Bias-free communication is speech or writing that attempts to include people of all

ethnicities An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

gender identities Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the i ...

sexual orientations Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generally ...

religious affiliations Religious identity is a specific type of identity formation. Particularly, it is the sense of group membership to a religion and the importance of this group membership as it pertains to one's self-concept. Religious identity is not necessarily the ...

, abilities, and ages by communicating in a way that makes no assumptions about the receiver of such communication. An important part of communicating in a bias-free manner is by making sure you are engaging in meaningful conversations, using bias-free language. The writer's word choice is vital in terms of effectively communicating in ways that do not offend the receiver. According to Locker, "Bias-free language is language that is sensitive to people's sex, race, age, physical condition and many other categories. Bias-free language does not discriminate and therefore includes all readers in a fair and friendly manner."

Identifying Bias

Bias exists everywhere, even if it is not always acknowledged. One of the best examples is the news outlets. Many sources are noted as being biased, and therefore not providing the best renditions of events. CNN is known for being left leaning in terms of politics, whereas FOX is known for being right leaning. If a verbal or written communication includes any of the following, it may be bias: # Unsupported claims. # Extreme or inappropriate language. # For written text, there may be no clear author. # Spoken communication may have a speaker with a poor reputation. These sources should be questioned for their bias because it could impact their validity in their points. Therefore, avoiding bias in all communication will ensure that the point is crystal clear and the speaker is trusted.

Practicing Bias-free Communication

By practicing bias-free communication it takes away any prejudice that may be implied. This prejudice is often linked to preexisting oppression in society, and may not always be acknowledged at fist glance. Communication, written or spoken, is extremely important in making connections and demonstrating thoughts. Using bias-free language is especially important in the workplace. Educators should avoid using bias because it is impossible to know every students background, and therefore, educators may cause damage to students self-image. If a job included writing and sending mass emails the writer should take caution when writing because the readers may have different lived experiences than the author. By taking out any bias it allows for all parties to focus on the intended message rather than attempting to sift through bias, intentional or otherwise. Below are some examples that can be implemented easily:

References

Communication Ageism Multiculturalism Interpersonal communication {{comm-stub

Identifying Bias

Practicing Bias-free Communication

See also

References