How Do I Ensure My Letters and Emails Are Inclusive and Accessible?

What is this advice about?

This advice contains guidance for ensuring correspondence is as inclusive and accessible as possible.

In the heritage sector, we often use technical or sector-specific language. While this can sometimes be necessary, there are ways to ensure the language we use remains clear to everyone.

What are the key points?

How should I address people?

The best approach is always to address people how they have addressed themselves. If you are contacting someone you don't know, here are some tips:

• Only use titles where necessary or if the recipient has used their title in earlier correspondence
• Don't guess someone's title. Instead, use their full name in your first email, and then you can address them as they address themselves in the response
• If you use a letter or email template with drop-down options (or mail merging from a spreadsheet), ensure your options are not restricted. For example, you should include the gender-neutral title 'Mx' as well as an option not to include a title at all
• If you don't have a named contact, use Dear [Generic | For instance, applicant/candidate], Dear [Company Name representative | For instance, Historic England Head of Inclusion] or Dear [Team Name | For instance, Central Planning Team]
• Avoid using Dear Sir/Madam, Dear Sirs or Esquire

What should I include in my email signature?

Email signatures are a great place to demonstrate your organisation's commitment to inclusion and accessibility. In addition to your name, job title, organisation name and contact details, you might also wish to include:

• Your pronouns. You might put (she/her) or the equivalent in brackets after your name or include a line that says: "My pronouns are she/her". We use pronouns daily to refer to people, and while most people use she/her or he/him, others might use they/them. Including your pronouns in your signature helps people know how to refer to you and contributes to a more inclusive environment for trans and gender non-conforming people. Read more about pronouns
• The phonetic translation of your name. This helps people know how to pronounce your name. For example, you might say: "My name is pronounced dey-vid". You can find more guidance about this on the Race Equality Matters #MYNameIs campaign page
• Neurodivergence. Increasingly, dyslexic and other neurodivergent people are mentioning this in their signature. This may be to outline what recipients can expect from the sender, or what the sender expects from the recipient, or to overcome the stigmas associated with neurodivergence in the workplace
• Response time. You might want to specify that unless otherwise stated, people can respond at their own pace
• Working hours. You might want to outline your working hours, especially if they are irregular, and say when people can expect a response from you

How can I communicate more clearly?

How you write an email or a letter often depends on the audience. As a general rule, you should aim to make your correspondence as easy to read as possible, not least because people usually have many emails or letters to get through.

Here are some tips to consider:

• If you are using acronyms, make sure you spell them out in full the first time you use them
• Short sentences and short paragraphs are easier to read and easier to skim. You might want to use subheadings for longer letters or emails
• In the first paragraph of the letter or email, clearly state the objective and call to action or expectation from the recipient. For example, is it just for information, or do you need them to answer a question or provide you with something?
• If you are quoting policy or something containing lots of technical details, do so proportionally and selectively
• Define any technical terms clearly and simply if you do not know if the recipient will be familiar with them
• Give instructions or make requests that are easy to understand. For example, avoid phrases like “I would be grateful if you would send it to me” when the phrase “Please send it to me” is much clearer
• Choose words appropriate to the reader. Say precisely what you mean, using the simplest words that fit. This does not necessarily mean only using basic words, but they do need to be words the reader will understand. Read more about writing in Plain English

What other factors should I consider?

• Make sure you write your emails and letters in Dyslexia-friendly fonts. The British Dyslexia Association recommends Sans Serif fonts such as Arial, Calibri and Verdana, and they suggest that font size should be 12 to 14. Find out more
• Avoid using colourful text in emails or letters. Dark colours (ideally black) are the best option. Where possible, a light background other than white is preferred
• If sending a physical letter, consider printing on cream-coloured paper and ensure the paper is matte, not glossy
• If you are using images in your email, make sure to use alt text so that a screen reader can describe them
• Microsoft Office is widely used across many heritage organisations. There are many accessibility features that can help make your correspondence more accessible. Make your content accessible to everyone by Microsoft Support is the best place to find out about the latest advances in increasing accessibility for your letters and emails for Microsoft. Other programmes may have their own built-in accessibility features

Further reading

Plain English Campaign. A guide on writing in Plain English, which will make your writing more accessible.

Dyslexia-friendly style guide by the British Dyslexia Association. A guide on making your writing Dyslexia-friendly, including which fonts and font sizes to use.

Make your content accessible to everyone by Microsoft Support. A guide on how to use Microsoft’s accessibility features to make your letters and emails more accessible.