Scottish Government's Inclusive Communication Toolkit

Overview

The Inclusive Communication Toolkit provides practical guidance and resources to support clear, respectful, and accessible communication for all audiences. It is designed to help individuals and organisations communicate in ways that are inclusive, equitable, and responsive to diverse needs, backgrounds, and experiences.

The toolkit offers best‑practice principles, practical tips, and real‑world examples to improve written, verbal, and digital communication. It supports inclusive language use, accessibility considerations, and thoughtful engagement, helping to remove barriers and promote understanding, trust, and participation.

Overall, the toolkit aims to embed inclusive communication as a standard practice, supporting more effective collaboration and better outcomes for everyone.

Information from https://www.gov.scot/publications/inclusive-communication-toolkit/

Welcome to Scottish Government’s Toolkit

People communicate in different ways according to their needs and preferences. Inclusive communication good practice allows more people to understand others and express themselves

easily. It is called ‘inclusive’ because nobody is left out.

We want to promote inclusive communication because it helps everyone engage better with services. It is not just for people with communication support needs. This Toolkit has been produced to help you use inclusive communication effectively.

The Toolkit:

• explains why inclusive communication matters

• sets out an updated definition of good practice 

• includes step-by-step guides and practical tools

  
  

Who produced the Toolkit?

The Toolkit was produced for Scottish Government by Communication Inclusion People, their partners, Disability Equality Scotland, and co-producers with lived experience of communication exclusion. They worked with expert organisations, public bodies, service users and others who will benefit from better, more inclusive communication. 

Who is the Toolkit for?

The Toolkit is designed for everyone working in the public sector in Scotland. This includes national and local government, schools and colleges, health and care organisations and other bodies. 

How will the Toolkit help me?

The information and tools in the Toolkit will help you, and your organisation, to:

• engage with people from diverse communities

• achieve better outcomes

• be kinder, fairer and more person-centred

• improve public trust and engagement

• save time and reduce costs

• build and share consistent good practice 

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How to use the Toolkit

You can work through the Toolkit at your own pace, in any order you like. You can complete it on your own or with others. Teams can use the materials for group training. It will take around three hours to watch all five of the presentations. 

You can download and print practical tools. Use them to complete the actions set out in each module.

Toolkit Contents

The Toolkit uses inclusive writing and screen-readable materials. Presentations include British Sign Language (BSL), voiceover, and subtitles. 

The Toolkit has five modules. Each includes a presentation, downloadable practical tools, and actions you can put into practice.

Module 1: Introduction

15 minute presentation

Practical tool:

• a flyer to tell people in your organisation about the Toolkit

  
  

Module 2: Why inclusive communication matters

30 minute presentation

Practical tool:

• a factsheet to encourage action 

  
  

Module 3: Inclusive Communication Good Practice Standards and Indicators - Principles of Inclusive Communication

57 minute presentation

Practical tools:

• inclusive communication good practice standards and indicators

• quick inclusive communication good practice guide

  
  

Module 4: How organisations can achieve inclusive communication good practice 

45 minute presentation

Practical tools:

• step-by-step guide for leaders and managers

• standards and indicators for organisation infrastructure – assessment checklist

• quick inclusive communication good practice guide

• practical resources list 

  
  

Module 5: How individual staff can implement inclusive communication good practice 

42 minute presentation

Practical tools:

• step-by-step guide for individual staff

• individual staff inclusive communication good practice - assessment checklist

• quick inclusive communication good practice guide

• practical resources list 

  
  

Actions

1. watch the Module 1 – Introduction presentation. It will take 15 minutes.

2. download the Foundation Inclusive Communication Toolkit flyer. Share it with colleagues online, in person, or on paper. 

3. decide how you will use the toolkit in your team and/or organisation.