People often talk about neurodivergence when they mean ADHD/autism, forgetting about identities, differences and conditions like dyslexia, dyspraxia, OCD, PTSD, bipolar, and many others.

Be clear when referring to a specific identity.

(For example, say 'autistic' rather than 'neurodivergent').

*Don't blame yourself for doing that, either. Many of us are adapting to environments that don’t accept assertiveness - especially racially minoritised women, queer folks, neurodivergent women, and so on.

Why should a smiley face undermine your professionalism?

Why should warmth be seen as incompetence?

As long as you’re not padding your language in ways that undermine your assertions/authority,* use the tone that feels natural to you.

Does that make me lightweight or less serious? Less intelligent?

To some people, maybe.

But I, for one, really enjoy working with friendly human beings.

Clear writing is confident writing.

If you really understand something, explain it simply 🙂‍↕️

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Using overly complex language can make you seem less intelligent, more pretentious, and harder to understand.

Jargon and inaccessible language can:

- make people feel excluded
- cause readers to disengage
- reduce trust 
- stop people from applying to your job ad

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Listen to my chat with Peta O'Brien-Day on The Soap Box Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2194591/episodes/17696691-why-the-words-you-choose-really-matter-with-ettie-bailey-king

Work with me:

There are (free) tools to help, like:

- Tigim everyday word checker: https://analysis.tigim.co/word-explorer-public
- Hemingway, a brilliant visual editor that highlight long sentences: https://hemingwayapp.com/

Nothing worth doing is effortless.

But once you start, it’s surprisingly simple.

For example:

- avoid making generalisations
- use everyday words
- keep sentences short 
- add plenty of white space
- use the terms people want used for them

If you write use simple words, short paragraphs, clear subheadings, and format your content well, it'll work better for almost everyone.

We've got to let go of the fear that we'll "get in trouble" for saying the wrong thing.

If inclusion and accessibility feels daunting, I hear you. 

But don't panic. Almost everything you can do to improve your communication is quick, simple, and free.

I'm human.

Some days, I manage to speak clearly and concisely. 

Some days I don’t.

The important part is that I try, and then I try again - porridge brain or not.
 
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Often, they're formatted in carousels. But you could create a single graphic, a short video, a blog post, or something else entirely!

Find out how to create an effective "work with me" post here:

A "work with me" post:

- spells out, in plain terms, what you offer
- clarifies what you do (helpful for your own thinking!)
- reminds your audience you’re available
- attracts the right clients
- saves time and energy, as you can pin it to your profile

Chances are, potential clients are already following you - they just don’t know how to work with you.

If people don’t know, they likely won’t ask.

And if they don’t ask, they’ll go somewhere else.

Discover how I run my life as a neurodivergent freelancer here:

Friendly reminder: your previous boss isn’t watching.

- You can go for a walk
- You can grab a coffee with a friend
- You can switch off at the end of the day

(It’s okay to finish before 5pm - your schedule is yours!)

Don't forget why you chose freelancing in the first place.