If you’re like most professionals, your workplace is growing increasingly diverse as professional demographics shift and globalization continues at a breakneck pace. This diversity can be beneficial, incorporating new viewpoints and ideas, and creating opportunities to reach clients and create collaborations across the globe. Unfortunately, this diversity also comes with an increased risk for miscommunication.
Recently, I had the opportunity to give a corporate presentation on “Inclusive Communication”. As someone who frequently works with clients from a range of cultural, linguistic, and demographic backgrounds, this is a topic near and dear to my heart. Last week, our blog was on general inclusive communication in a professional environment. Today, we give you some tips for presenting to a diverse audience:
- Speak clearly: Clear speech is essential to all professional communication, whether you’re speaking to an audience of two or two-hundred. However it’s especially important to keep your speech clear when your audience may include individuals who don’t speak English as their native language. Be sure to enunciate all the sounds in each word, paying particular attention to the consonants at the ends of words.
- Make use of non-verbal communication and visual aids: Visual forms of communication can be particularly important when speaking to an audience from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Use gestures to highlight key points, and make sure that your slides or other visual aids are helping drive the main points of your message home.
- Watch your use of idioms: Idioms are so common, that chances are you don’t realize how frequently you use them. Since idioms may be unfamiliar to non-native speakers or audience members from different cultural backgrounds, using too many can obscure your message. Think about your presentation in advance, and see how many idioms and figures of speech there are.
If your communication skills are holding you back from professional success and you want to make your communication skills your most powerful professional tool. Be sure to pick up a free copy of my e-book “Communicate with Clarity and Confidence!” by subscribing to our newsletter community on our website. You can also visit our resource page and choose from nine different FREE resources that will impact your business today!
Give us a call and see how Corporate Speech Solutions can improve your professional life! Call us at 212-308-7725 or send us an e-mail at jayne@corporatespeechsolutions.com to learn more. I’d be more than happy to answer any questions you might have!
