In this episode of the Revenue Accelerator Podcast, we have invited Alison Tedford, a business consultant and author specializing in inclusive communications. She did work in the public service around creating inclusion for indigenous people within the federal prison system. Today, Alison discusses inclusiveness and communications, their respective origins, and how they interact.

Telling Someone’s Story

[00:45]

When you think about storytelling and the role of a storyteller, you have to recognize the historical relationships that your subjects have had with who tells their stories, how they're represented in media, how their narratives are framed, and what level of consent they've experienced when their stories are told. It's important to consider when you're telling stories about people who are either different from you or share your identity. 

Writing Isn’t Just Writing

[03:54]

It involves relating, mediating, translating, and interest-based negotiation. Sometimes, you have to be able to come back to a subject and say, I understand why these things are important to include. We need to figure out how to share that with an audience who might not have the same frame of reference and knowledge base. 

[04:50]

Things can be factually accurate. But the aspects of a story that are emphasized and how things are positioned can make a difference in how people feel.

Inclusion Value

[08:19]

When you are inclusive, you create many more opportunities for people. It's important not to engage in perfectionism to the point where you continue to exclude people who haven't had opportunities. You need to do the best that you can to create a space that is going to accommodate people.

[10:31]

What are your values? Who do you want to include? If somebody comes across your website if somebody comes across your work, experiences, your services, how would they be able to see those things? If those things aren't things you can articulate, or aren't built into your processes or language, then that's something to evaluate if things need to shift and research what people need. And how might you need to do things differently?

[16:02]

It's good to be clear about where you stand and understand who your people are and what they care about. 

Diversity Inclusion Statement

[22:19]

It's something that should be a living document. It shouldn't be something that you copy and paste because the way you include people might change over time because norms and expectations can change. Technology can change, and there are lots of different aspects that will change over time. So it's important to be current with your statements so that people know what to expect.

Conclusion

[25:10]

Regarding diversity inclusion, sometimes people are afraid because they think they will be lectured and made to feel bad about themselves. It's not about guilt; it's about growth. We're all humans conditioned by our environments, and there's a lot of messaging out there that we internalize just being people. When we know better, we can do better.

Discover more about Alison Tedford by visiting: http://alisontedford.com/ 

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