Importance of Communication in the Work Place Whether companies embrace diversity or not, it has become a reality in many workplaces across the United States. In my current organisation, we recently launched a diversity and inclusion advocacy programme for our Executive Team. For more information on how to develop more inclusive leaders, watch our on-demand webinar, How to Develop Your Leaders for a More Inclusive Workplace. Get in touch and let me know! If it makes someone uncomfortable, come back to a space where you share common ground. While these groups are extremely important, I believe that internal communication should be striving to create organisation-wide safe spaces for these discussions. Once this is fully understood, it’s much easier to tell a coherent and compelling story. No matter how well-prepared women of color are, they won’t get a seat at the table … Specifically, with the contributions to information and communication technology, the education sector has been able to benefit greatly. Simply getting your leaders to talk about diversity and inclusion is not enough, they need to be able to articulate what diversity and inclusion mean to your organisation and why it’s so important. Take the Inclusive Culture Pledge for 2021. Take time at the beginning to create a safe space. Many organisations claim they are diverse and inclusive and talk a lot about diversity being a priority, including it in corporate strategies and on company websites, but how many truly are diverse and inclusive? They don’t know how to talk about it. Without a sense of safety, people waste energy worrying about what will or won’t be accepted instead of being productive. We're surrounded by prominent images and experiences of violence against marginalized people, which can be triggering and traumatizing. These communication skills are the building blocks to enable open, honest, and constructive conversations about D&I. ©Development Dimensions International, Inc., 1970-2021. If that happens, your first reaction may be to become defensive or accusatory. If you've felt excluded or marginalized, think about specific examples and how it has impacted you, the team, or outcomes overall. To accelerate financial inclusion in Nigeria, communication will help create awareness and drive financial literacy to deliver inclusion and trust-building to promote deepening. What are you doing to drive diversity and inclusion in your organisation? The Roles and Duties of an Inclusion Specialist. It might seem nice at first, but what happens when everyone has the same ideas? Finally, you might be confronted with a reality that implicates you're creating a negative experience for someone else. Nobody has to share their trauma or negative experiences for the benefit of educating others. To help foster a diverse and inclusive culture, internal communication should assume two key responsibilities within all organisations: Here are my top five tips for how internal communication can achieve these deliverables and successfully drive diversity, inclusion and equity in your organisation. This has not only helped to raise the profile of these groups and any issues they are facing, but it has shown that the organisation and its leaders are fully committed to diversity and inclusion and to making a difference. For awareness days/weeks/months, we work closely with our Diversity and Inclusion team to run events which educate colleagues about different minority and underrepresented groups and their struggles. Lesson Planning In an ideal inclusion classroom, the special education teacher and regular education teacher engage in co-planning. Tell stories to pass on cultural cues about ideal behaviors and show how inclusion can get misunderstood. ( Log Out /  Setting up an inclusive classroom: changing practices It requires a cultural shift and a commitment at every level of the organisation. From January for 12 months, we’ll be providing all Pledging organisations with free support on progressing their diversity and inclusion agenda. We learn to see and focus on the similarities between us and others. When you build a house, you need tools for each job. It means acknowledging what isn't the same and finding ways to incorporate different perspectives in meaningful and valuable ways. Define what diversity means to you – and the ‘WHY’ It’s easier to tell a coherent story when you fully … I want to be clear that this isn’t about tokenism; it’s about making sure your communications are inclusive and are representing your current and future workforce. It definitely won't happen if we don't start talking about it, either. This is where we should ask ourselves, “What is the role of communication in promoting workplace diversity?”. Instead of avoiding these conversations, maybe you could ask a different question. Most companies today are working hard to get these benefits of diversity. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always incorporate the diverse opportunities we have today. Most likely, you'll find that innovation and new ways of thinking will come to a screeching halt. As part of this, each member of the Executive Team is now a sponsor of one of our staff equality networks, which are affinity groups that aim to give diverse groups a voice within the organisation. Everyone should consider what they’re bringing to the discussion before it starts. We've known diversity is a key component to success for a long time. Learn More. In my experience, this is often down to confidence, but it’s mostly due to a lack of clarity. Inclusive practices advance the common good, increase organizational effectiveness, and enhance impact (D5 Coalition). It helps us work together and empathize with each other. We push diversity discussions to the side to avoid being uncomfortable. Communication between teacher and student and between students is essential in order to build strong relationships consisting of mutual trust and respect. Let's imagine how easy and comfortable it would be to get things done if everyone were just like you. But one of the big barriers? Communication has been derived from the word ‘communice’ which means ‘to share or to make common’. In my current role, we have organised several world café-style workshops on diversity and inclusion issues, which have produced insightful and productive discussions. Should you broaden where you advertise for company jobs? Who is this module for? By always turning to the same people for ideas, we create a culture that maintains a homogeneous status quo. There is a plethora of research out there which shows that embracing and valuing different thoughts, ideas, experiences and identities makes for more successful and profitable organisations –  the ‘Delivering through diversity’ report by McKinsey is one that I refer to often. | Before you begin discussing diversity and inclusion, it’s important to build a safe environment. They give people a chance to meet with others who understand their experiences and share their feelings, and are a place to be heard, believed and supported. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. But despite the benefits, people find diversity discussions to be tense, scary, and downright uncomfortable, especially at work. First, we will define accessible technology, and give examples of both accessible technology and inaccessible technology. Teachers Role In Inclusive Education Education Essay 1.0.0 Introduction. This site uses cookies and other tracking technologies to assist with navigation and your ability to provide feedback, analyze your interest in our products and solutions, assist with content personalization and our promotional and marketing efforts, and provide content from third parties. Statistics show companies with leadership in the 25 percent for racial and ethnic diversity were 35 percent more likely to exceed the median financial return for their industry. Research shows that interacting with diverse groups of people increases innovation, problem solving, and general thoughtfulness. • Communication It is important for inclusion teachers to advocate the needs of their special education students by ensuring that resources such as peer tutoring, instructional assistants, team teaching and staff development opportunities are available along with consistent policies that assess the individual student's progress. That’s huge. Communication plays a vital role in all spheres of life. Giving every individual a voice and sense of belonging within the organisation. So what is systemic to the recruiting or hiring process that needs changed? They help everyone feel heard, involved, respected, and trusted. We'll be in touch soon. Fulfilling a diversity goal means hiring or promoting people who are different than others, especially ourselves. But let’s consider how things would be without a diverse workforce. By failing to be transparent and disclose such information, it gives the perception that you are trying to hide something and shirk accountability, which suggests that you aren’t taking it seriously. Regardless of how you’re doing, failing to be transparent — or completely ignoring diversity and inclusion in your communications altogether — could be perceived as shady. Inclusive communication is an approach to communication which enables as many people as possible to be included in that interaction. On top of that, your team is likely going to compete against a team of people with all different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds. This has been echoed by international as well as national bodies. Informing, educating and supporting all employees to adopt inclusive attitudes and behaviours in all aspects of their working lives. In addition, businesses can get a boost through company engagement, retention, and financial health. But why is it so difficult to also talk about diversity and inclusion (D&I)? This is a principle of inclusive … Recognize bias. Your information has been submitted. This may take practice. Today, protecting revenue and brand image means defining and communicating with audiences as individuals, including people … Unfortunately, this isn't something that can happen overnight. Companies base a lot of systems on what’s worked in the past. ( Log Out /  Furthermore, it covers less obvious areas, like personal experiences, skill sets and motivations, also known as deep-level diversity. Diversity of thought results in better solutions and innovation, which leads to better products and services. Inclusive leadership is more than making sure the room isn't full of the same perspectives and backgrounds. The quickest way to tap into deep-level diversity is by accelerating the hiring and retention of a diverse workforce. The role of a special education teacher in such a arrangement varies according to the needs of individual students and how well the two teachers work together. This includes religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Whether you’re producing videos, case studies, imagery or events, use employees from all levels and areas of the business, and from a mix of backgrounds. ( Log Out /  Marks with a ® are registered trademarks of Development Dimensions International, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. First and foremost, diversity and inclusion must be championed from the top. They should also consider compensation and total reward systems, product and service development systems, and external partnership systems. If you haven’t felt that way, reflect on what might be putting you in the in-group. That’s exactly what the Interaction Essentials are: tools for conversations. For diversity and inclusion to become a strategic business driver, leaders must understand which functions must embrace diversity and inclusion—and then work to … Highlighting the business benefits of diversity and inclusion is one of the most effective ways of securing support and commitment across the organisation. The directive principle to guide state policy Article 45 states that "free and compulsory education should be provided for all children until they complete the age of 14". Finally, it’s vital that you don’t let diversity and inclusion slip off the agenda. So, once you’re prepared to talk with your team about diversity and inclusion, be sure to use Key Principles. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. How can we make it part of the fabric of work rather than an add-on initiative? ( Log Out /  Ideally, we’re going to want both surface-level and deep-level diversity. Mears Group, BuroHappold Engineering, The Sunshine Company, VolkerWessels UK and British Land have all taken our Inclusive Culture Pledge. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Modern companies have a choice to either know their audience or realize the shift in revenue as a consequence. Educate and Empower Your Leadership Team. Teacher-parent or teacher-student communication is necessary for dealing with teaching issues. National harmony, political inclusion and reconciliation should be the pillars of Jordan’s internal policies. Communicators should use tools such as internal email, intranets, social apps, and internal blogs to communicate the D&I initiatives with employees. Let us know a little bit about your company so we can start helping you create better leaders for a better future ASAP. The Importance of Communication and Inclusion Published on ... are team building and communication. Transparency is a key component in all communication efforts, but it’s even more important when you’re talking about an important subject like diversity and inclusion. But the goal should be to develop understanding. Because it means different things to different people, it's tough to talk about. For each individual to bring their best self forward, a … You should celebrate your strengths, but you also need to own your weaknesses, communicate your challenges and present a clear plan for improvement. This approach: Recognises that all human beings use many ways of understanding and expressing themselves. This includes some major areas, like sex, race, age, visible disabilities, or religion or culture, which we’ll call surface-level diversity. SOURCE. Effective communication is a manager’s greatest tool in rallying groups toward a common cause. Tom has a background in PR and journalism but has been working in internal communication for the last five years. It plays a vital role in creating understandings and establishing relationships. If you were entering a new market or launching a new … There can be a tendency in communications to roll out the same ‘go-to people’ but it’s important to use a diverse range of colleagues and accurately represent your workforce. Tom McGovern MBA MCIPR, Internal Communications Specialist. How can you address each of the points above? It makes people uncomfortable, so they settle for the status quo rather than make changes. If your senior leaders are not fully committed to the cultural shift that is needed, it won’t happen. Tailors teaching for all learners. Everyone needs to feel safe to share their thoughts, take risks, and bring their authentic selves to work. Restoring the leadership role of the state through a national narrative also requires a redefining of the concept of political opposition and the societal roles of all actors. In the area of financial literacy, individuals will find it difficult to participate in what they don’t fully understand, and vice versa. 2020 was a year that brought into sharp focus the racial and social inequalities that are still prevalent in today’s society. This provides a platform for people to share their experiences, but also creates opportunities for others to listen and to think about their role in supporting them and creating a more inclusive environment. These systems are integral to enacting change. Remember, your reality can be very different from others, even on the same team or in the same environment. Colleagues were tasked with discussing various diversity and inclusion issues and collectively developing solutions which they then pitched to the rest of the room. During the workshops, employees had the opportunity to mix with people from different areas and levels of the business and from a variety of backgrounds. We should be facilitating regular opportunities for collective learning and dialogue around diversity and inclusion issues, which are aimed at everyone in the organisation, not just those directly impacted. So, what happens when your nice, homogeneous team and the diverse team take on the same problem? Social media and digital tools play a role in everyone’s daily routine. The workshops not only inspired some great ideas, but they sent out a powerful message that diversity and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility, not just the Diversity and Inclusion teams. Cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment for all employees goes much further than just hiring more individuals from underrepresented groups. It’s a difficult question to answer. Diversity in America is on the rise. Recognising religious festivals and days of significance across different communities is another way of celebrating your diversity and inclusivity. As for children with learning disabilities, it is even more self-evident. Don’t forget that it’s appropriate and necessary to ask for permission before engaging in a diversity and inclusion conversation. That way, you can involve everybody in the conversation and in co-creating solutions. Establish a sense of belonging for everyone. All rights reserved. Maybe refuse to begin the interviewing process until obtaining a sufficiently diverse applicant pool? A diverse and multigenerational workforce can be a challenge to reach. This could be done through annually publishing your employee demographics or your gender and ethnic pay gap data, or simply through a communication which states: “this is where we are right now, but this is our vision for where we want to be”. This will help to demonstrate your inclusive culture and enable employees to see others from similar backgrounds within the organisation. Tom McGovern is an internal communications specialist currently working in higher education. Inclusive education approaches differences and diversity affirmatively, recognizing the value of such differences and the learning opportunities that such diversity offers. How about, “What is the role of communication in promoting workplace diversity?”. Diversity isn’t an easy topic to tackle, and it’s even harder to discuss at work. The school was considered important in creating an environment that enabled inclusion, particularly through positive peer relations, prevention of bullying and help from support staff. Tom also has an MBA and is passionate about supporting businesses and people to be at their best by revolutionising the way they communicate. 4. To help you understand the areas where your organisation needs to improve in relation to diversity and inclusion, and to ensure that colleagues feel supported, you need to create safe spaces where people can raise issues, talk about how they’re feeling and share ideas without fear of repercussions. Genuine concern and interest are a must. Not all technology is accessible, however. Being an essence of any and every society, it helps the people to share and understand the meanings. Multi-Channel Diversity and Inclusion Communication Plan. The Global Leadership Forecast found companies with a diverse workforce have more sustained and profitable growth. From a constructivist view of learning, talk is also essential to students’ understanding of new information within their existing schema. Regardless of how you’re doing as an organisation, being transparent about your current position is crucial. Each of these changes start with meaningful conversations. Not a fan of forms? ©Development Dimensions International, Inc., 1970-2021. It’s imperative, therefore, to have a real discussion about why your organisation is committed to diversity and inclusion and why it’s valued.