Have you spent a lot of your time in recent years on diversity and inclusion? Then you’ve probably noticed how difficult it is to achieve your diversity and inclusion goals. An important reason for this difficulty is the language you use for the written content you publish. Job ads, newsletters, and blog posts—you write them with the intention to reach as many people as possible. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. We often stumble over the same writing mistakes. Luckily, these mistakes can be prevented by using an augmented writing platform. Discover all there is to know about this below.
Inclusive writing with an augmented writing platform
You want to reach everyone in your target group with the content you write. And you don’t want to exclude anyone. Inclusive writing is key. If you follow the rules for inclusive writing below, your diversity and inclusion goals become a lot easier to reach.
- Write in a human-centered, gender-neutral way, rather than using only he/she.
- Address the reader directly, using “you”.
- Do not discriminate based on age or gender.
- Avoid stereotypical words and/or associations. You use these more often than you think. Pink for women, blue for men, for example.
- Apply the WCAG guidelines.
Three common writing mistakes
When it comes to inclusive writing, there are three common writing mistakes many of us make.
The language level is too difficult for everyone to understand
A lot of the written content companies publish is too difficult for most people. The language level exceeds level B1, which is the language level that most people understand. To write at language level B1, you should:
- Use words that everyone knows.
- Write short sentences that are easy to read.
- Use bullet points and keep paragraphs short.
- Use clear headings and subheadings.
There is bias in the content you write
Unfortunately, bias is very common. Written content frequently has a more masculine tone of voice (gender bias). This means that women don’t feel spoken to when they read it. Age bias is also very common. Especially in job ads, where older people often feel that they are encouraged not to apply.
The content is not accessible to everyone
Most of the content you write is published online. Approximately 25% of all internet users have a disability. These internet users might have difficulty hearing, suffer from limited eyesight, or are sensitive to light. For these people, it’s important to ensure that digital accessibility is taken care of. That’s the only way to reach everyone in your target group.
Textmetrics – your augmented writing platform
It’s clear why avoiding the three writing mistakes above is important. Inclusive writing, however, is not as easy as it might sound. There are a lot of things that you need to consider. Luckily, there is such a thing as an augmented writing platform. This can best be described as a technology that serves as a writing coach. It makes implementing the rules for inclusive writing a lot easier.
The Textmetrics platform is an augmented writing platform that gives you suggestions on:
- The right tone of voice for your content.
- How to avoid bias.
- How to write at language level B1.
- How to avoid words that are too difficult for your target group.
Want to know more about our Smart Writing Assistant? Click here.