Say This, Not That!

Inclusive language is the daily practice of intentional and unbiased word selection that acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, and promotes equitable opportunities. Inclusive language seeks to honor the diverse identities of every person, making them feel valued and inviting them to be part of the conversation. 


Inclusive language might not come naturally, even for people who believe in and advocate for the value of diversity. Intentional, inclusive language requires us to repeatedly examine our unconscious biases and our linguistic customs. It calls for education, mindfulness, and practice to avoid reinforcing harmful language habits and assumptions. 


In this course, we share best practices for inclusive language and share more than 100 common non-inclusive words and phrases and what to say instead to create the culture you want.



Course Sample Video

Course curriculum

    1. About This Course

    2. On Accessibility

    3. Introduction

    4. Learning Objectives

    5. Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

    6. Why Inclusive Language Matters

    7. How to Speak Up

      FREE PREVIEW
    8. Six Guidelines for Inclusive Language

    9. Six Guidelines for Inclusive Language Printout

    10. Jenna Wilson of Career Civility

    11. 5 Minute Break

    12. Gender Identity, Sex, and Sexuality

    13. Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality

    14. Religion

    15. Disability and Invisible Illness

    16. Mental, Emotional, and Cognitive Diversity

    17. 5 Minute Break

    18. Physicality

    19. Acquired Diversity

    20. Harmful Common Phrases

      FREE PREVIEW
    21. Inclusive Language in Action

    22. A Journey, Not A Destination

    23. Quiz

    24. Say This, Not That Guidebook

    25. Key Terminology

    26. References

    27. Inclusive Language Course Facilitator's Guide

    28. End of Course Survey

About this course

  • $39.00
  • 28 lessons
  • 0.5 hours of video content

Experts are Saying...

Impactful and Engaging

Won J You - Design Leader and Educator, WJY Studios

This diversity course delivers impactful content that uncovers the value of diversity and inclusion for all organizations. I've taken several D&I courses and training in the past, but this course still managed to surprise me with not only new and useful information, but also a delightfully unexpected multimedia experience.

Consumable and Applicable Content

John Murphy - International Executive Leadership Coach

Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox takes what is a highly topical and critical subject and breaks it down in such a way that it is so easily consumed online. The course really helps to understand the full meaning and implications of embracing diversity - from everyone's perspective. It also helps you to understand how to make it come alive and how it connects to bottom line performance of the business. I highly recommend this course.

Highly Recommended

Susanne Meyer - Employment Solutions Architect, LCI Tech

Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox offers a fresh and approachable course on Diversity & Inclusion. It is clear that the team really cares about the issue, and numerous videos and spotlights on different people and their experiences make it personal. Information is presented succinctly and is easy to grasp and absorb. I came away knowing – and understanding -- more than I did in the beginning. All around, I would highly recommend this course!

Accessible Array of Tools

Bri Hart - Assistant Director, Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), NC State University

As an educator and social justice advocate, I believe that it is everyone's role to ensure a more equitable and just world for everyone. "Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox" provides an accessible array of tools for anyone to use to promote diversity and inclusion not only at work, but in their personal lives as well. I think that anyone who takes part in this course will not only walk away more knowledgeable about diversity and inclusion, but also more confident in promoting diversity and inclusion.

Important to Gen Zers

Johnny Smith - Marketing Intern, Walk West

Before taking this course, I was not aware of the pros and cons of diversity in the workplace. This course laid out and explained Diversity and Inclusion in an engaging manner. The teachers knew what they were discussing and shared their own sense of diversity. I was surprised by how well the course taught technical terms and historic laws related to diversity in an engaging manner. This course was well produced and fun to take while being very informational. As a member of Gen Z, I’ll be entering the workforce fairly soon. Courses like these are very important for all workers because of how diverse Gen Z is.

Participants are Saying...

5 star rating

Fantastic Program That Covers It All!

Velvet Nelson

I am incredibly impressed with the level of detail this course provides in covering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. There was thoughtful messaging from a v...

Read More

I am incredibly impressed with the level of detail this course provides in covering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. There was thoughtful messaging from a variety of experts in DEI that really made me stop and think about how I can be better at creating a comfortable and safe environment for everyone around me. Each module touched on an important subject, thoroughly defined the subject, broke down the science behind it, and provided ways and activities to implement change. I also liked that there was specific documentations and steps presented on how to create a pathway to DEI in the workplace. I appreciated the variety of activities during each lesson that made the time pass by. The course included presentations, videos, demonstrations, and activities to keep my mind engaged and active. There was never a moment where I thought, "Ugh...an online course." I felt this program was an incredibly valuable use of my time and I'll highly recommend it to my colleagues.

Read Less
5 star rating

Awesome Course!

Mike Vaggalis

I really enjoyed reviewing this course and learned a lot. The Diversity Beyond the Checkbox team has done a great job taking a HUGE topic (and one that's int...

Read More

I really enjoyed reviewing this course and learned a lot. The Diversity Beyond the Checkbox team has done a great job taking a HUGE topic (and one that's intensely personal) and distilling it down into helpful and consumable segments. I would recommend this course for everybody: from a recent hire, to a seasoned executive. I took away a lot from the course and am confident that I'm in a better position to lead my team and manage my own unconscious biases.

Read Less
5 star rating

Engaging and Thorough

Katie Bowen

Overall great course! The blend of video testimonials and text kept me engaged throughout. I enjoyed the flexibility to be able to complete the course at m...

Read More

Overall great course! The blend of video testimonials and text kept me engaged throughout. I enjoyed the flexibility to be able to complete the course at my own pace and go back and forth between modules. More importantly, though, I believe the course does a good job of not only explaining diversity, inclusion, bias, etc but also highlighting the importance of proactively understanding and approaching these things in the workplace as well as in our own personal lives. Module 2 definitely makes a good business case for why diversity and inclusion are important to furthering your business - great statistics.

Read Less
5 star rating

Great program design for learning and competence!

Mark Soticheck

I have taken many programs over the year for my professional certification. I've even sat through or taken online programs around the topic of D&I and u...

Read More

I have taken many programs over the year for my professional certification. I've even sat through or taken online programs around the topic of D&I and unconscious bias. Hands down, this is one of the best programs I have done and I'm even more amazed that it is in a "self paced" environment. The program uses video, presentations, some text, quizes, etc. to keep the program fresh and the user engaged throughout. Kudos to the instructional design team! Also, I really enjoyed the diversity (pun in tended) in both the number and various perspectives of the speakers and SMEs used in the program. This also helped keep me engaged throughout the program. My favorites were the candid interviews with business leaders about their experience. Again, great job on the program! I look forward to other similar programs to build on this one.

Read Less
5 star rating

Flexible and Engaging

Jason Doherty

Great resource for information and tools to assess personal and institutional issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. The self-paced format was ...

Read More

Great resource for information and tools to assess personal and institutional issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. The self-paced format was great for finding time to go through the course at times that worked for my schedule. The mix of multimedia formats and various speakers and narrators helped keep the content interesting.

Read Less
5 star rating

Amazing DEI Resource

Rickeysha Jones

Overall, I enjoyed this course and I was impressed by the detailed information shared surrounding DEI. I loved the blend of historical research, interviews, ...

Read More

Overall, I enjoyed this course and I was impressed by the detailed information shared surrounding DEI. I loved the blend of historical research, interviews, testimonials, statistics and various use cases throughout the course. I loved that the course touched on topics such as microaggressions, white men's role in diversity, and more that usually has a stigma attached and also offered best practices to counteract these topics in the workplace. I enjoyed the self-guided model and inclusive features of the platform like closed captions. and would also love an autoplay feature. I really appreciated the pdf documents to leverage for implementation and practice for my work moving forward. I definitely obtained some tools to be the DEI champion on my team and always think about "how we can all be apart of the solution to build a bridge for D&I".

Read Less
star rating

Why DEI

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a trending topic from the boardroom to the breakroom; but it's hard to keep up with the latest trends, language, and laws. You may have read the many studies that reveal diversity, equity, and inclusion is important to company culture, productivity, and ultimately, your bottom line. You might have even conducted diversity training at your organization or taken a course yourself, yet you are still not seeing the benefits that well-implemented programs promise.  


The truth is, many of us don’t know where to start. Developing a program is time consuming and hiring a diversity professional can often be cost prohibitive. It’s difficult to get buy-in from leadership and even more difficult to get them to commit resources to a DEI program.

Enroll to Earn Continuing Education Credits

We’re proud to announce The Diversity Movement is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.

We are also a Certified Association Executive registered provider, meaning all programs on this site meet the requirements for fulfilling the professional development requirements to earn or maintain the Certified Association Executive credential.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who is this course for?

    This course is for anyone - regardless of age, job title, experience, etc. - who wants to become more inclusive in their daily communication.

  • How long does it take to complete the course?

    On average, it takes students 1 hour to complete the course.