You Have the Power to Uproot Harmful or Oppressive Systems in Your Communications
What if I were to tell you that as a communicator you do have the power to shift organizational culture and make real change even beyond simply posting a race equity statement on your website?
If you’re looking to make your communications more inclusive, here are three ways you can help shift organizational culture with the aim of uprooting harmful or oppressive systems in your communications.
When you see something, say something
The best part about the human experience is that we’re always growing and evolving – so give yourself and others space to live and learn.
If you notice something has been published that makes you uncomfortable, whether it be a line in an email or a social media post. You’re probably not the only one feeling this way.
Instead of “calling them out” through a charged tagged Twitter message, try “calling them in” through an email or private message reaching out personally and explaining your feelings. Hearing the perspective of someone else could lead to an epiphany or at least an acknowledgement of “hey, I should fix this?”
An example: An organization launched a new fund to address needs in AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) communities in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month. However their communications are about projects in the Asian American community that they’ve granted, which resulted in completely leaving out the Pacific Islander community.
The solution: Reaching out and letting their comms teams know they have not highlighted the projects they’ve granted in the Pacific Islander community. Focusing only on projects granted to the Asian American community makes it look like they’re homogenizing the two groups. If it’s an oversight, your input gives them the opportunity to give a more accurate picture of the grantmaking they’ve done. If they have homogenized the two groups and indeed are falling short when it comes to grantmaking in the Pacific Islander community, then this gives them time to reach out to leadership to right the wrong.
You shouldn’t be telling their story, they should
I was recently at a North Carolina conference where the leadership conducted a land acknowledgement which concluded with a quote someone said aloud from a Native American person from the midwest who lived in the 1800’s…they could have easily passed the mic and I could have given them a quote from a living, breathing Native person living in this century whose land their own (me). Instead, we all got some quote from google which is probably sold side-by-side on products at TJ Maxx that say “Live, Laugh, Love”.
Please remember this story in your comms. Generalized quotes do very little for communities, and can often carry unknown baggage. Meanwhile, quotes and stories from people living in your community do a lot to raise awareness about issues they’re facing. Because let’s be real, we’re not really struggling with small pox in 2023, but we are dealing with countless Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) which rarely get media attention.
It’s okay to follow the lead – you don’t always have to be in control
If overthinking wasn’t a problem in the nonprofit industrial complex, then the Twitter account Sh*t Nonprofits Say wouldn’t have 83k+ followers. Sometimes we over-plan —and how could you not with a board, steering committee and God knows who else you have to answer to.
When it comes to telling stories of impacted communities, it’s okay to amplify what they’re doing by sharing their social media post or blog post rather than pulling together your own narrative of what is happening. Yes we know, it could impact your metrics and the VP of Communications expects a 11% increase in your followers on LinkedIn this quarter. Still, doing what’s right is more important than a stellar analytics report. And community groups need followers too!
The truth is – if you feel like you have limited power as a communicator, you can make a big difference by offering your insights, letting communities tell their own stories and uplifting what communities are already doing.
Nicki Faircloth
Communications Consultant
Nicki@turn-two.co
