Internal communications

Internal communications about diversity, equity and inclusion are the responsibility of everyone in the organization, even if you have a communications team. Everyone needs to be actively engaged in the process to create a shared and continually evolving language. Dr. Ibram X. Kendi writes:

It is critically important for every single one of us to study and come to understand racism in all of its manifestations…and part of that understanding is defining terms. The first step [to having conversations about race, racism and being anti-racist] is ensuring there is a common vocabulary. You can’t really talk about anything without a common language—those set definitions. The first step to [safe and productive] conversation is to define terms, so everyone can be on the same page.

Start the process by speaking up. As shown in this short clip from Royal Bank of Canada, to speak up for inclusion, we need to speak about inclusion. When you speak up, you are practicing transparency and opening lines of communication in your organization. More importantly, you are modeling shared norms for communication that will shift the organizational culture.

Referring to the definition of transparent communication provided by Michigan State University, it is the type of communication where both positive and negative information is shared upward, downward and in a lateral manner. Jelena Simonovic writes:

To be transparent in the workplace is to stay true to the principle of open communication in every possible situation. No matter how challenging and uncomfortable it may be, the benefits of transparent communication are hard to ignore. When you readily share information and ask teammates to participate in decision-making, you send out the message that their opinion and their presence are important and valued.

If your land trust has a communications team or consultant, their role should be to facilitate discussions and provide a platform for storytelling, such as this blog from Latino Outdoors. This is not only a platform for sharing stories, it’s a platform for changing the narrative around people of color and their connection to nature.

The Yo Cuento Blog developed by Latinos Outdoors is a great example of a story-sharing platform. “Yo Cuento,” they explain, “is a celebration of our ambicultural identities. The Spanish phrase Yo cuento has multiple meanings, including I count, I matter, and I tell a story.”