Writing with inclusion in mind

By: Chantal Turcotte

Early in my career, I taught in an adult literacy centre. I still remember one encounter that particularly struck me: that of an elderly, somewhat shy man. On his first visit to the center, he whispered to me that he hadn't learned to read and write when he was young.

I showed him letters on cardboard, and he was able to name them. I showed him combinations of letters, and he could pronounce them. I asked him to read words and then short sentences, and he succeeded. "You can read!", I said proudly. He paused, smiled, and replied, “Yes, maybe... but I don't understand”.

This man is far from the only one in this situation: 48% of adults in Canada have a reading level no higher than Grade 8, which corresponds to the 2nd year of high school in Quebec. That's almost half the population.

Think about it: when our message is too complicated, it is difficult for nearly half our population to understand what we’re tying to say. We exclude a very large segment of society; and our democracy suffers as a result.

Similarly, the words and phrases we choose can cause a sense of exclusion when it comes to gender.

For example, as the mother of a transgender teenager, I see daily the extent to which the use of the pronoun "she" brings my daughter profound joy, the feeling that she can be herself.

My amazing daughter was, and continues to be, the inspiration behind my partnership work and co-chairmanship of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Inclusive Writing. This co-development work between over 35 departments and organizations led to the creation of the Guidelines for Inclusive Writing a year ago.

Recently, I was fortunate to meet Chris Coulter, Senior Communications Advisor at Transport Canada, and Asha St-Hilaire, Senior Strategic Communications Advisor at Shared Services Canada. Chris and Asha are active members of the Plain Language Community of Practice. Together, we developed the top 5 techniques anyone can use to improve their plain, gender-inclusive writing. Ready? Let’s start.

1. Use the active voice

Sentences written in the active voice are usually clearer and more effective than sentences written in the passive voice. The passive voice makes your reader work too hard to understand who is doing what. In the active voice, the subject is the doer of the action i.e. I love gender-inclusive writing.

That doesn’t mean we should always avoid passive voice. The passive voice can come in handy as a gender-inclusive technique. For example, "The supervisor must give feedback to his employees monthly", could become "Supervisors’ feedback must be given to employees monthly. However, it is not as easy to understand as in its active voice.

There are plenty of gender-inclusive techniques that can help you avoid the passive voice. In the example above, we could have written: "Supervisors must give feedback to their employees monthly". You just need to pluralize the noun. Simple, isn’t it?

2. Use shorter words and shorter sentences; omit unnecessary words

Long words and long sentences make information more difficult to read and remember. As government communicators, no doubt you have read plenty of long sentences nobody can understand and rolled your eyes. Cut long sentences and create short sentences. Simplify the terminology by using more common synonyms.

Omitting unnecessary words is another useful technique. In the example we just used, we could easily delete the pronoun: Supervisors must give feedback to employees monthly. The shorter a sentence is, the easier it is to read.

3. Use common words – not jargon

Doesn’t everyone like it when presenters use acronyms and technical words that hardly anyone understands? Annoying, right? Imagine what it might be for the general population reading, watching, or listening to overly complicated information. Enough said!

However, when it comes to gender identities, it might be difficult to avoid acronyms such as 2ELGBTQIA+ or new words. While the diversity of gender identities is not new, the expression of these diverse identities is still in its early stages. New words and acronyms have emerged to name these identities and they’ll likely continue to evolve over time.

Why not use the opportunity to educate by defining acronyms and explaining these new words? The word "Internet" didn’t exist when I started my career. Today, we all know its meaning and use it daily. The more we talk about gender identities using the right words, the more we become accustomed to them. As we become more and more used to seeing, hearing and using these words, the more our understanding of them grows. By the way, to avoid acronyms, you can also refer to gender-diverse people.

4. Use verbs over nouns and use lists

Nothing better than a simply formulated sentence that uses verbs and a list instead of long sentences with too many nouns, am I right? So, here it is.

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Using the imperative is an extremely efficient trick when you want to avoid using a gender-specific pronoun. "The visitor should always keep his dog on leash" could become "Always keep your dog on leash." This technique works especially well when you make a request or give an instruction, an order, or a warning. 

 5. Address your public directly

Addressing the reader is an effective plain language and gender-inclusive technique we often use in government communications. “You” is a pronoun that includes all genders and, in most cases, reduces the length of your sentences. It helps the audience see themselves in the text and relate to what you're saying. Here is a quick example: "The tenant must keep his apartment clean and tidy" can be turned into: "You must keep your apartment clean and tidy. "

These are just a few of the many techniques that can help you write in plain, gender-inclusive language. Like it? Want to learn more? Check out the Plain Language Community of Practice’s page on GCconnex (accessible only on the Government of Canada network) and the Guidelines for Inclusive Writing and Inclusionary on the Language Portal.

Other related links

• Language Navigator
• Breaking down barriers: Plain Language
• Plain language, accessibility, and inclusive communications

Disclaimer: The gender-inclusive and plain language solutions are not the same in the English and French versions because English and French grammar are different.