The Importance of Inclusive Language

Language choice is an increasingly important part of a technical writer's work. Clarity and consciousness can often influence a technical writer's choice of words; however, inclusivity and advocacy should impact these choices just as much. When an audience feels properly represented and advocated for within a document's presentation, there is a direct correlation to the impact and longevity of a piece's message.

Many studies have presented findings on the impact of inclusive language. The article, "Inclusive Advertising for a Better World," demonstrates the benefits of using inclusive language and diversity in company advertising. The article presents a published series of articles that actively chose to use inclusive language and support the groups they are targeting. Each article found that the loyalty, emotional appeal, and connection between the articles and their audience members were strengthened and elevated by these choices.

The way technical writers present their information has a direct connection to the effect their writing will have on their readers. Not only does choosing empathy through this language use create well-rounded and good-natured technical writers, but it also creates better documentation overall.

How to Choose Inclusive Language

There are many resources that can be used to learn about the proper tools and terms to use while prioritizing inclusive language. There are many guidelines and training materials that can be accessed as resources for technical writers. Once such guidbook is the "Inclusive Language Guide," an online guidebook that presents different definitions of inclusive terminology, harmful terminology, and words carrying stigmas that technical writers should be aware of.

There are many different groups of people who feel supported and excited by the use of inclusive language. Some examples of such groups can be seen in the graphic below:


Audience Analysis Examples
A diagram of different groups that may be negatively impacted by non-inclusive language from "Inclusive Language".

While it is important to try and include language that benefits the majority of all consumers, understanding what diversity groups a target audience falls into can allow a technical writer to support them to the best of their ability. A technical writer's message will always be best received when their audience feels understood and supported, regardless of how formal or informal the final document needs to be.