CASE STUDY 1

As much as 93% of communication is non-verbal.

Have you encountered a situation like this in the workplace?

The supervisor’s first language is not English. His/Her English is ok but the workplace is stressful and, under pressure, her/his English deteriorates and frustration at not getting the message across leads to emphatic gesturing and body language which is perceived as aggressive; the other person reacts to the non-verbal messages and becomes angry and upset. Result: breakdown in communication.

If these breakdowns happen frequently the situation escalates and becomes critical. A solution needs to be found and quickly.

Several years ago we were called in to a company to evaluate just such a situation and produce a workable response that could be applied via training. As a result of the consultation, we produced Spoken English for the Workplace – Communication Skills.

The course is unique in that it combines aspects of an English course (English for Speakers of Other Languages) with highly focused coaching in communication skills. It was designed to meet two interconnected needs:

So how did we go about doing this?
The first step was a briefing from the delegate’s line manager; the second was spending time with the delegate himself to gain an understanding of his view of what was happening. It quickly became apparent that he wasn’t fully aware of the impact of his gestures and body language. An observation that is true for most of us – the movements (from the twitch of a facial muscle to the lifting of a hand) that accompany speech are something we do without conscious thought. We also considered the difference between what was normal and acceptable in his culture and British culture, where a raised voice generally equates to a strong emotion such as anger and can be considered threatening or unacceptable.

As a result, we worked on raising the delegate’s awareness of circumstances that surround communication – body language, tone and volume of voice. We presented him with a number of scenarios to allow him to draw his own conclusions about what happens in the communication process when stress levels are elevated.

The process was very much about giving him the opportunity to step back and judge for himself what had been happening. (We’re sure you’ll agree, it’s virtually impossible to be objective when in the heat of an exchange.) So we presented simulations of exchanges with co-workers, often recording these role plays and then asking him to evaluate what had happened. Consequently, he identified his own behaviours and was guided towards offering alternatives that would avoid confrontation.

At the outset of the course we gave the delegate a log to complete as the training progressed; this was to become his action plan for improved communication. In it he would note, for example, techniques to open up a dialogue rather than closing it down. Also phrases, such as “if you’ll just bear with me…” that he was unaccustomed to saying, but which could be used at the right moment to reassure the other party that he was listening to them and encourage them to be patient. At the beginning of each session we asked him how he’d got on using his action plan in the intervening time and his feedback, and that of his line manager, allowed us to track his progress and address areas of communication that needed particular attention – such as giving instructions.

And the lessons?

All of which highlights even more the value of our stress-free approach to learning.

Communication is frequently not as straightforward as we would like even when we have language in common; imagine how much more of a challenge it is when English is the second language! It isn’t hard to see the value of training that pinpoints misconceptions and communication blocks, and works to put new models of communication in place specifically based on the needs of the workplace.

If any of this has struck a chord with you then contact us here to see how we could help you.