Once upon a time, companies stayed out of social justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) situations. Today, customers and employees expect to be seen, heard, and valued. They expect businesses and their leaders to be transparent about DEI efforts, take a stand on social justice issues, and demonstrate how they're making the world a better place. Misalignment between what a company says and what it actually does destroys credibility and leads to a host of other consequences, including brand reputation damage, high attrition, difficulty attracting talent, lawsuits, boycotts, loss of market share, and more.
DEI and social justice communications is a new and required skill set for communicators. The key to success is to embed them in your processes from the very beginning. We must acknowledge unconscious bias and learn to think and act beyond ourselves and our own limited experiences.
In this second edition, Stovall and Clark help organizations answer the why, what, when, and how to communicate DEI and social justice subjects. Building off their previous work, Stovall and Clark expand their DEPTH model, a framework and practical tool to help companies craft DEI and social justice and communications aligned with their mission, vision, and values - consistently, proactively, and in ways that are powerful rather than performative.
DEI touches every part of the organization beyond communications, from marketing to sales, human resources to technology. Social justice is no longer something that happens 'out there, somewhere.' In this groundbreaking book, Stovall and Clark lay out the elements of a DEI and social justice communications strategy and a roadmap that will help your organization effectively use a DEI lens to inform all of its work and interactions. The business world has the best potential to usher in change that's long overdue - and now is the time to do it.
Clark, Kim: - Kim Clark has focused her career on messaging, audiences, and how communications shape people's experiences. Her career spans documentary filmmaking, agency partnerships with the Discovery Channel, and leading global internal communication teams at KLA, PayPal, GoDaddy, and GitHub. She is known for her ability to facilitate sensitive and yet urgent conversations to make meaningful progress in creating inclusive workplaces. She speaks at conferences, runs custom workshops, and consults with companies on all things diversity, equity, and inclusion communications related. She lives in California with her two cats, two kids, and one girlfriend.
Stovall, Janet M.: - Janet M. Stovall is a global speaker, facilitator, writer and consultant who helps business dismantle systemic inequity -- especially where it intersects with race. A long history of driving change and building culture in large, complex organizations has given her deep expertise around DEI practices and principles, especially in the area of communications. In fact, she broke barriers as one of the few Black C-level speechwriters in the Fortune 100. Her three TED presentations challenging business to get serious about inclusion have millions of views. Her superpowers? Applying objective solutions to solve subjective DEI challenges, building actionable DEI frameworks and strategies, and brokering honest DEI conversations among top leaders. A firm believer in action over aspiration, intent over impact and objectivity over subjectivity, Janet works with organizations and leaders that truly value diversity. Her consultancy, Pragmatic Diversity, helps them unlock that value through accountable inclusion and equity. Through keynote speeches, workshops and direct consultation with leaders, teams and individuals, she helps business get real about DEI and dismantling systemic inequity.
