Communicating

Communicating in Forums

First I would like to define inclusive language is language that avoids the use of certain expressions or words that might be considered to exclude particular groups of people, esp. gender-specific words, such as ``man'', ``mankind'', and masculine pronouns, the use of which might be considered to exclude women. Anthony should have refrained from using this type of language that’s why his classmate found it to be inapproiate by the way he worded it. He should not have used words like guys and man there was another way he could have worded what he was trying to say without hurting anyone’s feeling. The way he starting his email was wrong he could have said hi everyone instead of hi guys this way no one would have had a problem with it. Three pointers he should know to prevent this from happening in the future are:

1. Don't single out a person's sex, race, ethnicity, or other personal traits or characteristics (such as sexual orientation, age, or a disability) when it has no direct bearing on the topic at hand. In other words, don't create or promote stereotype based on unavoidable human characteristics.

2. Be consistent in your description of members of a group: Don't single out women to describe their physical beauty, clothes or accessories or note a disabled person's use of an aid, or refer to the race of the only minority in a group unless it is at that individual's request.

3. Keep in mind that use of inclusive language is for general cases. Direct requests by individuals take precedence over general rules (e.g., Mrs. John Doe requests that her own name not be used).

Unless you’re writing is specifically focused on disabilities, avoid singling out one individual's disabilities simply for the sake of identification. Be especially mindful of using gender-free terms in writing or talking about traditionally male or female activities.