Here's how you can integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into Internal Communications for the future.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is more than just a set of specific terms, gestures, policies, or communication strategies—it’s a mindset that must be woven into the very fabric of an organization’s culture. While these elements are essential for setting clear expectations, DEI should be ingrained in the intentions behind all aspects of the business. Every department, from HR to operations, finance, and marketing, must prioritize DEI in their daily practices. It cannot be siloed within a single department tasked with promoting DEI or handling breaches in protocol. Fostering self-awareness, empathy, and tolerance through training is crucial to building a truly diverse workforce that embodies genuine inclusion and equity.

I think if you can muster genuine empathy and a real interest in the wellbeing of everyone, giving everyone a fair chance. If that is your moral compass then you will never go wrong. You will never be biased to one for being generous to another.

Ensure messages reflect the diverse voices in the organization. Use inclusive language and highlight various perspectives. Make sure all employees feel represented in communications. Create open feedback channels to give everyone a voice. Regularly update on DEI initiatives to keep these values a priority. Foster a culture of belonging by integrating DEI into all communications.

One critical policy area internal comms should review is how they respond to both internal/external crises and how the company will respond to it, if at all. More than ever, employees are expecting their leaders to speak out on social/political issues. This doesn't mean you always should, however. In my experience with clients, partnering to create an internal crisis response framework can be critical. You set parameters to pressure test each situation and, depending on the calculus, can escalate from no response to IC responds all the way to a senior executive issues a statement. We don't need to speak for everything – but we do need to stand for some things.

Revisar las políticas de comunicaciones internas para fomentar la diversidad, equidad e inclusión implica: - analizar si los mensajes reflejan y respetan las diferencias culturales, de género y generacionales - asegurarse de que el lenguaje sea inclusivo y accesible para todos - establecer canales donde las voces diversas puedan expresarse y ser escuchadas - promover la participación equitativa en las decisiones y la creación de contenidos, garantizando que las comunicaciones internas sean un reflejo de los valores inclusivos de la empresa.

A implementação de programas de treinamento abrangentes é realmente uma estratégia essencial para promover uma comunicação interna inclusiva e eficaz. Esses programas não só educam sua equipe sobre a importância do DEI (Diversidade, Equidade e Inclusão), mas também oferecem ferramentas práticas para enfrentar e superar preconceitos inconscientes, um passo fundamental para garantir um ambiente de trabalho mais justo e acolhedor.

Promover programas de capacitación en diversidad, equidad e inclusión en las comunicaciones internas es clave para crear un ambiente respetuoso y plural. Estos programas deben enseñar a utilizar un lenguaje inclusivo, respetar las diferencias culturales y asegurar que todos los empleados se sientan representados. Fomente la participación activa y el diálogo para identificar sesgos y mejorar la comprensión. La capacitación constante garantiza que la comunicación interna refleje los valores de diversidad y equidad de la empresa.

Training programs are, of course, one of the existential ways to embrace D&I. We need to ensure that the training being offered is interactive and represents our community. The most important part of the training is listening to our community.

Implementing comprehensive training programs is essential for fostering an inclusive communication strategy. Educate your team on DEI’s importance, provide tools to recognize and combat unconscious bias, and teach effective cross-cultural communication skills. This knowledge equips staff to communicate openly and effectively, creating a more inclusive environment. Such efforts lead to a cohesive and productive organization where everyone feels valued and empowered.

Strong feedback mechanisms should also promote a continuous feedback loop. Talk with your HR/People/DEI teams about what feedback they get, and once change has happened, talk about it. Whether that's an article or updates on intranet pages, making sure colleagues can actually see what improvements are happening (and they're not being ignored) is important!

- Highlight Achievements: Feature diverse employees’ accomplishments in newsletters and intranet posts. - Intranet Spotlights: Share stories and interviews with employees from various backgrounds. - Team Meetings: Celebrate diverse contributions during team meetings. - Cultural Events: Organize events that celebrate different cultures and traditions. - Perspective Sharing: Encourage sharing of unique perspectives and traditions. - Diverse Imagery: Use images reflecting workforce diversity. - Recognition Programs: Recognize and reward contributions from diverse employees. - Inclusive Messaging: Ensure all communications reflect the value of diversity.

In the journey towards meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, one of the most powerful strategies is fostering authentic collaboration with diverse communities. True inclusivity requires going beyond internal policies and actively engaging with the communities we aim to support and represent.

Joining employee business resource groups is a meaningful way to contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Employee-led groups are often seeking assistance with communications including opportunities to plan and manage events or interview employees for features in intranet articles, newsletters, or on community-based channels like Slack and Teams. It’s a great way expand your cultural knowledge and showcase the diverse people within your company. We all deserve to feel our work is valued as we contribute to a shared organizational vision. It’s an added benefit that you get to work with people from across your company to support DEI — folks that you may not have otherwise encountered and whom you can learn from and grow with.

Inclusive language is a cornerstone of a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. It goes beyond avoiding offensive terms; it actively embraces words that respect and acknowledge everyone’s identity. For instance, using “team member” instead of “manpower” or “partner” instead of “husband/wife” ensures no one feels excluded. Training and examples can help employees adopt these practices naturally. As someone experienced in organizational change, you can lead by example, documenting and sharing these practices to foster a respectful, inclusive, and productive work environment.

Language is powerful and making thoughtful and culturally competent word choices is the foundation for internal communications’ ability to set the tone for inclusivity and belonging.

Using inclusive language in internal comms is essential to promoting a sense of belonging and respect across the organization. Careful word choice can ensure that communication is free from bias, stereotypes, and cultural insensitivities. It’s helpful to adopt guidelines that encourage neutral terms—like “they” instead of gender-specific pronouns—and opting for “we” and “our” instead of “I, me, mine” (hat tip to The Beatles), and avoiding verbiage or acronyms that may not resonate with all employees. Replacing phrases such as “manpower” with “workforce,” for instance, is a simple shift that can make your communications more inclusive. These thoughtful measures can create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and motivated.

La comunicación interna es como la cara visible de la organización, por lo que es fundamental que vaya de la mano con la estrategia en diversidad de la empresa. Además, a la hora de redactar cualquier mensaje (publicación de vacantes, mensajes internos, noticias, posts, postales etc) es muy importante velar en el lenguaje y asegurarse que sea inclusivo. Por ejemplo, al redactar la descripción de una vacante interna, hay que asegurarse que el lenguaje utilizado permite que las mujeres se sientan identificadas. También es importante asegurarse que cuando se piden testimonios de empleados, haya una representación de varias diversidades (de género, de edad, de cultura, de orientación sexual...)

„Kann ein Mann auch Kanzlerin werden?“ Die Frage bekam eine Freundin von ihrem 8-jähigen Sohn gestellt, als eine Nachfolge für Kanzlerin Angela Merkel gesucht wurde. 16 Jahre lang war Deutschland von einer Kanzlerin regiert worden - dass ihr auch ein „Kanzler“ nachfolgen könnte, war für den Jungen nicht selbstverständlich. Warum sollte es dann selbstverständlich sein, dass „Physiker“ auch Physikerin meint oder „Bäcker“ auch Bäckerin? Und dass im Sekretariat nicht nur Sekretärinnen arbeiten dürfen? Unsere Sprache formt unser Denken. Deshalb gilt. Wie wir gendern, ist nicht wichtig. Ob wir von Kolleg:innen, von Mitarbeitenden oder Chefinnen und Chefs. Hauptsache wir gendern.