The Etiquette of

Language Use
A guide to use sensitive language and actions

By: Shreeja Mitra (23bal127)

Introduction
 Why is it important to communicate effectively?
• Communication is a very important life skill not only in one’s personal life, but also in their
professional life.

• Communication allows us to interact with other people more easily.

• Impactful communication allows us to work better with others, and effective communication
helps us put forth our point in a succinct and apt manner.

• It’s also important to foster effective communication in teamwork so your entire team knows
exactly what they are meant to be doing.
 Why is it important to communicate effectively?
• The goal of effective communication is to make sure you can
clearly understand others and put across points of your own. Clear
communication helps us in all our interactions with everyone we
meet.

• Having good interpersonal communication skills can help you build

strong personal relationships.

• This also helps resolve conflicts and build a better understanding of

the people you work with.
 Etiquettes of Communication
• Express yourself kindly: One shouldn’t be afraid to put forth their opinions and
voice their concerns, but at the same time they should be polite and open to
opposing perspectives, and create a comforting environment for others to express
themselves.

• Keep it professional: Don’t put someone in a awkward and hostile environment by

introducing topics which are either personal or are extremely sensitive and may
evoke a turmoil of emotions.

• Keep yourself updated: Keep yourself in loop with what is going on, and be mindful
of the words and expressions you use to talk about sensitive topics. The language
should always be polite and neutral and shouldn’t attack someone or make the
environment hostile or make someone feel unwanted.
 Formal Communication
• Formal communication is communication through preauthorized channels set by committees/ organizations
which is backed by procedure, and helps in achieving the goals of the committee/organization.
• In its purest form, formal communication is created to increase efficiency within an organization.

• It is used to maintain a level of professionalism among the participants

• Formal communication is used in professional settings to provide information and discuss topics in a
structured and organized manner.
• It typically involves the use of more formal language than informal communication, using terms and concepts
that are specific to the subject being discussed.
• In this form of communication, one should avoid using slangs and derogatory terms, and should rather use
language which is polite and mindful, and that doesn’t come off of as aggressive.
• Even while giving constructive criticism one should be aware of the tone they are using.
 Informal Communication
• Informal communication is more relational than formal. The primary goal of this type of
communication is to preserve and establish relationships with colleagues.
• Informal communication is defined as the type of communication that takes place between two or more
parties in a casual and unstructured manner, and it is often characterized by the use of informal
language.
• It is not backed by any formal preauthorized channels and can happen anywhere within the
organization.
• Since it is not defined by any channels, messaging moves a lot faster, but it is without any paper trail or
official documentation.
• Informal communication is often used to build relationships and facilitate conversations in social
settings, and can be beneficial when developing new ideas or resolving conflicts.
• Under this ambit, jokes which are made are to be politically correct, and should not be targeting any
sect, caste, race, gender, language or sexual orientation.
 Components of Effective Communication
• There are two major techniques of communication, verbal and non-verbal, which cover most types of
communication.

• Verbal communication is, of course, talking to people, while non-verbal communication includes
anything that isn’t said or heard.

• Some Components include;

- Spoken communication, which includes talking clearly and concisely
- Communication is a two-way street and it is just as important to listen, as it is to talk.
Listening can help you understand what other people need or what they feel is important. It
also includes asking questions to check whether you understand what one has said.
- Verbal communication also includes the aspect of mails and texts, and based on the situation,
the tone and language of the text changes i.e., whether it is a formal setting or and informal
setting.
- Body language, gestures, expressions and emotions, including the tone, pitch, eye-contact
and pauses are a form of non-verbal communication
 Components of Effective Communication
The study of non-verbal Communication includes;
• Paralanguage - The study of Paralanguage focuses on the way we say and what we say.
• Kinesics – The use of body language, gestures, actions and facial expression.
• Proxemics - How the physical space is used and how objects are arranged in a given
space.

• Sometimes, Paralanguage and Kinesics can be used in an offensive way. For example,
rolling your eyes, or making rude gestures, snickering while someone is saying
somethings, passing snide remarks in one’s speech, and etc.

• This is not desirable since it hurts the sentiments of the peers, and makes the one making
such comments unapproachable in the future. We as a committee should aim at making
ourselves more approachable, kind, and understanding to a mass of people.
 Battling Stereotypes and Prejudices
• Their exist various stereotypes which have been ingrained into our minds because of interacting and observing
the society and the people around us.

• A stereotype is defined as a “set of ideas that people have about what someone or something is like, especially an
idea that is wrong”
• Stereotypes lead to social exclusion, humiliation, and spread of unwarranted hate and discord among people.

• Prejudices are preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.
 Battling Stereotypes and Prejudices
• A few common Stereotypes and Prejudices include:

- Punjabi’s being dumb

- Bengali’s performing black magic and always eating fish and rice
- South Indians not being proficient in Hindi
- Unable to distinguish between the different southern Indian language and just using common terminologies such
as ‘Enna Rascalla’ for all of them.
- Gujarati’s always eating or consuming sweet foods
- Rajasthani's not having water or practicing child marriage
- Haryanvi's always being affluent to violence

• One should not use such stereotypes and should rather subscribe to knowing the person better and understanding
their language, heritage and culture better.
 How to be Gender Inclusive?
• English has very few gender markers: the pronouns and possessives (he, she,
her and his); and some nouns and forms of address (actor/actress,
waiter/waitress, etc.)
• Some nouns that once ended in -man now have neutral equivalents that are
used to include both genders (spokesperson for spokesman,
chair/chairperson for chairman, etc.)
• A challenge for gender-inclusive communication in English is the use of the
masculine form by default, and there are few steps which can be taken to
combat the same, which are as follows;
• When referring to or addressing specific individuals, use forms of address
and pronouns that are consistent with their gender identity. Use Ms. Over
Mrs. when addressing women and when addressing men and women, use a
consistent for of addressing, i.e. refer to both of them by either their surname,
courtesy title or profession.
 How to be Gender Inclusive?
• Rather than overusing the words ‘he and she’ or ‘he/she’ in a sentence,
restructure the sentence to be more inclusive, and should rather use plural
pronouns/ adjectives; for example:
- He/ She should submit whatever work he/she has done by the 24 th of the
next month.
- One should submit whatever work they have done by the 24 th of the
next month..
• Also, one should avoid using gender specific words such as ‘boys and girls’,
‘men and women’, etc. Rather use much more neutral terms to address both.
• Use words such as ‘everyone’, ‘human-kind’, ‘solidarity’, ‘artificial’,
‘spouse’ and etc, over words such as ‘men and women’, ‘man-kind’,
‘fraternity’, ‘man-made’, ‘wife/husband’ and etc. (respectively)
 How to be Gender Inclusive?
• The Supreme Court of India, recently released a handbook which talk about ‘Combating Gender Stereotypes’
• Some stereotypes which may be sexist/casteist/classist are as discussed below:

- Women being illogical and emotional, thus making it difficult for them to make decisions.
- People from poor economic backgrounds are more likely to steal someone’s possessions.
- Women are the only one who get harassed and men aren’t at the receiving end of it
- Someone belonging to lower-caste, is dirty, and whatever they touch becomes contaminated.
- Women being physically weak to men, and being subordinate/submissive/below men.
- Someone coming from a weaker economic background is bound to be stupid, and must not know how to
communicate in English.
• Such stereotypes are detrimental to effective and open communication and should be avoided. A person should be
judged on their capabilities and not based on their gender, economic background or caste.
 Political Correctness
• Political correctness (PC), term used to refer to language that intends to give the least amount of
offense, especially when describing groups identified by markers such as race, physical
differences, gender, culture, or sexual orientation.

• Those who are most strongly opposed to “political correctness,” view it as censorship and a
curtailment of freedom of speech that places limits on expressing oneself.

• Others who propagate “political correctness” or “politically correct” use it as an form to

legitimately attempt to curb hate speech and minimize exclusionary speech practices.

• Using terminologies or actions which are race baiting in nature, such as followers of a certain
religion almost always being a part of terrorist organizations, or a certain group of people being
stringent and money oriented is also a rude and offensive thing to do, and counts as politically
incorrect.
 Political Correctness
• Some politically correct terms include:

- Hearing impaired instead of Deaf

- Overweight instead of Fat
- Person with a mental health disability instead of Schizophrenic, mad, mentally unstable, etc.
- House helper instead of Maid/Servant.
- Queer instead of Faggot, Fag, and other offensive terms.

• Jokes when made, should be mindful of such words, they should be barred and more respectful
words should be used instead of them.
Conclusion
Thank you
very much!