Back in the 60’s, in the novel “The Ticket that Exploded”, William Burroughs gave this definition of language: “language is a virus from outer space”.
This metaphor wanted to capture both the power and the danger that the task of communicating represents. In Burroughs’ vision, language can infect us. Not so much because of its ability to communicate or persuade, but because of its pervasiveness and the way it affects us: bits of language join other bits of language, spreading and reproducing, using human beings as hosts.
So, just like a virus, language needs human beings to reproduce itself, spread and exist. Like a virus, language is made of many particles that continuously travel around us and have an impact. Sometimes positive, sometimes not.
If only Burroughs could have imagined how tremendously contemporary his definition of language is today, 60 or so years later, given the moment we are experiencing.
There is a key difference, though, between a virus and language: its origin. As with Covid-19, we are not always aware of where a virus comes from. In the case of language, it always originates within us. We, as human beings and social animals, rely upon language for all our needs: social, but also emotional, psychological, cognitive and even physical.
This means that language, its power and effects, are very much in our hands. Yet, since language is so ingrained into our daily lives, we tend to take it for granted, without paying attention to its effects, in the choice of words, expressions, jokes, questions, that we make every day, several times a day. This, in turn, implies that another potential virus circulates around us, with effects we control less than we realize.
Raise your hand if you have never stepped into those brief, common, apparently innocuous expressions that, intentionally or not, imply forms of discrimination, stereotypization, labelling or even offense to other people. These episodes have a name. They are called micro-aggressions and can have a big impact on the quality of relationships, psychological and emotional safety and trust, in working environments.
Let me pick-up a few examples that many of the people we meet in workshops tell us about
“You are so energetic for your age!” On the surface, a compliment in both form and intention, this expression subtly vehicles a direct, often automatic, correlation, between being older – whatever that means – and having less energy. This is not always a fair assumption, given our level of energy, motivation, creativity, etc. is influenced by many factors.
“Where are you from?” or “Where are you originally from? Again, this could be simple curiosity about someone’s provenance. But when this same question is addressed repeatedly – that’s the power of frequency – to someone who, for whatever reason, looks “different” that can create a sense of distance and lack of belonging.
“He is such a good father. He helps a lot.” Why are we surprised if a man simply engages in being a parent, as much as a mother does? Maybe because we think that for women this is a given, whereas for men it’s a surprising exception, wordy of note? Well, this might not correspond to your vision of gender roles, but it’s what your words actually vehicle.
“I would not have guessed: you don’t look gay”. Orientation is not something we can tell by appearances and this sentence may leave people with a sense that your idea of “looking gay” is pretty much stereotyped. Once again, a positive intention can actually create a sense of distance and lack of empathy.
These were just few examples. There are many more that could be discussed and that people experience everyday. Numbers are actually incredibly high. The McKinsey survey “Understanding organizational barriers to a more inclusive workplace” (June 2020) highlights that 84% of respondents experienced workplace micro-aggressions, with consequences on their sense of inclusion and belonging. In fact, those who said they aren’t sure whether they have experienced any of the micro-aggressions are significantly more likely to feel very included, vs respondents who report experiencing one or more.
But let’s not think it’s all bad. Language is not only infectious in a negative way. It can also be a positive form of infection. When we become aware and start paying more attention to implied meaning, we can use language to spread a sense of safety and inclusion among employees.
In short, we can turn our reflexive, often inherited, conventional use of language into an aware, self-questioning form of communication. We call this inclusive language.
Inclusive language is a virus we can spread. And we don’t need a vaccine to keep it under control. We can work on changing the way we use language together. At Diversity & Inclusion Speaking© (www.diversityspeaking.com), the company I founded, we work on this daily.
We work with many companies – through digital trainings and workshops – by applying our “Double I” model. The first “I” concerns our Intention. How aware are we when we use a word, an expression or crack a joke? If we question our true Intention more and more often, we can break that auto-pilot use of language, that often produces non-inclusive effects.
The second “I” concerns Impact. We can learn to pay more attention and “read” the impact of our words, expressions and jokes on other people. This way we can avoid expressions that create a sense of distance and isolation, focusing on those that favor more inclusive and respectful cultures and working environments.
In this historical moment, employees’ sense of belonging, trust, emotional and psychological safety are already threatened by prolonged remote working and general sense of uncertainty. Greater attention to the way we communicate with each other can make a real difference. Let’s join forces to spread the positive infection of inclusive language. We can start this positive movement together, today.
