The Benefits of Neuro-Inclusive Communication

It’s estimated that around one in five adults are neurodivergent. Neurodiversity includes conditions such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia, and reflects the natural differences in how people think, process information and interact with the world.

Yet many workplaces still operate in ways that assume everyone works and communicates the same way. For neurodivergent employees, this can make everyday tasks, meetings and workplace interactions more challenging than they need to be.

If you’re a people manager, there’s a good chance you already have neurodivergent team members, whether they’re open about it or not. Many people choose not to disclose a diagnosis due to concerns about stigma or misunderstanding. That’s why the best approach is to create communication practices that work for everyone, not just those who disclose. Small changes can make a big difference to how supported, productive and engaged your team feels.

To support managers in creating workplaces where everyone can thrive, we’ve worked with Brooke Trenwith to develop our new course, Communicating for Everyone: Building a Neuro-Inclusive Workplace.

We caught up with Brooke to learn more about her background, her passion for neuro-inclusivity, and the practical strategies participants will take away from the course.

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Q: Kia ora Brooke! Can you tell us about your background in neuro-inclusive communication?

A: My journey into neuro-inclusive advocacy grew out of years on the front lines of education and leadership: as a teacher, school leader, former President of the New Zealand Association for Gifted Children, and through founding Potential To Performance. I am also late diagnosed myself: gifted at 26, dyslexic at 32 and autistic at 44.

Throughout my career, I kept seeing brilliant, highly capable neurodivergent and twice-exceptional (2e) individuals getting stuck. Not because of a lack of talent or drive, but because standard organisational and educational systems weren’t built for how their brains actually process information.

Watching people burn out from masking or get sidelined by unwritten social rules made it clear to me that we don’t need to ‘fix’ neurodivergent people, we need to redesign our environments. That passion for strengths-based, practical system change is what drives my work in schools and workplaces, across Aotearoa, Australia, Canada and Singapore today.

Q: Many neurodivergent employees choose not to disclose a diagnosis at work. How can managers create communication practices that work well for everyone, regardless of whether someone has disclosed or not?

A: Small changes in how you communicate with your direct reports and colleagues can have a significant impact on your neurodivergent employees’ experience at work. The suggestions below are a good place to start.

• Encourage team members to share how they work best: This could include how they prefer to receive feedback, their preferred communication methods, and what they need to protect focused work time.
• Normalise multi-modal communication: Make it standard practice to send meeting agendas in advance, allow written input post-meeting, and follow up verbal catch-ups with quick written summaries of key actions.
• Define “done” explicitly: Instead of using vague requests like “make it look professional” or “get this to me soon”, provide clear scope, priorities, and deadlines.
• Reduce cognitive load: Support quiet focus time, flexible ways of working, and communication methods that don’t always require an immediate response.

Q: What’s one misconception managers often have about communicating with neurodivergent staff?

A: Managers often assume that because an employee is highly skilled, articulate, or an expert in their field, they shouldn’t need explicit structure, clear boundaries, or executive function scaffolding.

When that same employee asks direct questions like “Why are we doing it this way?” or asks for precise details, managers can mistakenly view it as pedantic, rude, negative or challenging authority.

In reality, direct language and detailed context gathering aren’t pushback, they are how many neurodivergent brains establish clarity to perform at their absolute best.

Q: What can participants expect to learn from this course, and how will it help them in their day-to-day work?

A: Participants will learn practical ways to better support neurodivergent staff through clearer communication, more effective feedback, and flexible ways of working.

We’ll explore how manager’s can play to people’s strengths, remove unspoken expectations, and create team environments where everyone can do their best work. Participants will leave with practical tools they can apply straight away to improve collaboration, reduce misunderstandings, and help their teams work more effectively together.

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To find out more about this course and to register, visit the course page here.