…Yes, it’s no joke today that most people judge you by how well you can converse in English. In fact, the first thing a recruiter will check during a job interview is your oral communication skills irrespective of the job type or the seniority level. Over the course of my career, I have come across several high potential resources who have fantastic technical skills and experience but feel intimidated and incapacitated when facing someone who is able to converse well in English simply because they are not fluent in the language. They end up with low morale and suffer silently most often. This blog aims to break that stigma…or that barrier by presenting you with detail from the other side of the coin…
Unless you are a linguist or you possess natural linguistic capabilities / skills, on an average a human can only speak 1 language fluently (written and oral). When I say fluent…I mean the ability to hold an entire conversation without faltering and only in 1 language. Communication is not just about speaking a language but the ability to convey or share ideas, articulate information, thoughts and feelings effectively in a manner that is well comprehended. So, if we go by this definition, how many of the so called fluent speakers (…and I mean in English) are communicating effectively? Not many! Because if there were, then there wouldn’t be so many misunderstandings and misinterpretations in this world – would there?
I was interviewed for a training assignment that needed the trainer to speak fluently in English and Tamil (local language in Tamil Nadu, India). I was asked how my communication skills were and then an embarrassed laugh followed immediately thereafter with a fervent apology because he acknowledged that my English communication skills were excellent. He then proceeded to ask on my fluency levels in Tamil…I told him I was bad! And then I thought, here was a challenge and I decided to take it head on!
I want to pause here while I elaborate on a story – an experience that changed my perspective about communication skills.
Back when I was studying in college, speaking in Tamil was very difficult for me. I could understand the language but chose to respond only in English. Most of my friends spoke in Tamil and teased me calling me an English lady and would beg me to not speak in Tamil because invariably, I would murder the language, pronunciation and grammar. Meanwhile, a batch mate of mine would always remain quiet every time there was a conversation in English. He was fluent in Tamil and hailed from a small town in interior Tamil Nadu and his communication skills in English was not great. Being aware of this and being subjected to criticism from various peers and seniors he chose to remain silent when English was predominantly spoken. On one of my chats with him, I asked why he remained quiet to which he explained that he was observing people who communicated in English very well including me and he was taking the effort to learn the language in order to speak well. Why? Because he was cognizant to the fact that speaking fluent English was a critical life skill for him to get a good job and grow in his career. Years later we connected on Facebook and it was amazing to see his transformation – he worked with a Fortune 20 company and had traveled globally due to his projects. His communication skills in English were now excellent. He had achieved his goal and it was wonderful to read all his posts on the difference he was making to the society, all beautifully explained in English. I asked him his success story and this is what he said…if you want to be fluent in a language, you need to speak that language as often as possible…even if you make mistakes, you must not stop. Instead, correct yourself, learn, observe and keep moving on your path. He would identify 5 sentences every day at the minimum and practice speaking them several times a day – on his way to work, in the bathroom, in front of the mirror, sometimes to his family and friends. To make it interesting, he would pick funny or serious dialogues from famous English movies. He would pick jokes as well to practice and modulate his voice to bring out the humour. In short, he life-skilled himself!
What English was for him, Tamil was for me. If you live in a country that speaks a regional language more than English then you need to life skill yourself with that language in order to have a smooth survival – period! No amount of fluency in English is going to help you if the person you are communicating with can’t understand what you are speaking. But you know what the irony is? People who speak fluent English do not feel intimidated by not knowing the local language and I am one among them. I did not feel intimidated or incapacitated even when I was the odd one out. But yes, I did feel handicapped at times….so what did I do? I applied my friend’s success formula and life skilled myself to speak in Tamil and won the training assignment. It is hard work…yes but not impossible!
Conclusion – Break your barriers, you are not alone!
- Do not feel intimidated if you cannot speak English fluently, every single human being has their own weaknesses
- Acknowledge the weakness as an area for improvement, your determination will help you create your success path towards your goal
- Practice and do it in your style, one that will keep you entertained at the same time while you learn
- Speak as often as possible. It is ok if you make mistakes – what is important is that you observe, learn and move forward.
- Being corrected – Is there a well wisher who corrects your diction and pronunciation? Great! Don’t miss the opportunity in accepting the help offered. Remember its for your own good.
- Never stop, even when you get better. There is always scope to improve
- Read books, watch videos in that language and inculcate as much as possible in your conversations
