The Conscious Style Guide

A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers

De: Karen Yin

Narrado por: Michelle H. Lee

An adaptable guide for anyone who wants to communicate with compassion in a rapidly changing environment.

Most of us want to choose inclusive, respectful, and empowering language when communicating with or about others. But language—and how we use it—continually evolves, along with cultural norms. When contradictory opinions muddle our purpose, how do we align our word choices with our beliefs? Who has the final say when people disagree? And why is it so hard to let go of certain words? Afraid of getting something wrong or offending, we too often treat words as right or wrong, regardless of context and nuance.

Thankfully, in The Conscious Style Guide, award-winning editor Karen Yin provides a road map for writing and speaking with sensitivity and awareness—no matter how the world around us progresses. Readers will learn:

• How to identify biased language
• How to implement the overarching principles that guide us toward conscious language
• How to adopt conscious language as a tool for self-awareness and empowerment
• How to alleviate the stress of experiencing exclusionary language
• How to create a style sheet and reference stack to help support your practice
• And much more

With practical advice and hundreds of relatable examples, The Conscious Style Guide invites us to weigh contradictions, examine the pitfalls of binary thinking, and explore truly effective communication—in all aspects of our lives.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Karen Yin is no language cop, ready to arrest us for our word crimes. Instead, in The Conscious Style Guide, she is the beloved school crossing guard, protecting us, guiding us, reminding us to look both ways."—Roy Peter Clark, author of Writing Tools

“Karen Yin has crafted a generous, thoughtful toolkit for anyone seeking to communicate mindfully. Her insights offer a flexible pathway to practicing conscious language that avoids prescriptivism and instead invites deep reflection. A must-have reference for any bookshelf!”—Emily Ladau, disability rights activist and author of Demystifying Disability

“By encouraging us to consider the real impact of our words, Karen Yin’s intelligent and fair-minded book upends the conventional wisdom that writers alone, writing for some 'ideal reader,' always know what’s best. To write consciously is to be aware of and compassionate toward the actual people who determine not only the success but also the meaning of any work. With its emphasis on critical thinking and the fluid interplay between content and context, The Conscious Style Guide will inspire writers and their editors to make choices that not only respect readers but, in the process, bring us all a little closer to the truth.”—Russell Harper, principal reviser of The Chicago Manual of Style

“The Conscious Style Guide is the best tool book of all. In a time when clear, accurate communication is more essential—and more challenging—than ever, Karen Yin gives writers and editors a great gift: a flexible and detailed guide for thinking through the nuances of language and context and making wise decisions in each situation. She calls on us to embrace the complexities both of language and of people—each person we write about, and each person who reads or hears what we write. With compassion and clarity, she points us toward training our minds rather than falling back on often problematic lists of dos and don’ts. This book is a tremendous resource, affirming and instructive at the same time. I absolutely love it.”—Paula Froke, editor of The Associated Press Stylebook

“An essential resource for writers and editors who want to get up to speed on writing with empathy and care.”—Mignon Fogarty, host of the Grammar Girl podcast