Many companies have rightly put D&I at the top of the senior leadership agenda, thinking about ways in which to make their organisations more inclusive. As the owner of one of only six comms agencies in the UK to have been Blueprinted (an excellence in diversity mark), I am cautiously optimistic about real change. However, one thing I have noticed that often gets overlooked, is the communication around D&I.
It’s all well and good having an accelerated diversity action plan, an accountability charter, an internship programme or a next generation leadership programme, but if the language and tone you use to communicate these ideas and initiatives is not thought-through, your well-intentioned plans could actually do more harm than good.
In my experience, the organisations executing D&I strategies in the most robust and authentic way, are those who think about it holistically – that is, not only the actions they are taking, but how to roll out the message both internally and externally.
We have worked with a handful* of organisations, advising on D&I communications strategies. It is our job to help companies think through and create a clear and sensitive plan, identifying not only what needs to be said, but how, to whom and when. We think about the choice of words and how a message might land – does it sound sincere or cynical and more like a box-ticking exercise? Have the right stakeholders / employee groups been consulted or informed internally? How frequently and transparently should progress – or lack of – be shared? Is it a company-wide email or a press release to the trade press?
Careful consideration of how you talk to your audiences is an essential part of any organisation’s D&I plan. It requires time, thought, and investment in expertise. There are no short cuts to doing it right, but those that do invest – evidence of sincerity in and of itself – will see the greatest return in the long run.
*We only advise clients when we believe the charge for greater inclusion is authentic and coming from the very top. We don’t expect organisations to be perfect, but we do expect to see a genuine will to change.
