Your Words Matter: Conscious Language (Class Recording+Handout+Slides)

Language shapes the spaces we create—and every word carries weight. In this thought-provoking lecture, DEI consultant and author Devyn Stone, author of The Affirming Handbook: A Quick and Practical Reference Guide for Leaders and Organizers, explores how intentional language can align our communication with our values. Through powerful examples and real-world context, Devyn unpacks how words can harm or heal, exclude or affirm, and offers practical ways to speak and write with clarity, care, and impact. This class challenges you to rethink your everyday language and empowers you to create truly affirming spaces through your words.