As you take the factor of race into consideration in your audience analysis, examine your thinking for biases and stereotypes that you may rationalize as value or lifestyle differences. Be sensitive about the language you use. When you are referring to a different racial or ethnic group, use the terms that members of that group prefer. Stay away from examples that cast members of a particular ethnic group in stereotypical roles that imply inferiority. And of course, avoid racist humor.
One language problem that relates to all three of these negative “isms” is marking, adding an irrelevant reference to gender, ethnicity, race, or sexual preference when none is needed. For example, if you refer to “Thompson, the African American engineer,” you may be trivializing her contribution by drawing attention to her race when it is irrelevant. Some audience members may interpret your remarks as suggesting that “Thompson is a pretty good engineer for a person of color,” whether you intend that or not. The following excerpt from a speech by Martina Navratilova, who was the world’s top-rated female tennis player for seven years, shows how marking affects people:
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