When: Friday, April 5, 2013
Where: Internationally Educated Professionals Conference
What: Voice to Word trainers, Heather Chetwynd and Mark Prince, will present in the break-out groups (all except IT) in the morning section (10:45 to 12:15.) Learn more about the conference at www.iep.ca.
Getting your meaning across clearly is always an issue. But when it is done in a language and culture that you did not grow up in, many aspects intrude to complicate the message. The pronunciation of individual sounds, how we put words together and stress them, how we time our responses and what expression we show on our face, how close we stand and how we gesticulate — all of these things and more can confuse the communication. And the unfortunate thing is that people judge others by evaluating through their cultural lens with little or no awareness of how one’s native culture and language influence their communication in other environments.
In this interview, recorded April 1, 2013 for Athena Alliance Radio, Heather Chetwynd – founder and director of Voice to Word Consulting – discusses a variety of aspects which can lead to misinterpretation on all sides. Whether you were born and raised in this multicultural environment or not, this interview will open your eyes to many factors which can cause you to read the intentions of others incorrectly.
Click here to listen to the interview.
A former student of mine got a job in northern Quebec last year. The weather is pretty harsh there and, being quick witted, he wrote the following few paragraphs with common weather idioms. I felt it was so well written and the idioms used so naturally, I decided to post it here. Definitions follow at the end. Thank you, Yousef!
These days I’m snowed under at work since I’m very busy preparing to start up a new project at site. Since it is a new contractor that we are dealing with, my boss is blowing hot and cold over this issue – it is impossible to know what he wants. I mentioned to my boss that it is brass-monkey weather this week and that we better postpone the start-up of the project. My boss replied that weather should never bother us and that we should keep on working, come rain or shine. I know that next week it is going to get very busy, so this week is just the lull before the storm.
My boss decided to have a project kick-off celebration and invited me and the project team out for dinner at a local restaurant “The One Season Inn”. I said: “Can I take a rain-check on it?”. I wanted to postpone this since I was feeling a bit under the weather.
Currently the recession in the contracting business world is quite serious and it could be difficult to weather the storm. Under such circumstances, construction contractors see which way the wind blows before they decide on taking new business ventures.
In my case, I’m going to start saving up for a rainy day by putting aside some money for when I might need it later.
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TO BE SNOWED UNDER – to be loaded down with too much work
BRASS-MONKEY WEATHER – extremely cold weather
COME RAIN OR SHINE – no matter what the conditions are
THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM – the calm period before a lot of upheaval
TO TAKE A RAIN-CHECK – to do or buy something at a later date, usually referring to an invitation or a sale
TO FEEL UNDER THE WEATHER – to not feel very well
TO WEATHER THE STORM – to manage to get through a difficult period
WHICH WAY THE WIND BLOWS – how something will probably develop depending on circumstances
TO SAVE UP FOR A RAINY DAY – to save money for any future need
This is the third in a series of articles based on excerpts from a presentation made by Heather Chetwynd at the ING Cafe in downtown Toronto in Fall 2012. Please watch out for more upcoming posts based on the variety of topics that were covered at that event.
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Phrasal verbs are composed of two words – a verb and a particle. (A particle is identical to a preposition but with a different function.) The verb by itself has one meaning which changes when we add the particle. For example, TURN has a different meaning than TURN ON which is different from TURN INTO, etc.
Phrasal verbs can be really difficult to learn. First, there are so many of them. Then phrasal verbs can have two or even three different meanings depending on the context. In addition, you need to learn whether the two words can be separated or not. (For example, GO ON cannot be separated but TURN ON can.) And in addition to these issues, you also need to pay attention to stress. I will explain.
Let’s look at a simple sentence. TURN ON THE LIGHT. I can also say, TURN THE LIGHT ON. But I can extend that to say TURN THE RED LIGHT SWITCH THAT IS OVER IN THE CORNER ON.
The problem in the last sentence is that the particle is so far away from the base verb that I may not realize the verb is actually TURN ON and not just TURN. So how do we indicate this?
In neutral stress patterns, we don’t stress prepositions. Here’s an example (I have capitalized the stressed words:)
TURN the LIGHT SWITCH on the WALL to the RIGHT.
This means I want you to move the switch clockwise.
TURN the LIGHT SWITCH on the WALL ON.
This means I want light.
So we generally stress particles attached to phrasal verbs. Here’s another example:
LOOK out the WINDOW.
LOOK OUT! The WINDOW!
The first means to look outside, while the second means to be careful since the window might fall or break.
In Canada we use phrasal verbs all the time. Many can be used very appropriately in business settings, while others are very informal and sometimes rude. Mastering them is an ongoing process but listening for how the speaker stresses these small words can play an important role in deciphering what is being said. Good luck!
This is the second in a series of articles based on excerpts from a presentation made by Heather Chetwynd at the ING Cafe in downtown Toronto in Fall 2012. Please watch out for more upcoming posts based on the variety of topics that were covered at that event.
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In Canada we use idioms often. There are many types – some are used in business, some are very casual and others downright rude! A European client of mine once mentioned that he felt it was unprofessional to use idioms in a business environment. He had been taught that using idioms represented a low status, but in Canada, we don’t have this association. Rather there is language – expressions and vocabulary – which is suitable for different areas of life, but there is no negative stigma attached to using idioms.
So here I would like to refer to some common idioms, many of which come from the “wild west” and others that come from sports. Idioms grow out of our day-to-day lives and, in the old days, Canadian lives often revolved around boats, horses, guns, gambling, etc.. Though you may think idioms which have grown out of such contexts may be unprofessional, in actual fact, many of these idioms are extremely common in business environments and are considered part of professional speech.
WILD WEST IDIOMS
A common idiom is “on board.” We use this as a verb also (which means the process used to bring on new people in an organization.) But here we are using it as an adverb. “TO GET ON BOARD” means to go along with an idea, to support it – when we’re on board, we agree to the proposal. And this idiom comes from ships. The literal meaning of “to be on board” originally meant to be on a ship (and now it is also used with trains and planes.)
Many idioms are related to cards – for example, “TO PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT.” Do you know what that means? Well cards are used for gambling, for example playing poker. So if you play your cards right, you win. And that’s what it means. If you play your cards right, you get what you want.
Horses – “TO BEAT A DEAD HORSE” – that’s an idiom. If you beat a dead horse, what happens? Nothing right? So let’s say you know there’s no way you are going to do something. You’ve already said you can’t afford a service and don’t really want it anyway, but the salesperson keeps coming back to you and trying to convince you. So as far as your concerned, he’s beating a dead horse. You are not going to become his client. It’s a waste of time.
Guns – “TO BE UNDER THE GUN.” It means to be under pressure. If I’m standing over you waiting for you to complete something, you’re under the gun. You’re under pressure. And it usually means time pressure.
Here’s a list of a few more common wild west idioms:
Cards – HAVE THE CARDS STACKED AGAINST YOU — to have your chance at future success limited by factors over which you have no control; to have luck against you.
Horses – CHOMPING AT THE BIT – to be eager to get going (literally a horse chewing on the bit that goes through its mouth)
Guns – DRAW A BLANK – to not be able to remember something when reminds you
Ships – LEARN THE ROPES – learn how things are done in a new environment
SPORTS IDIOMS
In business we also use a lot of sports idioms. I don’t know a lot of sports but I know the idioms. And when people know a little about a particular sport, they can usually get the meaning easily.
So for example, “TO GO TO BAT FOR SOMEONE” originates from baseball. The batter hits the ball using a bat. So when you go to bat for somebody, it means you fight for somebody; you defend them.
Swimming – “DIVING HEAD FIRST:” that’s not the safest thing to do when you don’t know the water. But to dive in head first means to go for it – don’t worry, don’t think about anything; just do it.
Boxing – “Hit Below The Belt:” if you hit someone below the belt, especially a man, it’s not very comfortable, and in boxing, you’re not supposed to do that. So let’s say I’m angry at you and I tell you what I’m angry about but I can do that in a nice way or I can just start saying things that are mean. And if I do it in a mean manner because I want to hurt you, that’s hitting below the belt.
And golf? I don’t play golf but I know you can “MAKE THE CUT” or “MISS THE CUT.” Idiomatically, if you all apply for a job, and I say that a few people didn’t make the cut, it means they were eliminated because they weren’t good enough.
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Take your time when learning idioms. The first step is realizing that an idiom has been used. Then you need to understand the meaning. After that, you need to learn when it is appropriate to use the idiom. And finally, you need to know how to use it – can it be conjugated or adjusted according to context or is it used exactly as is? Take one at a time and slowly build your list. Good luck!
This article is based on excerpts from a presentation made by Heather Chetwynd at the ING Cafe in downtown Toronto in September 2012. Please watch out for more upcoming posts based on the variety of topics that were covered at that event.
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There are many elements that affect how we perceive what someone says. It may be a different accent, the intonation, general mumbling and poor enunciation, how a word or phrase is used, some preset idea I might have which affects how I listen to you, etc.
FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE CLARITY
Let’s look at accent; you might be making a consonant sound differently, such as how Spanish speakers combine the B and V, or Indians combine W and V. You might have a particular consonant that dominates – for many it’s a vibrating R, or perhaps a Z instead of TH. Your vowels might be a little different and perhaps one sounds very similar to another to our Canadian ears. For example, SEAT, SIT, SET, SAT – all have just slight variations which native-born Canadians pick up on quickly. Maybe you’re stressing the wrong syllable, or not stressing the right words. It may be that you don’t use intonation the way we do or your phrasing is incorrect or very weak. So if you have 2 or 3 things happening in one sentence and you’re speaking fast, it can be difficult to understand or else the listener needs to listen really hard to decipher what you are saying. And if you speak quickly, the listener has less time to process. So I would say the very first thing anyone can do to help improve clarity is to slow down.
Many people think they speak clearly and don’t understand why people are always asking them to repeat themselves. Maybe they have spoken English most of their lives, even all of their lives. But we can consider different accents as different forms of music influenced largely by intonation, phrasing and speed (which in music is called melody and timing.) You may ask; “Why would I change my accent? That’s the way I speak and everyone has always understood me before.” But actually, even if someone comes from, for example, Northern Scotland or the deep south in the States, sometimes Canadians don’t understand them. For example: Newfoundlanders (those living in Newfoundland, Canada’s eastern-most province) – I often do not understand the older ones and they’re Canadian and native speakers of English. So it’s very much related to different rhythms and expectations. The fact remains that your speech is influenced by your environment and we attune our ears to what we commonly hear.
CHANGING HOW WE SPEAK
Changing pronunciation is not easy. It is physical skill requiring patient practice and endless repetition to re-train our tongue and mouth movements. It is also deeply rooted in our sense of identity and how we portray ourselves to the world around us. If I started speaking to you with an English accent, I would feel silly probably, and someone attempting to modify their accent may have that same feeling. So there can be certain resistance despite really wanting to speak more clearly. You’re putting your tongue in a different place and your mouth is moving in a different way and its like exercise – you have to do the exercise to train yourself. You can’t be thinking a lot when you’re speaking about how you’re pronouncing because then you can’t really express yourself. It has to become automatic and this is a gradual process. Changing how you speak is a matter of re-educating yourself and, like exercise, you may have to keep going at the risk of slipping back to your old patterns, especially if you live in your own language at home, and a lot of people do.
HOW ATTITUDES MAY AFFECT COMPREHENSION
In Canada, many people are not used to hearing a variety of accents, especially in less urban environments. Even in Toronto, many native speakers mix almost entirely with other native speakers and, therefore, do not become familiar with other accents. And native-born English-speaking Canadians are not known for speaking other languages. So our ears are often not attuned to different accents and we may not have much tolerance or comprehension regarding the issue. Immigrants often feel Canadians don’t try very hard; that we are impatient and don’t take time to understand. At times this is true and it may be based on a stereotype or a judgment we have learned. So this can be very frustrating for all involved, but especially the immigrant who often feels in a more vulnerable position.
“One time I went to a resort in Orangeville (Ontario, Canada.) I was the only one from another town. Everybody there was white and everybody was looking at me in the restaurant saying; “This guy is not from our town.” They didn’t come to me and tell me, but I could see it. Everybody was staring at me. What I’m saying is, it depends on where you are in the city or province… Things are changing now; here in downtown Toronto, you don’t really see it much because all of us are immigrants. We’re learning how to live with each other.” Presentation participant, fall 2012
My belief is, first, that there are clearly people who are heavily influenced by stereotypes. Also, many people, since they have never learned another language, have little comprehension of the issues involved. So they can be impatient and disrespectful. On the other hand, many immigrants do not understand why people have difficulties understanding them. In addition, they may have already decided that Canadians tend to be impatient and intolerant of different accents. So they immediately jump to a negative interpretation of the difficulty.
I do believe a certain racism exists, based on stereotypes, that some people feel and express. But I don’t think it’s a good thing to think about or focus on. Nor do I think it’s the rule. And besides, you can’t depend on changing others but you can change yourself. So you have to choose where to put your energy and, if you often experience confusion about your communication, it may mean there is some work to do.
I’m going to give you another story that happened to me which may illustrate this predisposition to stereotypical thinking, this time from an immigrant. It also reflects a lack of self-awareness.
THE DANGER OF AN US-THEM MENTALITY
A woman came to meet with me, wanting a pronunciation assessment. She told me that she thought her pronunciation wasn’t good because people kept interrupting her. That was the main reason – people interrupted her regularly and she believed it was because they weren’t really understanding her. We began by chatting for a bit. Generally I always start the assessment out with small talk and then I do the actual assessment, all of which takes about an hour. We talked and she talked and she talked and she talked and it was almost an hour. So I began to cut her off because I had to do the assessment and she immediately went quiet. I asked what had happened and she said nothing. And I said; “No, no, something happened because you were talking a lot and now you’re not talking at all.” But she continued to deny there was anything wrong. I kept encouraging her and finally she said; “You people are always cutting us off.”
This comment was, what we call, a “dead giveaway” as to her point of view and predisposition. She was portraying an us-them mentality. But people were actually cutting her off because she never stopped talking and didn’t give space for others to participate. Now, this is an extreme case and she clearly had some issues. But it illustrates to me how taking this position can be easier than looking at ourselves. And I believe an us-them mentality creates a limitation and indicates a lack of taking responsibility for yourself.
It’s easy for an immigrant to feel insecure about the language because there are often so many gaps in their knowledge. And when people look at them in a certain way or do something which seems rude or impatient, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that the other person is prejudiced in some way. And it’s also easy to judge them in the same way.
Sometimes I’ll ask somebody; “Where are you from?” It’s because I’m interested and because I do accent coaching and I’m listening to their accent. Well often people get upset – they see it as a criticism, that they stand out as an immigrant. I met a Polish woman and asked her where she was from. She answered “Europe” but that was obvious to me. After I asked where in Europe, she finally said Poland. She hadn’t wanted to say it because of all the Polish jokes; she felt insecure. So I think it’s best just to be really open and if people are rude to you, take the mental position that there might be a slight misunderstanding and they are probably not being rude or, if you really do believe they are rude, think that but leave it as their problem. I suggest trying to keep an open and non-judgmental mind which will help you to be better disposed to learning and solving communication problems.
I recently went with some colleagues to walk around the edge of the CN Tower, about 350 meters high. They call it ‘The Edge Walk’ and, while it may not actually be risky – you are tied in pretty tight! – it certainly feels risky. (Check out the photos and a video clip at www.facebook.com/VoiceToWord .)
When I told people about it I was surprised how many people told me they would never try it. It emphasized to me how different people are when it comes to risk-taking. And it made me think about one of the dimensions we use to compare cultures – risk aversion vs. risk tolerance.
While people everywhere vary in where they stand on the scale with regards to risk tolerance and aversion, cultures also do. I would describe a culture, in some ways, as a personality preference. Some cultures tend to tolerate risk better than others. And, like individuals, they have preference for certain behaviours which allow them to balance the degree of risk they can tolerate.
Those with a high degree of risk aversion tend to carry out extensive research before making any decision. They generally choose a stable job over an unstable position with a high salary, for example. They tend to like a lot of rules and regulations and don’t like a lot of changes.
Those who are rather risk tolerant tend to make decisions with less information and adjust as needed over time. Many entrepreneurs are risk tolerant since there are no guarantees when you have your own business. They tend to be more tolerant of difference in all areas and look forward to change.
Canada rates around the middle of the scale. We profess to be very tolerant of diversity (and we have to with so many new immigrants.) On the other hand, we have many laws which, we actually follow, and that helps to instil a sense of stability and control which mitigates against the uncertainty.
You can read more about this dimension and the other four put forward and studied by cultural expert Geert Hofstede at http://geert-hofstede.com/canada.html. At that link, you can also compare rankings between several countries of your choice.
One more thing – whether you come from a country with a high degree or a low degree of risk tolerance, if you have immigrated to Canada, you are probably towards the higher range of risk tolerance compared to the average in your country of origin. After all, it is risky to immigrate. So, as a risk taker, perhaps you would also like to try the Edge Walk out and see Toronto from a birds-eye view (if they ever fly that high!)
Please come to this interesting evening. with great information for both immigrants and native-born Canadians
TITLE – COMMUNICATING IN CANADA, EH?
In this session, Director and Founder of Voice to Word Consulting, Heather Chetwynd, will lead the audience through a light look at communicating in English. Come and explore how easily things can get misinterpreted in often surprising ways. We will be looking at examples from three areas: vocabulary, pronunciation and culture.
WHEN – Thursday, September 20th from 6 to 8 pm
WHERE - ING Direct Cafe
221 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5B1M4
At the corner of Yonge St and Shuter St
A while back (Summer 2011) I wrote a few articles entitled MUSIC & ACCENT (part 1 bit.ly/RQhrRf and part 2 bit.ly/RS3D33.) In those postings, I related music with the musical elements of accent – in particular the shared elements of stress, pitch, volume, phrasing and intonation, as well as the similar methodologies we can use to learn each.
Music is a wonderful learning tool. In addition to being entertaining, it can improve our listening and accent, increase our vocabulary and teach us about a culture. Music study also helps to keep our brains flexible. Music was very influential in helping me to learn Spanish and I know many immigrants who learned a lot of their English from listening to and singing English songs.
So with this in mind, I approached a wonderfully prolific Canadian singer-songwriter whom I met many years back, Marie-Lynn Hammond (http://marielynnhammond.com/about/), to see if she might allow me to use some of her songs on this blog to illustrate how effective music can be when learning and refining a language. She gracefully agreed and gave me access to her discography.
So in the next months, you can expect posts, with links to her songs, which I will use to discuss culture, point out aspects of accent, explain idioms and expressions, etc.. And to whet your appetite,* here is a short ditty* entitled Keyboard Kitty. But don’t watch it yet! Read the following slowly and listen to the sound. See if you can figure out the words from just the sound: U C Y I M* A QT. Read it several times if you can’t get it at once. Also, remember the song is about a cat and cats are very cute!
Now click on the link, (bit.ly/PBIPku) highlight Kitty Keyboard Chorus and listen. Watch for the more serious music soon!
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ditty – a short, simple song.
whet – to hone or to make more keen or stimulate.
whet your appetite – to interest you and make you want more. (Many people write this incorrectly using the word “wet”.)
M – this represents a word but, as it isn’t stressed, remember the vowel is probably reduced so play with it a bit.
This follows up on the previous 2 postings drawing on edited excerpts from an interview with Voice to Word Director and Trainer, Heather Chetwynd, and Trainer Mark Prince. This interview (which can be heard in full on our resource page) focused on pronunciation for Chinese clients and, in this part, Mark and Heather discuss the specific pronunciation challenges faced by Chinese clients and share some success stories.
SPECIFIC PRONUNCIATION ISSUES – CHINESE
MARK: One thing that I like to talk about at the beginning of my classes is some of the fundamental differences in the way in which we enable different muscle groups and different parts of the mouth and the head to make the sounds. And some of the fundamental differences that I notice between the two, well, whether you are talking about Cantonese and Mandarin in English is the fact that we will use much more lip movement, or forward movement, in English that might not be as frequent in Cantonese or Mandarin. Similarly, when it comes to accent, there’s usually a great deal of focus on continuing the voice throughout. Meaning that in English we tend to keep the voice production going and don’t stop that vocal production. Whereas if you’re talking about a language, particularly Cantonese, the voice can stop frequently throughout the phrasing.
HEATHER: There are a couple of other issues and one is linking. Instead of saying each word separately and stopping at the end. Chinese will often let go at the end of the sound. So they’ll say ‘the last-uh time.’ Instead of ‘the last time’. So it’s the “uh” which is the extra sound. And they’ll do it so much in the sentence that when we listen — our mind in the back is counting syllables, unconsciously — and, if there is an accent issue also, it’s really hard to understand sometimes because there’re so many extra syllables and their mind can’t figure it out. So that’s related to linking.
MARK: (Referring to the /aw/ vowel of BROWN) This is something that always comes up with the class. That has a lot to do with the movement of the lips that I mentioned earlier or inversely the dropping of the jaw which can be very frequent in the Chinese voice. And so when the jaw drops too much in this particular sound, then we lose it. And we don’t quite get that — it comes across as ‘brawn’ or ‘brong.’ Also we don’t have very many nasal or throat closing sounds and so when we hear that frequently, it changes the quality of the sound and we don’t quite get it. And so where we might hear ‘brong’ with the closing throat at the end, it’s an oral sound, in fact it needs to come through the mouth as ‘brown’ and that’s one of the things that is constantly coming up and of course, anything that rhymes with brown — for example “downtown” — can be very challenging. It’s something that we cannot quite get. That will have an impact on somebody’s ability to be understood.
HEATHER: You are also talking about different dialects. So for example depending on where you’re from in China, you might mix up N and L, right, that’s a big one. And S and SH. L and R are a big issue. L and R are the typical ones that everybody knows. And W and V, that’s also a very common one.
MARK: Again, depending on your region. Some people are very successful and others’ not so much.
INTERVIEWER: Details? Can you specify?
HEATHER: I think the Southern Chinese seem to have issues with S and Sh. Isn’t that right?
INTERVIEWER: Yes.
HEATHER: I’m not sure about the N and L. I can’t remember where that comes from. L is everybody. But not everybody says L like an N. And some people do, it’s the same thing, they can’t hear the difference between N and L. And that’s the nasal thing you (Mark) were talking about also, that sound coming through the nose instead of through the mouth.
MARK: One thing that comes up in our classes is actually a lot easier than you think. And very often when we get to that topic in class, you get the trepidation, the nerves: “Oh, we’re going to look at the L!” We just need to kind of relax and do it, so we do a lot of relaxation and things like that to help people facilitate the sounds.
HEATHER: Also I’m going to say that a lot of people don’t move their face at all. And so what you get is a lot of sound like this, it’s all at the back of the throat and it’s very unclear instead of it coming forward, and the movement, you can see I move my face a lot more, the upper part of my face.
MARK: Right, cheeks and lips are engaged quite a lot in English sounds and so that movement of physical vocabulary that we have there is very articulate and so we might just have more muscle articulation and specification going on in those areas that Heather identified. And so that’s one of the approaches that we take when looking at some of these sounds.
SUCCESS STORIES – BENEFITS – CONFIDENCE & AWARENESS
INTERVIEWER: Can you give some examples on your success with students?
MARK: I can give you two examples and I’ll start with somebody we were talking about earlier. He works in the food, health and safety industry and this is somebody who worked in the CPAC program when Heather was instructing at that time and who came here to Voice to Word who worked on speech refinement and communication refinement one-on-one after the CPAC course.
This person was Cantonese-speaking. She was from Hong Kong. And she found a tremendous amount of benefit in both Heather’s class and the course that she took here because she was able to build on her skill and take her speech delivery – such as pronunciation and other aspects of speech like rhythm and intonation – and build on those to then look at conversation skills. Conversation skills are things that involve the ability to negotiate, the ability to compromise, handling objections, how to ask questions and probe as well to find out more about people, all sorts of conversational skills that are culturally appropriate here in Canada.
She found that the skills she gained from both courses were tremendous because she was able to then deal with her clients better. She found that when she put the phone down it was: “Ah, that went really well, that conversation. I managed to solve that or I found a solution or I was able to put an end to that conversation.” Sometimes there’s closure that needs to take place, some kind of agreement. And so she found that she was able to do that a lot more and in a culturally appropriate way. And so we thought that was great. (Listen to this client talk of her experience at our February 2012 Anniversary Celebration)
Also, not a Chinese client, but a French client – in fact, he has just been awarded the most successful immigrant in Canada in 2011. And his industry is communications, computer communication, IT. But of course, his success was because he was able to gain promotions in management positions and we all know that as soon as we get to management positions, our speaking skills become tremendously important.
HEATHER: Actually, I have two new students that I’ve been asked to train through a company. They’re both Chinese, one is Chinese Vietnamese and the other one’s Chinese. It’s the same situation. They’ve been promoted but they have some issues with clarity, speech clarity, speech pronunciation, but also approach, like how to say things. And the cultural thing comes in there because of the fear of giving feedback to superiors, not wanting to say what you think to someone who’s at a higher level. And the other person is, actually she needs to be giving presentations and she’s not got good rhythm, she doesn’t stress things properly so it’s hard to listen and focus on what she’s saying. We’re just starting but right from the beginning, it was really interesting to see that one of them has been here for 20 years and she didn’t think there were any cultural issues until we actually started delving into them and then she went: “Yes, actually you’re right. I don’t give any feedback to my bosses.” And she wants to be able to do that because that’s expected here. And she just held back. A lot of times it’s because of language but it’s also culture and sometimes you think it’s language but actually it’s a cultural thing, the hierarchy. So she’s working on that.
HEATHER: One of the big things that I think we work on is building confidence because if you don’t understand me, it’s your fault. If I don’t understand you, it’s your fault, right? That’s what you think, right? Because you have that insecurity and not being sure how to do it. And I don’t because it’s my native language. So a lot of times, people come just for that feeling of lack of confidence. They just don’t know. And they don’t know how to improve it. So it’s the two things. They don’t know: Is it a problem with their communication? And if it is, what can they do?
MARK: And awareness, as well. Confidence, awareness, that really comes out of it. You know, everybody seems to get that from the programs, even if it’s hard for them to identify what has changed, they can usually say: “Well, now that that I’ve taken this course, I feel much more aware of what’s going on and I feel much more confident about what I’m doing.” And so those two things are usually present at least.
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