Why is this a problem?
Committees often use Western communication styles by default. As a result, some voices may be overlooked, and the group may miss valuable input. Common Western norms include:
- Speaking often without being asked or invited to speak
- Being assertive or dominant in discussions
- Interrupting to join the conversation
- Openly disagreeing with others
This can exclude or disadvantage members who:
- Prefer listening before speaking
- Prefer communication in chat
- Prefer giving brief or thoughtful contributions
- Value reflective or quiet communication
Ways to address the barrier
Empower chairs and facilitators to manage conflict
Quick Actions
- Encourage all members to learn active listening, empathy, and respectful disagreement before starting every meeting.
- Train chairs on how to handle conflicts, help the group agree, and run meetings in an accessible way.
- Give chairs tools and resources to run discussions, especially when power differences exist.
- Teach chairs when and how to step in if someone is dominating or others are being left out.
- Take short breaks if discussions get heated.
- Show chairs how to allow disagreement while still finding agreement where possible.
- Pay attention to whether people feel included, excluded, or uncomfortable. This will avoid conflicts from happening.
- Let people share concerns or complaints in writing or chat if they don’t want to speak out loud. Make sure these concerns are acknowledged.
- Keep records of how conflicts were handled and lessons learned from past meetings.
- Allow anonymous reporting when needed.
- Offer follow-up one-on-one conversations for sensitive issues.
Long-term Actions
- Develop clear conflict policies for meetings
- Have written rules about professional conduct, respect, and how conflicts are handled.
- Make these rules visible to all members and revisit them regularly.
- Train facilitators and chairs on conflict resolution.
- Update conflict resolution training as new techniques or challenges arise.
- Create a permanent mediator position to help with disputes during meetings.
Barriers these actions address
- Lack of training and support for chairs and facilitators
- Communication styles default to Western norms
- Default meeting language is English
- Dominant “expert” culture
- No clear way to report problems or get help
- People don’t start at the same place
Make communications multi-modal and consistent
Quick Actions
- Distribute information through multiple channels such as websites, social media, newsletters, community spaces, partner networks, mailing lists and community radio to reach people where they are.
- Use a mix of communication formats such as recorded videos, written guides, infographics, visual diagrams and print materials to make content as widely accessible as possible
- Provide materials in alternative formats (large print, braille, plain language, screen-reader compatible documents, audio/video).
- Offer synchronous (live), asynchronous (on-demand), and hybrid options to support different time zones, learning styles, and access needs.
Long-term Actions
- Maintain clear, consistent communication across multiple modalities, channels and platforms.
- Share opportunities in many different places and in different ways. This helps reach people who may not realize that standards development is open to them, or who do not see themselves represented in these spaces.
Barriers these actions address
- Recruiting for diversity
- Communication styles default to Western norms
- Difficulty receiving and communicating information
- Unclear participation information