March 2024, Khuri et al. in Communicator, the journal of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators
Facilitation is about allowing every voice in the room to be heard, and we bring this into our work at every step of a project, from initial design to delivery to reporting at the end. Along the way, we have recognised the need for clarity and consistency around some of the terms people use in this space.
The glossary as published in 2024 is intended to be used as a conversation starter. We are aware that every project and every context will have its nuanced usage of some of these terms, and we encourage discussion around what they mean for each person in the room as the team arrives at a shared vocabulary that is relevant to them.
Since we’ve been using the Glossary, colleagues and workshop participants have suggested additions and amendments. We listened with deep gratitude, and are working to update the publication with words such as non-binary and erasure. We agree that the title of one of the sections should be Gender and Sexuality, that the term transgender now refers to people who identify with a gender that is different from the one they were assigned at birth, and that we needed to explain several terms more deeply. We wish to clarify that we have purposefully avoided listing terms that are to do with religious discrimination.
This glossary as published was developed in collaboration with colleagues at the Zoological Society of London, the University of Exeter, the University of Newcastle, and Agile Rabbit. It is particularly relevant to colleagues in the scientific arena when designing and delivering any type of workshop, including equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI or D&I) training workshops.
The terms we included are those that come up regularly in our work, and the definitions are based on published literature which we refer you to, and on our experience of how these terms are used. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Each project will likely generate additional terms that are relevant to its subject matter, location and/or relevant news that week.
We see this glossary as a dynamic document which colleagues can use as a starting point in evolving our understanding of language relevant to inclusive practice.
Click on this link for a PDF of the Glossary, and if you use it, please remember to cite us.
The full citation is: Khuri S, Patel S, Baker K, Mutili F, Griffiths M, Puri N, and Kilner T. 2024 Inclusive Practice Glossary for Facilitators, Communicator, Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators, Spring 2024, pp 14-17.
A shorter citation is: Khuri et al., 2024, Inclusive Practice Glossary for Facilitators, Communicator p14-17
