There’s one more important thing that will ensure your success as you set out on your diversity and inclusion mission: the language you choose when discussing it.

The first step is to get the conversation going within your organization but many people feel intimidated by the specific D&I terms. Which are correct to say? Will I offend someone? Are the words I’m choosing current or appropriate for the situation?

 You are probably already familiar with the “isms” which reveal oppressive attitudes toward a person or group because of their ethnicity or race (racism), gender (sexism), economic status (classism), age (ageism), religion (e.g., anti‐Semitism), sexual orientation (heterosexism), language/immigrant status (xenophobism), etc.

That’s a great start, but as you know, there are plenty of other terms that we hear but might not clearly understand. We’ve got your back! Let’s work through some of them so you can ensure that the language you use matches your intent in the pursuit of diversity and inclusion.