Misunderstood on the job

As a native English speaker, I never faced situations where my accent or dialect was misunderstood. That is, until I took on responsibility for a German client. Early in the relationship there was a meeting, in Germany, and I was responsible for delivering a presentation. Immediately I could tell that I wasn’t being fully understood. There were times when I had to repeat myself which ruined the flow of the presentation. I felt isolated and a little embarrassed. And I was speaking English! I shudder to think how terrible it would have been if I tried to present in German!

It isn’t your fault (well, not completely)

As you might expect, this topic has been studied by several psycholinguists. They have learned that human nature governs how we process information from speakers that have accents. For one thing, if you’re not used to it, it’s simply harder to understand someone who is speaking with a foreign accent (Erard, 2016). Unfortunately, the extra mental effort leads us to discount the accuracy of the information and worse, the speaker. As we process information from non-native speakers, we expect to have difficulty with the information we’re going to receive and actually begin to filter our expectations - we hear what we think they are going to say instead of what they’re actually saying. This can lead to speakers with foreign accents being overlooked by management, lessening their value at work. “When we impose our judgments about a specific person on the whole group or community that this individual belongs to then we have a bias. Research has shown that we tend to unconsciously group people into a specific social class and become prejudiced against them based on their accents. By thinking that someone with a particular accent is not very smart or clever, we are showing our unconscious bias” (Agarwal, 2018).

According to Erard, “if you take what scientists are learning about how our brains process foreign accents, and stir negative stereotypes into the mix, then what starts as linguistic difference can often spiral into systemic social justice issues, as people with foreign accents encounter problems with access to jobs, health care, and education”. There is a bit of light at the end of this particular tunnel. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provides protection from discrimination based upon speaking your native language in the workplace. Of course, there’s a stigma associated with filing any legal complaint. This is probably not the best, first option

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So how do you avoid this communication trap?

Your best option is to consult a Communications Coach. Surprise, you say?! Ok, yes, you can try your HR department, but you’ll find that they are likely unequipped to help with this particular challenge. Which brings you back to a Communications coach. There are techniques that a knowledgeable coach can use to help. Consider a coach that comes from a similar industry background. He or She will be familiar with the vocabulary of your industry, making it easier to provide assistance. You can always try to go at it alone. Clearly this is the toughest option. Whatever direction you choose, be realistic, it will take a little time - stick with it.

duncan@talkingisnotcommunicating.com

Duncan has 30+ years management and sales experience working at some of the largest technology companies in the industry.

References

Erard, M. (February, 2016). The reason you discriminate against foreign accents starts with what they do to your brain. qz.com. Retrieved from https://qz.com/624335/the-reason-you-discriminate-against-foreign-accents-starts-with-what-they-do-to-your-brain/

Agarwal, P. (December, 2018). Accent Bias: How Can We Minimize Discrimination In The Workplace? forbes.com. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/pragyaagarwaleurope/2018/12/30/bias-is-your-accent-holding-you-back/#520b0da81b5a