By Lenora Billings-Harris, CSP `~

  Are you tired of political correctness and wonder why leaders and managers are expected to use language that shows sensitivity to ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, age etc? Are you ready to show sensitivity, but are not sure how to develop your diversibility? I hope to answer both puzzling questions in the following paragraphs.

Sometimes the power of words is underestimated. In the November issue of Professional Speaker, Glenna Salsbury, CSP,CPAE and past president of National Speakers Association, shared the following quote by E. Hubbard from the late 1800’s:

“The voice is the sounding board of the soul. If your soul is filled with truth, your voice will vibrate with love, echo with sympathy and fill your hearers with the desire to do, to be and to become. Your desire is theirs.”

Because the meaning of words is in the message itself, not just in the words alone, leaders are expected to be vigilant in the use of words, in order to convey the meaning intended. One ill-chosen word can create friction between people; it can cause your listener to loose the intent of your message; and can cause you to loose sales and opportunities for support. Staying abreast of the current “correct” words is challenging at best, because the rules keep changing. Personally, I would like to meet the “they” that keep changing the rules!

One person can never know all of the correct words to use, however as more organizations in both the corporate and non-profit world continue to launch diversity initiatives, individual leaders can no longer ignore the significance of the words they use, regardless of intent. Since leaders are looked up to as role models whether they like it or not, they have a responsibility to make an effort in this regard.

So what can you do when your listeners are diverse, but your speech is not? First of all don’t become overly stressed. Just as you would research your market, today’s workers expect you to research your internal customers. You will never please everyone, but if people are aware that you are attempting to be sensitive, that’s all that can be realistically expected.

How can you refer to ethnicity in a sensitive way? Obviously the best thing to do is to refer to the person by name, however that is not always possible or practical. Most people want to be referred to by terms they have chosen, not labels selected by others outside their group. Many people with Latino heritage, for example, do not like the term Hispanic, because it was a term formulated by the United States Census Bureau in 1970. When it was realized that many U.S. households consisted of families who spoke Spanish, there had not previously been a way to record this demographic information. Rather than attempt to identify every country of heritage, the Census Bureau created the word Hispanic. Hispanic is not really an ethnic group. It is a generalized term used when describing a diverse group of people whose primary or ancestral language is often Spanish. On the other hand, some people of Latino heritage prefer the term Hispanic because they believe it carries less bias than the words Mexican or Puerto Rican, for instance.

Many Blacks prefer African American because the word black is rarely capitalized even when it is specifically referring to that ethnic group (except within books written by African Americans and magazines targeted to the African American culture), whereas African American does have the honor of capital letters. Some people believe the small case “b” is another example of subtle, institutionalized racism. On the other hand, some Blacks refer “Black” not “African American” because they see themselves as American and not African. Africa is not a country; it is a continent. Each time I visit South Africa or Namibia to work with organizations there, I am acutely aware that I am American, even though I am proud of my African heritage.

The term “American” is seen as ethnocentric by some, when referring to the inhabitants of the United States, because Canadians and people from Central and South America are technically Americans too.

When a reference must be made, ask people who are members of the group, which term they prefer. The answers will vary. People have individual preferences, but your interest in asking questions will demonstrate your effort to show respect. Too often we assume, instead of asking, thus causing misunderstandings and conflict. Perhaps a more effective way of referring to different ethnic groups is to place the word American in front of the ethnicity; for example, Americans with European heritage, Americans with Asian heritage, Americans with Latino heritage, etc. Although using words and phrases that show respect and sensitivity require effort, it really is not very difficult or time consuming.

Actions that Make a Difference

• Ask several people within the same cultural group which terms they prefer. Since everyone will not agree, use the term most often stated as acceptable, or interchange the terms.

• Omit slang terms when referring to others. Ask a colleague to review your presentations, and written communication to identify slang terms for you. You may not recognize your own habits.

• Do not use derogatory terms to describe others even if people within the cultural group do. (For example, if a Jewish person tells a joke about Jews, that is not permission for others, not in the group, to do the same.)

• Only refer to ethnicity, age, disability etc. within your stories when it makes a difference to the point of the story.

The following list highlights words and phrases that can be substituted for the less respectful terms. If you think this is too much work, ask yourself, “If I were in the group being referred to, would I still feel this is too much work?”

Let your words be a bridge, not a barrier to your message. Your listeners will notice and respect you just that much more.

Lenora Billings-Harris,CSP is the author of The Diversity Advantage: A Guide to Making Diversity Work. For information about Lenora’s presentations, books and learning resources contact The Frog Pond Group at 800-704-FROG (3764)

or e-mail us at susie@frogpondgroup.com