Topic 6 Think Before You Speak

If what you intend to say is about or to a marginalized person, it is worth asking yourself a few quick questions in advance. Think about the taxonomy and whether you may be walking into one of those inadvertent exclusions:

• Is what I am about to say or ask based on stereotypes or assumption about a marginalized group?
• Is what I am about to say or ask unnecessarily intrusive?
• Am I overstepping?
• Is what I am about to say based in kindness and generosity or the opposite?
• Do I have the right or authority to ask this person to comply with my request?
• Is this a good use of my authority privilege?
• Would I say the same thing to a person of a different gender, colour, race or /age?
• Is this going to make the person feel inadequate or as if they don’t belong?
• Does this question make them feel like a threat or a curiosity?
• Will this make someone feel invisible as if they are not an individual?

The best way for each of us to learn to do better is to have greater insight into the effects which our behaviour has on the people around us. How can we improve if no one is brave enough to let us know that we have areas for improvement?