Management Information

By Steve Kaye

You will be more effective delivering presentations when you use gender neutral speech.

This avoids offending people by implying stereotypical behavior. It also makes your message more inclusive, which increases its appeal to all of the people in your audience.

Here are general tips on how to make sure your words appear on the right side of good.

* When talking about a group of people (e.g., executives, engineers), use plurals because this allows you to refer to them with plural pronouns (“they” and “them”) instead of singular pronouns such as “he” or “she.”

* Rework sentences to avoid using pronouns. For example, instead of saying, “When the doctor looked at the analysis she was surprised.” say, “The doctor looked at the analysis and was surprised.”

*Replace singular pronouns with nouns, such as “executive,” “spouse” or “child.”

* Use generic trade names, such as “sales person,” “clerk,” or “employee” instead of “salesman.”

* Convert idioms to equivalent statements, e.g., “act like a man” becomes “act courageously” or “stand tall.”

* Of course, use appropriate pronouns and terms when talking about a specific person.

To use these techniques, you will have to prepare your presentation carefully. Listen to your rehearsals critically, and then change the wording as appropriate. And as you might expect, these techniques apply in any dialogue. Use them to create a favorable impression everywhere, with everybody.

- - -

Steve Kaye helps leaders hold effective meetings. He is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator, author, and speaker. His meeting facilitation and leadership workshops create success for everyone. Call 714-528-1300 for details. Visit http://www.stevekaye.com for a free report.