Inclusive communication

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Inclusive communication refers to a form of communication which is takes into account the fact that certain words and phrases exclude different groups of people.

Roberta M Hall, and Bernice R. Sandler conducted a study which highlighted the impact of non-inclusive communication in the classroom. The low rates of participation by women, especially minority women, in the classroom could be attributed to non-inclusive communication. Minority students stated that when attempting to communicate with faculty, many times they were ignored, interrupted, provided little eye contact, and offered little guidance or criticism in the classroom. Hall and Sandler provide a number of recommendations for undergraduate professors to construct a inclusive classroom.

- "Make a specific effort to call directly on women as well as on men students"

- "Assume an attentive posture when responding to women's questions or listening to their comments."

- "Use the same tone in talking with women as with men students"

- "Note patterns of interruption to determine if women students are interrupted more than men-either by yourself or by other students"...

- "Use parallel terminology when addressing women and men students in class, or referring to men and women in classroom examples."

- "Watch for and respond to nonverbal cues that indicate women students' readiness to participate in class."


Name: Chelsea

Source: "Inclusive Communication." McMaster University. McMaster University, 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://www.mcmaster.ca/hres/inclusive_communication.html>.

Hall, Roberta M., and Bernice R. Sandler. The Classroom Cimate: A Chilly One for Women? Rep. Washington, D.C: Project on the Status and Education of Women, Association of American Colleges, 1982. Print.

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