“Language is very powerful. Language does not describe reality. Language creates the reality it describes.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Language Matters
Language Matters is a Diversity & Inclusion consultancy that educates individuals and organisations on diversity, bias, inclusion, and equity.
The language we use matters, and inclusive language is the first step to ensuring that individuals from all backgrounds are supported, seen, and championed equally.
Purpose
Language Matters believes progressive and inclusive language is the first building block for creating a more equitable society.
The language we use is powerful. It is not neutral; it is coded and loaded. Our language matters because it expresses our mindset and fuels our behaviour.
To create an inclusive, actively anti-racist world, we must tackle how we use language in our interpersonal relationships and our places of work.
Language Matters believes that it makes sense for organisations to shift the primary focus from ‘bad people’ who use overt ‘misogynistic’, ‘sexist’, and ‘racist' language to how prejudiced patterns of thought and speech are baked into our lives and workplaces and the impact they have.
Language Matters has a range of tools and services to help support you on this journey.
About
Sadia Siddiqui – Founder & Director
Having graduated from University with a Communication & Information Studies degree, Sadia embarked on a career in advertising. In the two and half decades since then, Sadia has held senior roles in agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi X, Leo Burnett and M&C Saatchi World Services.
For much of this time, Sadia was among the few South Asian women in the industry. Although this was sometimes an isolating experience, it motivated Sadia to create spaces where everyone within them feels seen and included and has a sense of belonging. Language Matters, founded in 2020 - in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd - was a manifestation of this belief.
A natural communicator, Sadia breaks down topics that some people can be fearful of in a direct and actionable manner. Language Matters combines education with action to deliver the changes we all want to see in society.
Sadia recently left her role at Meta (formally Facebook) to focus on Language Matters full-time.
Consultancy Services
You can work with Language Matters in several ways:
Training
We offer several inclusive language training sessions under ‘Language Matters Live’. These sessions have been successfully delivered to many organisations, including The University of Arts, the advertising agency adam&eveDDB (creators of the John Lewis ads) and Meta (formally Facebook).
Speaking Engagements
Sadia has extensive public speaking experience and can deliver talks and keynote addresses to organisations looking to empower their people and help them understand why using our language with more intent is essential.
Creative Communication Auditing
Language Matters offer organisations, primarily the creative industry, an innovative auditing service where we review creative work to ensure it does not fall foul to stereotypes, including racial tropes.
In addition to this, we can test work that features people of colour with these communities. We recommend this as it’s essential to know what the communities we feature in our comms think of this work versus what we believe. This audit can help ensure your work does not appropriate communities or appear tokenistic.
Diversity & Inclusion Policy Development
Not all organisations can bring permanent Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) leads on board. To respond to this need, Language Matters offers D&I support on a consultancy basis. Perhaps you need someone two to three days a month to help put together targets or a D&I policy; Language Matters can help you formulate these plans and then leave you to implement them with bi-annual check-ins to ensure the programs are being delivered against and progress is being made.
Resources
Language Matters: The Instagram Account
Language Matters started life as an Instagram account. There are now 150+ free resources for you and your teams to use - from inclusive language guides to posts deconstructing terms we should be retiring today.
Partners
Here are some of the organisations we have worked with. If you’re interested in working with Language Matters and furthering your inclusion journey, please get in touch using the form at the bottom of the page.
Testimonials
Language Matters has been fortunate to work with some great organisations; here are some examples of the feedback we have received:
Subscribe
Language Matters publishes a free monthly newsletter to provide deeper insights into topics requiring more nuanced discussion. Subscribe to the newsletter to receive it directly in your inbox each month.