How can you ensure that your orientation delivery methods are inclusive and respectful?

1 Assess your audience

Before you design or deliver your orientation, you need to know who your audience is. What are their backgrounds, preferences, needs, and goals? How do they learn best? What are their potential barriers or challenges? You can use surveys, interviews, or focus groups to gather this information and use it to tailor your orientation to suit their learning styles, interests, and motivations.

3 Use diverse and accessible materials

Your orientation materials should reflect the diversity and inclusivity of your organization and your audience. You should use images, videos, stories, and examples that represent different perspectives, cultures, and identities. You should also ensure that your materials are accessible and easy to understand for all learners. You can use captions, transcripts, alt text, audio descriptions, and plain language to make your materials more accessible. You should also avoid jargon, acronyms, and idioms that might confuse or alienate some learners.

5 Respect diversity and sensitivity

Another way to make your orientation more inclusive and respectful is to respect the diversity and sensitivity of your audience. You should be aware of the potential biases, stereotypes, or assumptions that might affect your orientation delivery and content. You should also be mindful of the language, tone, and behavior that you use when interacting with your audience. You should avoid making jokes, comments, or gestures that might offend or hurt someone's feelings. You should also use inclusive and respectful language, such as gender-neutral pronouns, terms, and titles.

6 Monitor and adjust

Finally, you should monitor and adjust your orientation delivery methods as needed. You should observe how your audience responds to your orientation and identify any issues or gaps that might arise. You should also be flexible and adaptable to the changing needs and expectations of your audience. You should be ready to modify your orientation methods, materials, or activities to address any feedback, concerns, or suggestions that you receive from your audience.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?