Notice the message and choose the immediate purpose

A microintervention is a small, purposeful response to an exclusionary message or action. Small describes the scale of the response, not the importance of the harm. An effective opening might restore a colleague's turn, question an assumption, or make a work standard explicit. It need not settle the speaker's character or explain the history of racism. The first decision is what this moment needs. A person being repeatedly interrupted may need the floor restored before the group needs a discussion about interruption patterns. A misleading generalization may need correction before it becomes the premise of a decision.

Distinguish observation, possible message, and response. The observation is what was said or done. The possible message is the assumption a listener might reasonably receive. The response is an action within your responsibility. Keeping these separate prevents both minimization and mind-reading. You can say that assigning a colleague to translation based on appearance is an unsupported assumption without claiming to know the assigner's intention. Sue and colleagues offer ways of making hidden messages visible and interrupting them; their framework does not make a single script universally effective.

Before speaking, consider who holds authority, whether the immediate setting is safe, and whether a response could expose someone to more attention. Uncertainty about the perfect words does not require silence. A narrow statement such as 'We have not asked who wants that assignment' can interrupt a pattern without demanding personal testimony. If you misheard, make room for correction. If the words are clear, do not require the affected person to certify that they were harmful before you uphold a respectful process. The purpose is to improve what happens next, not to demonstrate how much the intervener knows.

In a fictional project meeting, a coordinator sees Mei join and says she can handle a Mandarin-speaking community partner. Mei's assigned role is budget analysis. No one has asked about her languages or interest in interpreting. The meeting chair has only a minute before the agenda moves on. Mei looks at her notes; that expression does not tell the chair what Mei wants. The chair can correct the assignment process without interpreting Mei's feelings.

Privately consider a time you noticed a questionable assumption. What did you know directly, and what did you add? You may use the fictional case instead.

Write a one-sentence interruption that names the assignment process, not Mei's identity or feelings.