Don't miss: 3 resources for communicating better
Innovation Network
We facilitate meaningful learning and evaluation with and for our partners to advance equity and social justice.
Greetings!
At Innovation Network, we are always looking for better ways to communicate. This month's resources reflect on how we can be more inclusive in the language we use. As evaluators, we embrace growth and adapt based on what we are learning, and these three resources provide helpful terms to use in reports, presentations, day-to-day communication, and more.?
Improving Clarity and Reducing Bias in Evaluation Language
Reflecting on commonly used terms that may be harmful
In their AEA365 blog post?As an Evaluator, Do I Use Words (e.g., Stakeholder) That Can Be Harmful to Others?, Goldie MacDonald and Anita McLees from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) share how they no longer use the term "stakeholder," which has negative connotations, particularly for Indigenous communities. They provide a useful list of words they've used to replace the term to both "reduce potential for bias or harm to others" and to more clearly explain the individuals or groups they aim to represent in their evaluation work. They acknowledge that the terms they suggest may not work for everyone and in every situation, but that "continued dialogue on language can be an opportunity to improve evaluation practice in meaningful ways."
Words matter
Elizabeth Grim's e-book,?Adopting Inclusive and Non-Violent Language, is a practical guide to incorporating language in your evaluation work that unifies and expresses your values. Elizabeth lays out guiding principles, including using strengths-based, gender-neutral, and person first language, and includes suggested alternatives for commonly used terms. Make sure to check out the last page for additional learning resources. Elizabeth's suggestion to be "nimble and humble in our work and learning" resonated with us; language changes over time and we need to be open to adapting.
Inclusive Language Guidelines
A common vocabulary for equity, diversity, and inclusion
The American Psychological Association's?Inclusive Language Guidelines?aim to build a common vocabulary when communicating about equity, diversity, and inclusion. Maysa Akbar's blog post,?"Three key things you should know about APA's new inclusive language guidelines,"?introduces the guide and highlights three key things to know about the guidelines: they are comprehensive, rooted in psychological science, and are designed to be flexible and iterative in nature. We especially appreciate how the guide "centers the voices and perspectives of those who are often marginalized or stereotyped."
领英推荐
We are becoming more equitable, both within our organization and through the way we work with our partners. In case you missed it, read the?transformation letter?from our Board and Consultant Team and our new?Vision and Values. Follow our transformation in?this blog series.
Powered by our Values
Equity, curiosity, growing possibility, community, and authenticity
Our values are not simply statements for a website, but rather an ethos to think, work and live by.?As a team, we are committed to uplifting projects aligned with?our mission: to facilitate meaningful learning and evaluation with and for our partners to advance social justice through equity. Projects where we can actively and proudly embed?our values?which include equity, curiosity, growing possibility, community, and authenticity.
Our values are a reflection of our team’s beliefs and principles as individuals.?This blog post, created in collaboration with the full Innovation Network team, shares key strategies for embedding our values in our work, including:
Read on for specific examples and tools from our projects.
Free Evaluation Resources!
If you aren't already, follow us on Twitter?@InnoNet_Eval! We'll keep you up to date on the latest trends, articles and comical musings coming out of the field of evaluation.