There are many barriers within the work place. With our multicultural society and globalization, there are some barriers that cause miscommunication with our fellow employees.
This is because English is the universal language of business communication. Communication is the transmission of information and meaning from one individual or group to another.
Communication occurs when the information successfully goes from communicator to receiver. English is their second language
and they are forced to bridge
that language gap on their own in
that business environment.
To help us enhance communication we need to meet our counterparts halfway by doing the following:
- Educate ourselves in foreign languages
- Use simple language that others will understand and avoid slang
- Speak slowly and enunciate clearly
- Observe eye messages that show you are listening and show you understand
- Check frequently for comprehension
- Listen without interrupting
Here is a website that gives the history of different languages so we can learn and understand them:
Link
OB
That website it great!
ReplyDeleteI'm currently learning a few languages, but as most people can attest to; it's really, really hard. I find it's best to travel to the country to learn, and when doing so it's best to follow those points.
Ask people if they understand (they may just be nodding to you, completely lost), and make sure to ask if you don't understand things. Speaking slowly helps, but don't speak loudly too; it'll come across badly.
I disagree with one point though. I feel it's necessary to interrupt if you don't feel you're getting the message they are trying to convey. Frequently people will just continue on by themselves without realizing that the person across from them is still trying to figure out something said three lines before.
Learning languages are always interesting. I took a linguistics class in the spring of 2010 and learnt how different languages form sentences and so on.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what was said in the third paragraph. Politely interrupting would be a good way to make sure that you get your message across, or that the other person receiving the message understands what you are saying.
Also, I believe meeting our counterparts half-way is the way to go as this will show how much interest the other person has.
DeleteNS