InklusivComm™
Personas (Vivian)

Do you systematically use a microphone when speaking to an audience because you’re never as loud or audible as you might think? If you’ve read through this book, this one should be obvious to you by now. As the person providing the content, you control one thing and one thing only; how you deliver the message to your audience. How that message is received is something you have very little control over. You might believe that your voice carries, you might think that everyone will hear you, you might be convinced that a microphone is pointless in such a small room, you might feel like using the mic is overkill, but please, hear me when I say this. It doesn’t matter what you think. All that matters is what the audience experiences. If someone like Vivian can’t hear you, they will fade out. So unabashedly use that microphone. Be obnoxious about it.

Do you systematically reformulate questions or statements coming from the audience before you provide an answer? Vivian’s introductory story at the beginning of this chapter says it all…not everyone in the audience will be able to hear the context of a comment or question, so it should always be your goal, as the inclusive speaker, to provide sufficient context about the subject before offering your insightful answer or perspective. This is also true in a virtual environment when such questions or comments come from chat or the Q&A box. Not everyone will easily keep track of what’s going on in those sections of the interface. The onus of keeping everyone engaged should always rest on your shoulders. As such, you should always make it a point to contextualize for people like Vivian before you go on with answering questions from your audience.

Do you systematically rely on fonts that are big enough to be read comfortably by someone sitting in the far back of the room? Never underestimate how tiny the words you put on your slides can look to seniors like Vivian, especially when those people find themselves sitting in the back of the room. Your goal should always be to provide audience members with a comfortable reading experience. One of the easiest ways to know if your text is legible from a distance is to test it out yourself or ask! Whenever you get the opportunity, go stand at the far end of the room you’ll be presenting in and quickly run through your content. Are the words easy to read, despite the distance? Better yet, ask a few other folks, if you can, to get their perspectives as well. If they’re not, then bump that font size. Go big or go home, right?

Do you systematically offer elegant ways to opt-out for audience members who can’t physically take part in a request or activity? Engaging the audience is incredibly important to the success of our presentations, there’s no doubt about that. But do you ever take a moment to think about whether you might be asking a little too much from people like Vivian in your audience? When we ask folks to take part in a physical activity during our presentation and don’t offer them to the option to elegantly opt-out, those in the room who don’t spontaneously participate are likely to be frowned upon by those who do. Whether you’re asking the participants to stand up, raise their hands, walk around the room, dance, jump, or whatnot, always keep in mind that not everyone will have the physical ability, the energy, or the willingness to do so. Be empathetic about it.

Do you systematically plan for alternate formats such as electronic or large print versions of your documents or handouts? Handouts are great. People appreciate the ability to refer to your information once the session is over. But if you only provide printed copies of handouts, that will likely cause issues for people like Vivian in the audience who require large print formats or electronic versions to consume them on their devices. It’s not unusual for the text on printed copies to be too small for some. Offering an alternate version with much larger text size will make a big difference for those who have low vision. Not to mention you might also run out of copies! Planning for alternate formats emphasizes your thoughtfulness and prevents you from having to carry big, heavy stacks of paper around. Plus, it’s better for the environment!

Do you systematically avoid presuming that you don’t need a mic because there’s always at least one person in the audience who believes you do? Remember my personal experience with “Mike” in Chapter 2? Don’t make the same mistake I did! Do better. Even in the smallest of rooms, if an audio/video system happens to be available, request it. Use that mic. If you’re speaking at an event, and the organizers suggest that microphones are optional, insist on using one regardless. Educate them if you must. Organizers, like the rest of us, are often clueless about the inclusion challenges of people like Vivian but will go out of their way to accommodate you once they realize what it is you’re asking for. Plus, you never know just how loud that ventilation system can be for some, or how much the surrounding chatter might mess with people’s ability to properly hear you….

Do you systematically avoid assuming everyone in the audience can hear everything that is going on, or is being said around the room? It’s one thing to repeat the questions coming from the room before answering them, but what about the discussions that often spark between participants in workshop sessions? As the facilitator, are you letting participants just bounce off ideas back and forth, or do you insist on them also using a microphone, so that no one misses out on the insights? If the room is collectively building an understanding that serves the purpose of your content, don’t you want to make sure that everyone in the room can also happily follow along? Short of summarizing everything that is being said in your microphone to keep everyone engaged, asking folks to play along and use a mic is the best approach to ensure people like Vivian are not pushed to Fadeout Town.

Do you systematically avoid relying on fonts that are smaller than 24 or 28 pixels, as they can be hard to read for some people? Whether presenting your content on a giant screen in a conference room or over your shared screen in a virtual session, people will want to read the words shown on your slides. You probably expect them to! Oftentimes, audience members like Vivian will get frustrated because the text is just too small to be read comfortably. And what “too small” means completely varies from one individual to the next. What may seem fine for some might very well feel tiny for others. Making sure that the text on the screen has at least a 24- or 28-pixel font size will ensure that most will get to read it. Also, arguably, the bigger the letters, the fewer words will fit into your slide, keeping copy brief and concise!

Do you systematically avoid assuming that a one-size-fits-all format is going to work for everyone because in fact, it never truly does? One of the worst things you can do as a professional speaker is assume that one-size-fits-all approaches to content will yield great results for all. We’ve already established this in previous chapters. It’s true with the delivery of materials and just as true, if not more, with handouts you leave behind. Short of a truly accessible HTML or PDF format that has the potential to work for most, planning for alternate formats will speak volumes about your commitment to inclusion and the audience: large print, braille, audio, etc. It’s not always possible to do so, it’s potentially cost-prohibitive…. But asking attendees for accommodation needs ahead of time can go a long way in managing costs while creating a much more inclusive experience for people like Vivian.

Do you systematically avoid asking for specific forms of interaction, such as “stand up if…” or “by show of hands…,” without alternatives? Whenever you ask your audience to raise their hands, stand up, dance, move around, or perform some type of physical interaction, are you offering those who may not feel comfortable (or able) to do so alternatives? If you don’t, you’re likely making some people feel left out, awkward, or worse. You can never tell whether your audience includes people like Vivian, who have limited mobility, suffer from painful joints, or deal with physical challenges preventing them from fully participating in that light-hearted fun. Resorting to these techniques can result in people feeling self-conscious about their inability to participate the way others do. It’s ok — and energizing — to introduce these interaction bits, but always offer a way for people to elegantly opt out if they prefer to do so.