now Listen.” “When you blend us all together like this, it’s erasure… It allows people to play it safe and not leave anyone out, and it also allows you to not have to do the work.” Identity is complex, so it’s important to do the research. Whether it's capitalizing the B in Black or understanding the complexities of the term Latinx, being intentional about language pays off.
Language itself can be an exhausting feat, whether someone is bilingual, code-switching, or conveying their identity through words. As storytellers, we should put the same amount of effort into representing those lived experiences. At Cutline, we care a lot about what we do. Our goal is to be inclusive in everything we do, and intentional language is just one important way we demonstrate this.