In the age of remote work, it is no surprise that organizations have become increasingly globalized, and this comes with a lot of benefits. Being able to expand your team without proximity concerns leads to attracting diverse talent with unique perspectives and skills, leading to innovative problem-solving and new approaches.
However, workers who have English as a second language have harder times being understood by their colleagues, and if not addressed properly, can not only reduce workplace productivity but discourage that employee from contributing to their highest potential.
Workplace Options has proudly partnered with Accents International, a company specializing in online accent reduction classes for both individuals and organizations. This collaboration aims to bridge communication gaps caused by language barriers in the workplace. By offering courses and support for both employees with accents and their colleagues, organizations can foster an inclusive and engaged environment where every voice is heard.
Vice President of Business Development at Workplace Options, Christy McGuire, and President and Co-founder of Accents International, Judy Ravin, share insights on how this partnership plans to transform workplace communication.
Christy McGuire: “How do you see inclusive listening and accent reduction training contributing to a stronger sense of belonging and psychological safety within global teams? “
Judy: “It’s all about eliminating the need to ask the questions, “What? What did you say? Can you repeat that?” There are only so many times a person can hear this before finding yourself taking a step back or, worse, disengaging altogether. These questions inadvertently push people away. Inclusive Listening: Tuning Your Ear to Accents® and Powerful Pronunciation® (accent reduction training) tackle both sides of the communication street, the listening side and the speaking side. These programs build bridges of communication and draw people in. They invite people into the conversation and create a seat at the table for talent that would otherwise be “unheard.”
“The research is clear. Regardless of language, accents make speech more difficult for the listener’s brain to process. This processing difficulty can cause the listener to remember less accurately what the speaker says, make snap judgements, and even doubt the credibility of the speaker’s message. With Inclusive Listening: Tuning Your Ear to Accents®, attendees acquire a methodology that systematically “tunes the ear” to unfamiliar accents. They learn strategies that allow them to avoid making damaging snap judgments. It enables people to easily understand global accents so they can hear other people’s messages without drawing immediate conclusions that get in the way of workplace belonging.”
“English pronunciation can be hard. It’s not the person, it’s the language. In addition to learning how to understand global accents, Inclusive Listening mitigates unconscious accent bias. It means removing the blame for challenging communication away from the non-native English speaker, and rightly placing it on the complexities of the English language.”
Christy McGuire: “What specific tools or techniques from your programs have been most effective in helping employees improve communication and foster inclusion?”
Judy: “One of the most effective tools we offer is our Powerful Pronunciation® program. In just ten hours or less, employees who speak English as a second language can learn to pronounce the sounds in English that may not exist in their first language. This helps them speak with greater clarity, confidence, and ease, while still preserving their unique cultural identity. By ensuring that employees are heard more clearly, this program enables organizations to place the best person for the job in that role—often allowing subject matter experts to grow from team members to team leaders.”
“Additionally, Powerful Pronunciation® helps individuals gain the pronunciation techniques necessary to make themselves more easily understood in a global workplace. This improvement in communication fosters inclusion, as it enables employees to fully participate in discussions without the frustration of being misunderstood.”
Christy McGuire: “What impact have you seen in organizations after implementing inclusive listening and accent training programs?”
Judy: “We’ve seen great success with several organizations, and we have numerous case studies to showcase this.” Judy then shared an example from Perkin Elmer and one of their principal scientists.
“So this principal scientist was the manager of the assay and system development team at Perkin Elmer. He was a PhD microbiologist, and he invented a product for in-vitro diagnosis of a certain type of abnormality. At first, I couldn’t pronounce the name of the abnormality, nor the name of the product, but the bigger problem was that neither could the scientist. He also couldn’t pronounce the majority of words he’d need to say when it came time to present to the FDA.”
“He took Powerful Pronunciation®, mastered the pronunciation of these words, and gained confidence to present this technology with ease.”
“He was also able to carry these sounds over to words that weren’t part of this presentation, part of the script. And he did a masterful job with the Q&A part of the presentation. The result? The technology and product got FDA approval.”
“So the impact on the learner, on the scientist, was he became the global leader in his field. He also was then gobbled up by another company.”
“But before that happened, the impact on Perkin Elmer was they got the green light to bring a new product to market, and the corporate brand leadership was priceless.”
Christy McGuire: “In what ways do you believe this partnership with Workplace Options will strengthen the impact of your training programs and help organizations create more inclusive, psychologically safe workplaces?”
Judy: “Workplace Options’ clients are trying to solve some of the biggest challenges of our time. These companies are developing new products and services that are making an appreciable difference in our lives and in the global economy…and they’re doing this in highly competitive markets. A diverse workforce brings different ways of approaching new opportunities and ways to solve problems. Every idea, every contribution, every voice counts. This partnership contributes to WPO’s exceptional suite of offerings that allow their clients to develop their workforce in ways that maximize leadership, employee engagement, hiring, onboarding, and talent development practices. With Inclusive Listening: Tuning Your Ear to Accents® and Powerful Pronunciation®, ideas don’t get lost. Solutions don’t get sidelined. People are empowered to collaborate, innovate, and give all they have. These programs give WPO’s clients an added competitive advantage that helps them achieve and/or maintain industry leadership.”
