Adapting to Ever-Evolving Language

MIA MOORE, TECHNICAL COMMUNITY BUILDER, CAMUNDA

ADAPTING TO EVER-EVOLVING LANGUAGE, YOU GOT THIS 2023 Mia Moore Technical Community Builder, Camunda @xoMiaMoore xomia.com

ADAPTING TO EVER-EVOLVING LANGUAGE, YOU GOT THIS 2023 she/her Mia Moore Technical Community Builder, Camunda @xoMiaMoore xomia.com

ADAPTING TO EVER-EVOLVING LANGUAGE, YOU GOT THIS 2023 Mia Moore Technical Community Builder, Camunda @xoMiaMoore xomia.com she/they they/she

ADAPTING TO EVER-EVOLVING LANGUAGE, YOU GOT THIS 2023 they/them Mia Moore Technical Community Builder, Camunda @xoMiaMoore xomia.com

Goals of this talk 1 Learn why inclusive language matters 2 Examples of more gender-inclusive language 3 Guidance for practicing and when you make a mistake 4 Confidence in navigating changing language

1 : r e m i a Discl Learn why inclusive language matters m o r f y l i r a m i r p g n i k Examples of more a e p s m a I 2 + gender-inclusive language Q T B G L d n a r e d n e g a e h t n i e v i l I d n a , e v i t perspec k a e p s y l n o d n a s e t a t S d e t i n Guidance for practicing and U 3 when you make a mistake . h s i l g En Goals of this talk 4 Confidence in navigating changing language

Inclusive language: language that avoids the use of certain expressions or words that might be considered to exclude particular groups of people Dictionary.com

Language matters

Connect your message with more people

“Why do I keep having to learn new things?”

Better communication More specific/accurate (e.g. — “Hi everyone” vs. “Hi guys”) More understandable (whitelist/blacklist vs. allowlist/blocklist) More relevant to your audience More respectful All of this leads to better communication

The cost of exclusion

By the numbers 46% 31% of LGBTQ+ workers are closeted of LGBTQ+ workers felt unhappy or depressed at work. at work. 25% of LGBTQ+ workers feel distracted from work. Human Rights Campaign’s A Workplace Divided: Understanding the Climate for LGBTQ+ Workers Nationwide, 2018.

The cost of exclusion LGBTQ+ Employees Cannot bring “full self” to work Feel unseen or not valued for who they are Distraction from doing work or being more involved Social isolation Leave the company

The cost of exclusion Employers Loss of important, diverse perspective Reduced productivity and job satisfaction Cannot retain or attract LGBTQ+ talent

Inclusive language guidelines and examples

Avoid unnecessarily gendered language Gender-inclusive language cheat sheet Avoid assumptions Remember pronoun ettiquete Reconsider titles and honorifics Mirror your coworkers Continue learning

Avoid unnecessarily gendered language Masculine terms are often seen as neutral or the default, but they are not Ask: Is it necessary in this context? If no - can you remove the reference to gender all together? If yes - do you know how that person or group identifies? Be specific about your audience “Colleagues” is both gender-neutral and more specific than “ladies and gentlemen” or “guys”

AVOID TRY INSTEAD Ladies and gentlemen Distinguished guests Esteemed guests Everyone Colleagues Guys Guys and gals Ladies Friends (and enemies) Team People Folks Y’all All Fam Guys, gals, and non-binary pals Dude Man Bro (Omit entirely) Friend Buddy Pal

Avoid assumptions Individuals Take care to avoid assumptions with family structure Avoid assuming pronouns/gender identity Use more inclusive language around terms like parental leave Customer personas Take care with customer personas to avoid stereotypes When possible, use real customer feedback and data to build a persona Create more than one persona to target sub-groups rather than having a single “generic” persona

AVOID TRY INSTEAD Maternity/paternity leave Mother/father Parental leave, family leave Birthing/non-birthing parent Husband/wife Girlfriend/boyfriend Spouse Partner Significant other Many other examples! Mom/dad Daughter/son Sister/brother Niece/nephew Parent Child Sibling Nibling Family member Loved ones Sexual preference Sexual orientation Romantic orientation

AVOID Gendered occupational titles Salesman/saleswoman TRY INSTEAD Sales representative, salesperson Specifying gender when it is not relevant Not specifying gender Female doctor, male nurse Doctor, nurse

Remember pronoun etiquette Include voluntary opportunities for sharing pronouns During introductions Digital: Email signature, employee database, Slack/Teams, Zoom, etc. Physical: Name tags or badges at events When you don’t know someone’s pronouns: Look it up Use they/them Ask them what pronouns to use Use they/them for theoretical examples or when someone’s pronouns are unknown

Reconsider titles and honorifics Titles are complicated, numerous, and mostly not neutral — they can tell us a lot about someone! Mrs./Ms./Miss can reveal martial status Very few forms include Mx. (pronounced “Mix”) Military, doctor, and other titles Is this data necessary? If yes, allow open answers and/or include Mx. If no, omit altogether or make it optional

AVOID TRY INSTEAD Preferred pronouns Pronouns Identifies as Is Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss Mx. (Omit entirely) On forms: Allow open answers, or make optional He/him (generic/hypothetical) His/her (generic/hypothetical) (S)he A software developer should always check his work for bugs. A software developer should always check his or her work for bugs. They/them Theirs Software developers should always check their work for bugs.

Mirror your coworkers Be an active listener What words do they use to describe themselves? Ask appropriate questions in appropriate situations Person-first vs. identity-first language “Person with autism” vs. “autistic person” Avoid using generic language for individuals “She is bisexual” or “she is a member of the LGBTQ+ community” vs. “she is LGBTQ+”

Continue learning Language and its meaning evolves constantly and over time Listen and research when you hear something new Participate in Employee Resource Group activities that are open to all Join Employee Resource Groups or other organizations that are relevant to you Seek out professionals for copywriting, building inclusive company culture, etc.

Practicing and making mistakes

Understand humans make mistakes When you make a mistake Correct yourself in the moment, if possible Apologize to anyone you harmed Avoid over-apologizing Practice makes improvement Don’t be defensive

Look up examples & resources How to practice new-to-you language Practice in your head and out loud Slow down when speaking Recruit an accountability buddy “Guys” jar Give compliments Rethink gender

@xoMiaMoore xomia.com MIA MOORE, TECHNICAL COMMUNITY BUILDER, CAMUNDA

Resources Practice and learn more APA’s Bias-Free Language Guide Out & Equal’s Best Practices for Non-Binary Inclusion in the Workplace HotJar’s “Guys” jar experiment Pronoun.is - how to use pronouns in a sentence Buffer’s Inclusive Language and Vocabulary in Tech Guide

References Human Rights Campaign’s A Workplace Divided: Understanding the Climate for LGBTQ+ Workers Nationwide, 2018. Pride flags from @superq