We coined the term "inclusive language" a decade or so before it took on its present meaning. The Speech Gems meaning of the term is phraseology such as, "All of you in this room...", "Most of us...", "we, who...", etc. Almost anything which indicates either a recognition of the audience, or, a togetherness with them, is what we are looking for, here. We recommend it as an editing process, because it is easier to do it this way when one is not accustomed to the approach.

• "our team"
• "all of us"
• "we, together"
• every one of us"
• "I'm open to suggestion"
• "do you all agree?"
• "that is an excellent suggestion"
• "we can use your input"
• "as a part of this wonderful group, I..."
• "we've all been there"

Other Approaches:

• mention a person's name
• go and stand beside someone, then mention something special about him or her



• as you refer to a group make a gesture with your arm or arms to include them

Here are a Few Full Samples for Use in Presentations:

1. Project manager reporting, at a full staff meeting, on the successful completion of the task.


2. Senior executive giving year end message at annual Christmas party.


3. Volunteer organizer of company community fund raising effort to the overall staff.


4. Sales manager announcing quarterly results and asking for increased effort for the next quarter.

Project Manager

The idea is to build continued team supportTB by spreading the credit. Here are a few ways to say it:

• "Each and every member of our team contributed significantly...."
• "Together, we were able to overcome the obstacles."
• "Jim, Faheed, and Alice particularly..."

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Senior Executive-Christmas Party

At a Christmas party, perhaps the most obviously valued attribute of a speech is its brevity. The intent, of this occasion, however, is to show appreciation to the staff for their efforts in the previous calendar year and to subtly solicit their continued or additional support for the coming year.
Here are some ways to achieve those goals:

• "I am pleased to be here to meet with you personally."
• "Although I do not encounter most of you on a daily basis, I am very aware of the contribution of each one of you in this room to our overall goals. "
• Mention one small unexpected contribution from each division.
• Tie into the general well being of Christmas by referring to your pride in the way in which your staff support one another even when it isn't Christmas(...and, even if it isn't the case). By mentioning it as a positive, you set up an expectation.

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Volunteer Fund Raiser

Your role is to challenge the group to meet or better their record of giving from last year. It may also be to beat a competing group. Your obstacles are that few people especially likes giving away their money; and, that you may be seen as the company bogey man imposing this on individual staff members.
Here are a few phrases to ease your task:

• "We, at the We Do Things Company are highly respected for our generosity."
"Part of what attracted you to this company, I'm sure, was the role we play in this community."
• Tweak their competitive soul by mentioning an amount a competitor's individual department is planning to raise; and, suggesting that the same department in your firm is bound to want to better that

.

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Sales Manager

The sales manager's role is a difficult one. Whether this year's results were good or bad, the expectation is that next year's should be better. It is challenging to combine motivation, criticism and increased goal setting all in one presentation.

Here are a few phrases to aid the process:

• "As a team,..."
• "Each of you has hidden resources"
• "our joint efforts contributed..."