Communication

We all have preferred ways of communicating. Here are some tips and tricks on how to accommodate and be sensitive to diverse styles of receiving and presenting information:

Preferences

The very first step in understanding your individual employee’s communication preferences is simply to ask how they best process information. This can be achieved during the onboarding process with access questionnaires, and reviewed during one-to-one meetings.

The idea that there is one best way to learn and absorb information is outdated, considering the diverse spectrum of human talent and thinking styles.

Don’t make assumptions about how they would like to communicate – ask how they prefer to receive information (verbally, written, bullet point, audio), and via what channel (email, phone, in-person, direct messaging), and make accommodations where you can.

"is there any particular way you prefer to receive information?"

Presenting Information

Avoid jargon, slang, subtext, acronyms, inferences, or idioms
Use bullet points rather than long paragraphs
Prioritise brevity over complexity
Outline main objectives

Writing Style

Many neurodivergent people are literal thinkers, and many experience ‘information overload’ when explanations are too lengthy or wordy. Be clear in your communications by:

Make your email header reflect the content

Write in digestible bullet point format for long bits of info

Highlight any important timelines or details

Keep it brief

Visual Materials

Use a sans-serif font (like Calibri, Verdana, and Tahoma) minimum 12pt, with sufficient contrast between background and text – like this!

Use sentence case.

Use double spacing where possible.

Make headings a font size that is at least 20% larger than the main body text.

Avoid using images directly behind text – use a solid-coloured text box if needed.

Bolden key words rather than underline or italic.

AVOID USING ALL CAPS – it’s much harder to read without familiar word ‘shapes’.

Give PowerPoint slides a unique title, and ensure contents can be read in the order that you intend them to be – this helps screen readers properly communicate your work.

Add Alt Text to images and charts.

Check out our accessible format guidelines for creating neuro-inclusive deliverables!

Dual Coding

Dual-coding is the process of combining visual (image-based) and verbal (language-based) elements to convey information.

Offering multiple forms of information is beneficial to individuals who have delayed auditory processing or challenges with working memory, both traits of neurodivergence.

Show and tell at the same time.

Instructions

Be organised and direct in your language: avoid hidden messages, corporate doublespeak, or ‘insider’ expressions that can be misinterpreted by literal thinkers.

Say ‘Do X’ rather than ‘Would you like to do X’

Provide specific examples of what you are asking for

Limit the amount of necessary steps to a given task

Outline expectations at the very start of a project

Follow up to ensure that someone has fully understood the task communication – even if they have said that they do in the moment.

Encourage follow up questions for when they have had time to process the instructions and expectations.

Do not communicate instructions in a rush – even when it’s busy. It can lead to confusion, anxiety, and stress.

Avoid attaching social meaning to delayed processing time – a lack of immediate verbal response, blank stares, or a furrowed brow do not necessarily indicate rudeness or disinterest. Try to avoid misinterpreting these cues by asking if they understand and encouraging clarifying questions.

Try to stick to one request at a time, especially verbally. If impossible, allow thinking space between key points. Follow up with a written list for reference.

Struggle with brevity? Use language aids to help you simplify your complex sentence constructions for those receiving the information, such as Grammarly or Writer.

Working with Remote Workers/Freelancers

Home working has been a godsend for many neurodivergent workers, opening up access to careers in the creative industry by allowing people to work on their own terms in a familiar, comfortable, and self-controlled environment.

But for freelancers and/or remote workers (both of who make up a large proportion of our creative industries), communication may be more difficult as we might not have as direct or regular of an access route to them.

Agree a format for briefing and updating that works for them

Establish routines

Explore reasonable adjustments to their own working environments or processes

Provide clear timescales and deadlines, preferably with shared calendars

Regularly check in

Structure socialisation by offering optional activities like virtual coffee breaks or group chats – but don’t make it compulsory. Suggest movement and regulation breaks

Signpost resources, support networks, and training

To ensure that they are also being sufficiently communicated with:

Essentially – make sure you treat them as any other employee, considering both their access needs, wellbeing, and preferences for communication.

Deadlines

Many neurodivergent workers may need structure to plan, prioritise, and schedule their tasks*. Firm deadlines provide detail, clarity, and expectation – meaning a reduction in frustration and embarrassment, and an increase in productivity.

Be specific with dates and timings when outlining when a project is due.

Avoid ambiguous and loose-ended terms like ‘ASAP’ or ‘when you get the chance’ – any deadline that is open to interpretation is essentially useless for a neurodivergent worker. Tasks are prioritised when they are explicitly asked to be.

Provide or point to accessibility tools or training for help with time management.

Consider providing mnemonics and mind maps to help people prioritise work and meet deadlines.

Deadline reminders and check ins from managers or HoDs can be useful, especially for ADHDers.

One of the biggest challenges neurodivergent people face in the workplace is struggles with executive functioning: a set of cognitive processes that helps people stay focused, achieve goals, access the working memory, manage time, organise and prioritise. This can pose a specific challenge in the creative industries, where schedules are often tight and deadlines are immovable.

Clear and direct communication, deadlines, and providing support and accessibility tools to manage time and prioritisation can all help workers with managing their executive functions, and avoid unnecessary stress and burnout.

A note on: Executive Dysfunction

Change

Change, particularly last minute change, can often be difficult to navigate – the uncertainty and disruption to tasks and routine can create high stress and tension which, in turn, can lead to anxiety, burnout, or meltdowns.

But, ultimately, last minute changes to schedules, locations, deadlines, tasks, and content are so characteristic to the nature of our fast-paced and dynamic industries, that they can’t always be avoided.

What is important is the manner in which you communicate this change. Consider these steps to empathetically, sensitively, and successfully do so:

Be direct with the person the change impacts – don’t let them hear it through word of mouth.

Talk through the reason for a change, so that they can understand and participate in the process.

You might not have all the answers regarding the change – and that’s okay. Be honest and transparent with your team that you are uncertain, and reassure them that you will let them know as soon as you do.

Have regular check ins to ensure the change is being managed.

Give descriptive details of what the outcome of the change will be to the task, environment, or deadline will be, so everyone knows what to expect.

Encourage follow up questions after they have processes the change.

Feedback

Sometimes being so scared of failing or getting something wrong prevents me from achieving a task.

"

Consider how someone prefers to receive feedback – some feel confronted by verbal assessment, some prefer to read through and process at their own pace, some prefer to talk it through.

Be balanced in positives as well as areas of improvement.

Be sensitive to RSD* and a perceived overreaction to feedback in the form of denial, defensiveness, challenges, or shutdown. The way a message is received might be different from how you intended it. Help them through their feelings – or seek external support to do so.

Make feedback regular, and don’t let criticisms build up, so that a performance review is overwhelmingly negative.

Be sensitive, but direct – many people don’t perceive a subtle critique or do well with ‘reading between the lines.

Sometimes, feedback sessions don’t go to plan. Allow a follow up meeting or debrief after the feedback, and communication of it, has been processed.

Focus on ‘what would work better’ rather than ‘what went wrong’.

Provide reassurance, especially around what areas they are successful in.

RSD is an heightened reaction to rejection, criticism or negative feedback that Is common for neurodivergent people, who tend to have grown up facing significantly more criticism throughout their life. While everyone finds rejection difficult, RSD can mean overwhelming stress and physical symptoms, which are challenging to process and remain engaged at work. It can mean interpreting normal communication as intense rejection, making even day-to-day management difficult.

A recent survey found that 68% of neurodivergent workers struggled with dealing with criticism.

“I feel rejection hard – and feedback in this industry is not always the most constructive. It’s really hard to process – and handle”

A note on: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)

Need advice on how to better communicate with your team?

Get in touch!