Write Like a Pro: Amy Butterworth

This week I’m delighted to share a Write Like A Pro interview with Amy Butterworth (LinkedIn), a Long Covid & Accessibility Consultant.

Her wisdom is an ideal follow up to last week’s newsletter on empathy. If you haven’t checked that out take a moment and read it (link) before continuing here.

Rockin’ in the free world

Amy Butterworth has a mischievous smile, shaggy pink bob and gold wire-framed glasses. Her throaty laugh and fingers bedecked with chunky silver rings explain one half of her Instagram username and belie the other: @longcovidrockstar.

Rock star would be self-evident, even if her conversation weren’t peppered with references to gigs and guitar anthems.

As for longcovid – Butterworth caught Covid in 2021. Despite relative youth and robust health, she didn’t bounce back. Suddenly, a woman who enjoyed, among other things, competitive boxing, had to walk with a stick “very slowly” or use a wheelchair.

Her energy was subject to new demands: “There is an enormous amount of admin [required] to apply for support,” she notes. “You have to prove how sick you are; it’s quite a punitive process.”

Butterworth couldn’t work full time any more, so she set about figuring out what she could do. This interview is about what she found, what she’s learned and why constructing a society that works for all bodies serves everybody.

Interview

What’s your current professional role?

I’m a consultant advising on how to adapt working conditions for people with disabilities. I’m convinced that every specific experience can relate to the universal. The things that have helped me accept [my] disability at age 37 can help anyone: adjusting to difficulty, managing energy, asking for help without shame.

My unshakeable truth is that designing inclusivity for the minority benefits the majority.

How long have you been doing this?

It’s been two years. It’s been a gentle return because I can’t do hustle culture.

I’ve had to unsubscribe to systems that no longer serve me. I was judging myself based on what I could do, and on people’s approval; it was hard to let go of those validations. But it was liberating. So much of work is [done] in denial of our human body: I don’t need a break, don’t need to spend time with my loved ones, don’t need a holiday.

Rest is recharge; it’s necessary. No one is going to be talking at your funeral about how many breaks you didn’t take, how many holidays you didn’t have.

What are your key duties?

Things like reviewing HR policies to ensure that they have a procedure for recruiting, supporting and promoting [disabled individuals].

I also do workshops and trainings on how to adjust work spaces for more inclusive practices, which end up benefiting everyone.

What’s your educational background?

My undergraduate degree is in drama. I have a Master’s in psychodynamic and systemic approaches to consulting.

Professional background?

I used to be the country’s only comedian-violinist. Then I pivoted to youth work:

I ran a sixth form for a few years, but couldn’t make change from the inside so I got my Master’s, which genuinely upskilled me.

Once I got the Master’s, I went into charity. During a fellowship at the Royal Society of Arts, I transformed the application process so it got a 200% increase in applications from women and people from the global majority. [Previously] all the winners were white guys, but I figured out what was happening and changed it.

I wanted to get back into youth work and use this new knowledge to design for the most kids possible, which meant the Scouts. I developed the Scouts Money Skills badge, for 6-to-10 year olds. We designed it knowing that not every child’s family had money; we couldn’t assume anything. It’s won awards and become the most-done badge.

What role does writing play in your job?

I’ve always understood that different groups respond to different language. I could talk to the naughty boys in class, and the goody-two-shoes in orchestra. I code-switch. In terms of how language is used, I need to understand what motivates other people and use that to get them to change behaviour, whether I’m writing or speaking.

What types of writing do you use in your work?

For the Scouts, writing in Plain English was key both for international readers and for the United Kingdom leaders. The average reading age in the UK is 11, so it was important the language was clear and directive. For example, we didn’t use metaphors, as some neurodivergent folk can struggle with their meaning. The writing had to be detailed and unequivocal.

What other areas of your work require writing-based skills (e.g., research, organisation, argumentation)?

I’m very practised in writing a strongly worded email. I email companies and customer services to say “you need to train your staff about how to treat people with disabilities. We are vulnerable. It takes so much energy to leave the house.”

Writing presentations is another area that requires consideration. For example, certain formatting styles are key to making slides accessible to people with dyslexia. Once again, using Plain English, not too much jargon, left-justified where possible, and with lines no longer than five words. This benefits neurotypical audiences too, so it’s always worth considering how best to serve the minority.

How did you learn to write?

I started a diary when I was six. Over the years, as a drama kid, you recognize there’s different audiences.

Humour remains key to my communication – it shows confidence and insight and, when utilised with nuance, can ease the tension in challenging conversations, reminding us all of our humanity.

How have you continued to develop your communication skills?

Reading writers from different backgrounds, particularly in areas that I work in. The area of diversity, equity and inclusion constantly focuses on language, and the impact it has. Being aware of those shifts and perspectives is key to operating with respect and awareness.

What communication tools do you routinely use?

WhatsApp is kind of like my house party. I can’t entertain a group of more than two, any more. It’s too great a cognitive load but [WhatsApp] is a room where I can socialize.

I also create reels on Instagram to communicate with other people with long Covid.

What role does AI have in your work?

I have used it twice in my life, both times when trying to write about myself. Cover letters are a pain in the arse, and I was losing self-confidence.

I went to Chat GPT and asked it to take the wording “and make it more impactful and powerful” and it came back with a bunch of words like “I CHAMPIONED, I SPEARHEADED, I TRANSFORMED.”

Chat GPT believed in me more than I did! It helped me submit a piece of writing that
had the confidence of the mediocre white man that we all aspire to be.

How important is writing to your professional success?

It is vital. While I am not able to always be present in a workplace or meetings, I need to maintain communication to stay relevant.

How can language drive tangible change?

Wording diversity and accessibility issues in new ways empowers [clients] to use these terms themselves and to make the changes they need to make. For example, rather than say, “changing things so that more disabled people get hired,” using language such as, “making reasonable adjustments so that everyone has access to working here means we genuinely recruit the best” focuses on the benefit, rather than the effort.

Just for fun questions

A professional development book you recommend?

Sara Ahmed – On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life

A personal favourite book?

Italo Calvino – If On A Winter’s Night A Traveller

A publication for (your) industry news?

I follow a range of accounts on social media to get minority perspectives on major news stories and work experiences: Black British, Black women, LGBTQ+, disabled, neurodiverse, feminist, Jewish, Muslim and Middle Eastern, and even men’s rights: these voices are rarely represented in mainstream media, so to advise organisations to better design their processes, I need to understand a range of needs and have specific anecdotes that humanise people [my clients] may not have contact with.

An inspiring blog/podcast/YouTube channel?

I was a guest on the Human Inclusion podcast, from Enolla Consulting, a father/daughter presenting team on inclusion in the workplace. Paul Anderson Walsh is a management consultant and Chantelle Dusette is a playwright. They speak to a range of people about diversity, inclusion, activism, advocacy, and work and society. Highly recommended. (Listen to Amy’s episode here)

An area you’d like to learn more about?

I would like to learn more about what is stopping good people from making necessary changes: why are CEOs defunding their DEI teams? They de-prioritise these, despite the full knowledge and years of proof that this will increase their profits – so what are they afraid of?

I have my assumptions, but I want to create space for those in power to tell me, honestly, what it would mean if they had more women on their board, if their staff proportionately represented their community, and the leadership represented that.

My assumption is that these fragile egos at the top of a society that has been designed to help them succeed will crumble at the thought of sharing that power, but I want to hear them say it.

• Contact: thisisamybutterworth@gmail.com

• Instagram: @longcovidrockstar

• LinkedIn: LongCovidRockStar