Singing From the Same Hymn Sheet

“Singing from the same hymn sheet” is the latest common place phrase to be taken off the shelf by Salisbury Council officials; the same officials who last year advised against the use of the word “colour blind” and “West Indian”. Salisbury officials told The Telegraph: “Not everyone will understand these phrases – some can actually find them offensive (what would an atheist want with your hymn sheet?)”.

Chiatulah Ameke is one of the top diversity trainers in the UK. Working throughout the 1990s as a Group Work Probation Officer at the London Probation Area, Chiatulah went on to specialise in Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Offender and Cognitive Behavioural groups, running over 500 BME offender group sessions. His expertise was shared in a ground-breaking handbook which was considered the most influential handbook on this subject. Since then Chiatulah has continued to deliver training packages to thousands staff in Probation and Youth Offending Services to date.

“The recent banning of the phrase “singing from the same hymn sheet” yet again reflected how, much of officialdom and managerial strategy has completely missed the point in tackling inequality,” says Chiatulah. “The effect of these ill-informed decisions creates incalculable hostility and resentment towards easily targeted and marginalised communities who usually had no part to play in the original sin, but who now are all tainted.”

“It’s ridiculous - these ill-thought out decisions, and the media hype that surrounds them, diverts attention from serious issues of inequality such as unequal access and inequality of pay, or even violence and racism within a workforce.”

Chiatulah is passionate and committed to his work as an independent diversity trainer closely affiliated with Backstop, a leading consultancy that provides training courses within the Criminal Justice System (www.backstop.org.uk). He is concerned about “crack pot decisions being made by officials and professionals without any apparent input from those they are supposedly meant to protect.”

Chiatulah explains: “Throughout my training courses I get asked about what language is appropriate or inappropriate all the time. But it is less about the words themselves than the fear surrounding the use of language which often ostracises individuals and creates more problems than it solves. It should be all about context, intent and common sense.”

In 2005, Ireland's Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) in Belfast admitted to taking the word “brainstorm” out of their company documents and replacing it with something “less offensive” to people suffering with epilepsy. Following this, The UK charity National Society for Epilepsy (NSE) made a public statement that 93% of people with epilepsy do not find that word offensive at all. Throughout the UK, however, requests for this term to change to “thought shower’ still often arise from senior management. Similarly, a spokesperson from Epilepsy Action stated: "We are often asked about the word 'brainstorming' and whether its use is acceptable. Our view is that it depends upon the context: if the word is being used to describe a meeting where participants are suggesting ideas, then its use is not offensive to people with epilepsy."

The paranoia surrounding PC language at work is often more detrimental than the language itself and frequently leaves workers extremely worried about insulting or offending colleagues. Chiatulah explains: “Unfortunately, one of the biggest ironies is that the diverse, minority or disadvantaged groups that organisations are aiming to protect are often not consulted on decisions regarding appropriate language.”

Chiatulah maintains: “There is no blanket approach to solving this and policing language is certainly not going to help. More help, would be, a case-by-case, common sense approach combined with proper consultation involving those who the decisions will affect. It is more about the way the word is used than the word itself. Most people are more concerned with being treated with respect and fairness than indulging in linguistic politics”

Chiatulah continues: “For example if an employee does not know how to pronounce the name of a client or is unfamiliar with the culture or experiences of a colleague, employers should provide an atmosphere where it is ok to ask questions and even get things wrong on occasion. This option is far more preferable than the alternative, which is to walk around on eggshells disengaging from colleagues or diversity issues for fear or causing offence.”

Chiatulah concludes: “The common objectives and aspirations of a business or organisation are what should unite us – as well as the way we communicate.

“All of us appreciate someone who is genuine, honest and not afraid of admitting that they don’t know. If you ask for advice or clarification in a respectful and polite manner, the majority of people will give a warm response. Most people will take any enquiry in the spirit it is meant and ultimately the spirit of diversity is not just to celebrate difference, but also to share and realise our commonality”.

Chiatulah Ameke is regarded by many sources as one of the best Diversity and Race Equality trainers in the UK. Find out more about his training course ‘Diversity in Practice’ at www.backstop.org.uk/training