InklusivComm™
Personas (Iliana)

Do you systematically make sure sufficient instructions are provided before asking audience members to take action? Not knowing what will happen next, or what will be expected from us can be stressful. Similarly, being asked to answer a question out of the blue or sent to a breakout room can be very anxiety inducing for someone like Iliana if the rules of the game aren’t clear. We should always keep in mind that some people will require more time to formulate an answer or act. It doesn’t matter that you won’t judge them because they will absolutely judge themselves. To better support people on the spectrum, but also anyone else who deals with anxiety, always provide clear and sufficient instructions so audience members can cope with the stress that comes with taking action.

Do you systematically set clear expectations, be consistent, and follow through with what has been announced or promised? Many situations can cause undue stress and anxiety for audience members who are on the autism spectrum when attending talks, trainings, workshops, and keynote presentations. By now, Iliana has probably experienced them all. For people struggling with anxiety, some of the most stressful situations include not really being able to predict what will happen next during a talk or being told to expect something specific during the session, and then being left to wonder why that thing simply isn’t happening as planned. You should always be very careful when promising or announcing anything to the audience as it can create overwhelming expectations for some. Similarly, not providing sufficient insights into what will happen next can also create undue stress that will sap their focus away from your message.

Do you systematically facilitate understanding by opting for plain language techniques over complex and unnecessary verbiage? Plain language techniques make your content simpler and clearer, empowering the audience to find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information to accomplish tasks. These techniques benefit people with low reading literacy, people encountering unknown topics or languages, and folks like Iliana, who are on the autism spectrum. By leveraging plain language in your writing and content, not only do you prevent people with cognitive disabilities from being left out of the loop, but you’re also ensuring your information is more accessible for everyone. Always go for literal, clear, and concise. Avoid the use of slang, nuances, and sarcasm, as these forms of communication may be confusing and harder to understand for people with autism.

Do you systematically provide clear and specific written instructions, supported by visual cues to help your audience understand? Spoken words fly away, written words remain. Don’t just tell your audience what the instructions are, provide them in written format as well. Whenever possible, pair your instructions with corresponding visuals that help anchor the concepts and explain the steps in which the instructions are expected to occur. Make use of visual aids and encourage your audience to create their own to remember concepts as needed. In short, don’t simply tell people like Iliana what to do, but instead, write out the instructions for them using short sentences and simple terms. Distribute these instructions in the form of typed handouts, write them on the board, or put them up on the screen. If instructions are complicated, break them down into smaller steps to help simplify the information for everyone.

Do you systematically create a predictable and consistent experience for your audience that is free of sensory overloads? Many external, unexpected factors can be distracting for audience members who have autism. Fluorescent lights, smells, movements, and noises coming from other attendees can make it very difficult for someone like Iliana to concentrate on your content. Using cool, calm colors, avoiding overly stimulating assets, and relying on visuals to support your message can go a long way in helping someone on the spectrum better cope with all the other distractions that are out of your immediate control. Make it a point to factor as much predictability and consistency as you can in everything you’re doing, so attendees with autism can more successfully deal with outside distractions or the work at hand. You should never make any assumptions about someone else’s ability to process information and successfully connect your dots.

Do you systematically avoid communicating through idioms, figures of speech, or complex metaphors when simpler options are available? Language can get incredibly complex incredibly fast when it’s full of idioms, colloquial expressions, puns, analogies, figures of speech, and other complex metaphors that cloud comprehension. Speaking professionals relying on the use of this richer language make assumptions about a certain mastery of the language from the audience’s part, which is, in fact, never guaranteed and can lead to people feeling confused or left out. People coming from different cultural backgrounds who are non-native speakers, or who simply struggle with communication skills can all quickly find themselves at a loss when language is overly complex. Many people like Iliana, who are on the spectrum, will have trouble understanding figurative language and will tend to interpret it in very concrete terms. Avoid this by going for simple language whenever possible.

Do you systematically avoid preventing people from coming up with their own answers or questions by quickly filling in awkward silences? Not everyone processes information the same way, nor at the same speed. For most, the process of answering a question, or coming up with one, begins with processing the ask, figuring out what to say, gathering the courage to say it, and articulating the thought in words that make sense. In a live, virtual setting, this process might also involve typing though chat, which slows everything down even more! Waiting for people’s feedback can feel extremely awkward. Consequently, many speaking professionals will tend to quickly fill in silences by giving away answers or swiftly moving on, merely seconds after having asked their questions. This prevents someone like Iliana from even getting an opportunity to come up with her own answers or questions and can lead to attendees shutting themselves out.

Do you systematically avoid depending on non-verbal communication such as facial expressions or body language alone to share your thoughts? There are many cues, visual or otherwise, that can be used besides talking to convey our message from the platform. While most of our content goes through what we’re saying, a lot also comes through our facial expressions, our body language, our gestures, eye contact, and the context in which we say the things we say. It is common knowledge that most folks with autism have difficulty reading facial expressions and interpreting body language. For someone like Iliana, non-verbal communication and social cues often fall short, which makes inferring communicative intent based on context difficult, leading to misunderstanding and confusion. To avoid these situations, always make sure to support facial expressions and other forms of non-verbal communication with clear, unambiguous messages using words that your audience can understand.

Do you systematically avoid using bright, triggering colours when laying out information on slides, handouts, or other documents? Studies reveal that about 85% of people on the autism spectrum perceive colours more intensely compared to those displaying a neurotypical development, and that’s certainly true when it comes to Iliana. To her, duller colors with white and grey undertones have a calming, soothing effect, while brighter, more vibrant colours can easily become the cause of overstimulation. For audience members on the spectrum, friendlier colours will include shades of pinks or lilacs, muted tones of greens, blues, and oranges, as well as other neutral colours, such as beige, greys, creams, or tans. This is because softer colours have much shorter wavelengths than brighter ones, resulting in a lot less brain stimulation. Inversely, colours to avoid include reds and yellows, especially brighter hues, due to how overstimulating they can be.

Do you systematically avoid leaving your audience members with presentation materials that lack sufficient visual and narrative structure? Everybody benefits from improved structures in presentation materials, but audience members like Iliana will oftentimes require more support than most to follow along and remain focused. Visual structure, such as slide numbers and progression bars, section indicators with different colours or icons, and reliable wayfinding cues will help ensure that Iliana knows where she is at all times in the presentation. Likewise, visual roadmaps will allow her to better pace her energy and focus. Narrative structure, with stories that have a clearly defined with a beginning, middle, and end will help people with autism more successfully follow speakers down the storytelling path. Similarly, introducing concepts linearly and building on them as the presentation unfolds will also help audience members better understand the progression and flow of the content.