Main elements of an inclusive communication include awareness, consideration and responsiveness to any component of a person’s identity, including but not limited to, culture, sexual/gender identity, political affiliation, spiritual beliefs, socioeconomic status and disability. Inclusive communication is vital to being a successful ecologist, educator, advocate, or entrepreneur, and fosters well-being in our society. We often assume that these communication skills are developed intuitively. Yet all too often we fall into one of two extremes: either ignoring a person’s identity or centering the conversation on that person’s identity. The Inclusive Ecology Section has designed an “inclusive communication” workshop in which you will learn about tools and resources to improve your communication skills, as well as take an active role in practicing these skills.

We will begin our workshop with a brief introduction to inclusive communication. This introduction will cover topics including: 1) positively approaching identities, 2) addressing misconceptions, and 3) things to do or not do when interacting with underrepresented minorities. We will follow this presentation with two hands-on activities that facilitate practice and application of this content to real-life situations. These activities will take the majority of our time. By the end of this workshop participants will be more comfortable and better-prepared to communicate constructively and respectfully with URMs throughout this ESA Meeting and beyond.