The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers

I loved this book. I’ve already bought two as gifts and have plans to buy two more.Who knew it would be possible to read a book about inclusionary language that would be warm and inviting? Karen Yin’s common-sense wisdom, kindness, and humor take us through complex topics that could be intimidating.This book is for all of us that have ever stumbled, felt our ignorance, or gotten lost as we stumbled to get our words right, not wanting to insult or harm the very person we want to communicate with.The Conscious Style Guide is sure to become a classic. All the topics are incredibly well organized and are a joy to read. Just open any page and you will find a treasure.For example, Page 28: “Who Uses Conscious Language? Chances are you do. Conscious language is simply an extension of everyday mindful language. You may be conscious of your own self-labels…Many of us adapt to each situation instead of giving cookie-cutter responses. That is everyday conscious language.”Or page 179: “How to Speak Up. Maybe you’ve been there: ...Your cisgender boss makes a transphobic remark, and everybody laughs. You hear a stranger mock someone's appearance... What can we do? Should we say something?"Karen Yin encourages us to pause, to think, to practice. The world is a better place with this book.

I really enjoyed the detailed instruction and guidance provided by this book. It's clear the author has expertise but she makes the reading very accessible. finished the book over 1 weekend -- not because it was a superficial read -- but b/c the writing is very fluid and digestible. I'm a fan and suspect you will be too. Great to give to anyone who learning how to be a writer -- high school, college, early professionals especially.

I am so happy with this purchase! This guide is a must have for anyone in the writing business or anyone who simply writes. This guide helps the world be a better place!

I was so excited to receive a digital copy of this guide. As a writer, I am often in search of resources to help improve my skills. As an educator, I enjoy finding materials to help improve my classroom. The facets of content were explained well. I think being purposeful in our speech is a wonderful thing to be reminded of. There were some points in the book that I felt weren’t as clear as they could have been, but overall this is a wonderful resource.

This is not a book of rules.Rather, the Conscious Style Guide is akin to having a wise, gentle, and thoughtful friend who reminds us to pay attention to how we interact with our fellow humans when using words. During a time when we stumble wildly between being completely oblivious to the impact of language to being hypersensitive and judgmental about using the “wrong” words, Yin encourages us to follow a golden rule in writing: treat others the way we would wish to be treated – with awareness, compassion, and respect.The guide does not claim to have definitive answers about how to be inclusive when using words. Instead, it shows us the value and power of being curious, aware, and open-minded about using language. Indeed, the book could also serve as a useful guide to how we should approach all our interactions in life.Contrary to what you might expect from a language style guide, the book is also delightfully entertaining. Yin expertly uses examples and stories to vividly illustrate her points, often interjecting humor and humility to keep the reader engaged.Yin has succeeded in doing what seems nearly impossible – creating a guide on the use of language that will remain relevant even as language and culture evolves over time. It is a truly remarkable feat, accomplished by a remarkable and talented writer and editor.

Karen Yin’s "The Conscious Style Guide" has long been hoped for by writers and editors interested in intentional, compassionate language, myself included.Yin coined the term conscious language in the early 2010s to describe a practice of being “more aware, mindful, and intentional about how we treat ourselves and others through language” (xv). She explored her ideas in, among other places, the Copyediting newsletter when I was editor-in-chief, and launched a resource site, ConsciousStyleGuide.com, in 2016. Her articles uncovered hidden biases in both my own thoughts and the thoughts of our society in general. They were eye-opening, and her website gave us more to think about while offering resources to be more intentional in our language choices.On the site, you can delve into a world of topics, including age, race, gender, climate and environment, and health. Editors often refer to the site as a great starting point for any conscious language issue. I’m grateful for any map to direct me, but what if the issue I was dealing with isn’t listed, even on such a comprehensive site? And what about issues I haven’t learned to identify yet?Yin’s new book provides the answers.What Is Conscious Language?Let’s back up for a minute. What exactly is conscious language? In her new book, Yin defines it succinctly as “language that promotes equity” (3). It’s “a philosophy and a practice that goes beyond terminology,” she writes. “To use conscious language is to be more aware, mindful, and intentional about how we treat ourselves and others through language” (xv).For writers and editors, conscious language involves asking questions about ourselves and our texts. From the website’s About page:What are my assumptions about my audience?Will this cause harm to historically excluded communities?How will history alter the impact of my language choices?“For me,” writes Yin in her book, “using conscious language means stretching the commas in my thought process into em dashes to gather clarity and purpose” (4).That’s a worthy goal for all of us. And it takes more than a naughty-word list to get there.How to Practice Conscious LanguageThe practice of conscious language isn’t a list of do’s and don’ts; it can’t be. That would remove the critical thinking behind it. As a result, The Conscious Style Guide is not a list of suggestions, such as you find in The Chicago Manual of Style or AP Stylebook. “When we treat conscious language like a phrasebook instead of a contextual tool,” writes Yin, “it is no longer conscious” (32).Instead, Yin guides us through the conscious language philosophy (chapter 1, “Prepare”) and an overview of implicit biases (chapter 2, “Plan”) before detailing how to apply conscious language in our writing and speaking (chapter 3, “Practice”). She doesn’t give us what we’ve been explicitly asking for. She gives us what we need to create our own guidance—a “system … for thinking about these constantly changing issues” (xiii).Practicing conscious language involves taking risks and feeling vulnerable, so chapter 4 (“Pause”) addresses the effects that conscious language can have on us. This is perhaps the most important chapter because if you want to stick with this practice, you’ll need to continue beyond your initial efforts. We’re human: we make mistakes and we can become discouraged. But Yin reassures readers that this is all part of “finding your way around” the philosophy of conscious language (xxi). And, even more importantly, she shares some techniques for caring for yourself when you are feeling worn out by your efforts. You can regain your energy with a little self-care and willingness to take risks.The book closes with a chapter on how to encourage others to use conscious language and how to grow your own practice (chapter 5, “Persuade”). It might be clear how someone in a position of authority could encourage their team or company to adopt conscious language practices, but what can a lone editor do? Yin shows how, no matter how powerless you think yourself, you can persuade others. She also lists many helpful references and, naturally, points to the Conscious Style Guide website for more.Who Should Practice Conscious LanguageThe Conscious Style Guide is for anyone interested in language that promotes equity, including:Business professionals. Leaders, managers, and HR professionals will especially benefit from using it to communicate with employees and set more equitable policies.Instructors and coaches. Improve your interactions with your students and coaches by communicating in a more intentional, equitable way.Professional speakers. Conscious language can help you better connect with your audience and better develop your ideas.And, yes, this book is especially valuable for writers and editors to help them better communicate with readers and become a gate opener, “let[ting] through more of the voices, ideas, and identities we want to nurture and protect” (51–52).If you’re familiar with conscious language, you might be tempted to dive right into chapter 3. Fight that temptation. It’s like reading the front matter of a dictionary: your understanding of how to use this tool will jump into the stratosphere if you take the time for those first chapters. Then you can use chapter 3 to guide your writing and editing and chapter 5 to influence others.Throughout the book Yin is encouraging. Each of us is capable of making a difference in our world. She empowers us to think for ourselves and make decisions that fit our circumstances. “An ideal conscious language practice,” she writes in chapter 1, “is one that creates more ease and calm in your life while maximizing your ability to do good.”I’m in.The Conscious Style Guide launches on May 28, 2024. Preorder it now directly from the publisher or from your favorite bookseller.Copyright 2024 Erin Brenner

Thank you Karen for writing an incredibly useful book.

This is one of the most important books I’ve ever read. It's important to me as a writer and editor. But also as a person who cares about doing right by people.If you're new to the idea of conscious language, this book will give you a fabulous introduction and will set you on the right path. If you already know about conscious language, it will give you information about aspects that you need to learn more about.Regardless of where you’re at, this book will instill in you how important context is when deciding if it’s ok to say certain things. In fact, that idea of context is one of the main messages of the book. Yin says “Sorting language into dos and don’ts is unsustainable in the long run. An ideal approach respects the gray areas and flexes with the context.”So it’s not about being politically correct. In fact, Yin tells the reader straight up why it’s not. This is from the book:Politically correct language is about using terms intended to avoid offence. From the outside, conscious language may look and feel like PC language, but when we treat conscious language like a phrase book instead of a contextual tool, it is no longer conscious. PC language treats words as "one size fits all," whereas conscious language favors flexibility and complexity. PC language is often adopted due to fear of criticism, whereas conscious language often arises from compassion.Of course, it’s not always easy. Making a careful judgement in each situation can be hard work. But it’s the better choice, intellectually and ethically. And Yin gives you the tools to help you judge that context. And, take heart: I’ve learned that with practice, it often gets easier.Yin embodies this approach in the book, so you have a good example to model. The text is full of suggestions instead of word lists. Things like “You may want to” and “Consider...” It really makes you think.The book also has a strong message of being compassionate and kind, to others and to yourself. Yin walks the reader through all the reasons people might get things wrong, urging us to see such scenarios from other points of view, and offering strategies to deal with that when you encounter it.The book is useful but it was also just an utter joy to read. I was so moved by some sections that I gasped as I was reading it. Sometimes it was Yin’s sharp mind that astonished me and other times it was her deeply kind soul.The combination made the book gripping and it also means it’s going to stay with me for a long time. Which is good. I want to put her advice into practice every single day. As Yin says, “Conscious language is not the destination. It is a beginning.”