After a break to complete my new speech and pronunciation online video course, I’m resuming my blog with a guest blog I wrote for OpenSesame, an online marketplace for eLearning products. I’ll say more about the video product below. 

Clear, confident speech –

across a conference table or across an ocean

International and ESL employees who work in American and global organizations contribute valuable talents and diverse perspectives. When management makes American English pronunciation training available, these employees gain skills to succeed, contribute to their teams, and strengthen the organization.

American English is the lingua franca of business and a fundamental competency skill. Fortunately, clear spoken English is a skill that can be learned, not unlike other interpersonal skills such as teamwork, presentations, and time management.

Clear, confident American English is achievable

I know many employees who have significantly improved their performance once their speech is clear, correct and confident:

managers who run effective meetings and handle team conflicts;  engineers who speak up on conference calls to offer good ideas and challenge the status quo;  physicians who engage their patients and probe for subtle understanding; research scientists who present their inventions at international conferences

These and many other professionals now possess a level of spoken communication that is commensurate with their expertise and achievements. 

  

Employees are eager for communication training  

Occasionally managers tell me they hesitate to suggest speech/accent improvement for fear of embarrassing an employee. Just the opposite is true. Employees realize that poor speech and pronunciation put them at a disadvantage. They notice the “glazed eyes” of confused listeners, and feel their confidence drain away when others ask them to repeat themselves.

These employees are eager to improve, but some come from cultures where asking a manager for training seems impolite or disrespectful. Moreover, finding professional-level training is challenging, while juggling a pressured work schedule to attend an offsite class is nearly impossible. 

Without confidence in their ability to communicate, employees might defer to others when asked to present their ideas, avoid taking on a leadership role, remain quiet in meetings, and lose out on opportunities to serve the organization and advance their own careers.  

A resource for ESL and international employees

OpenSesame now hosts Sound American: American English for Success in Business, a comprehensive, business-oriented speech and pronunciation video course designed for corporate learning systems and optimized for tablet/mobile devices. 

Pro-active employees who are eager refine their American English can opt to study anytime, anywhere. Employees who are given the performance review directive, “improve your communication,” can now source a rigorous, comprehensive, and effective solution.

Please visit my website to read about the video features, www.jolindaosborne.com , or go to https://www.opensesame.com/c/sound-american-training-courseto preview and purchase the course.

I welcome your feedback.

Jolinda 

Your Name – Make Sure Others Know It!

It can be frustrating when you introduce yourself, others don’t understand your name, and you must say it again. And again. Yet names that are foreign-sounding (to your audience) or are spelled in an unusual way do pose a real problem for listeners, especially on the phone. And just as you tire of repeating your name, listeners are embarrassed to keep asking.

I’ve got a tip on how to ensure that others spell your name correctly. Also I’ve come across a new resource that allows you to actually record your name and post it for others to hear.

The International Phonetic Code

Pilots and soldiers in the military have long used a phonetic code system whereby letters identify names or words in spoken messages. Below is that alphabet. Instead of saying Obama, for example, a soldier or pilot would simply say: Oscar, Bravo, Alpha, Mike, Alpha.

A	Alpha
B	Bravo
C	Charlie
D	Delta
E	Echo
F	Foxtrot
G	Golf
H	Hotel
I	India
J	Juliet
K	Kilo
L	Lima
M	Mike
N	November
O	Oscar
P	Papa
Q	Quebec
R	Romeo
S	Sierra
T	Tango
U	Uniform
V	Victor
W	Whisky
X	X-Ray
Y	Yankee
Z	Zulu

Prepare your listener to understand your name

To ensure that a listener understands my name, I can use the phonetic code words to be clear about the spelling and pronunciation. I would say the following on the telephone if I am not understood: “My name is Jolinda. I’ll spell it. J as in Juliet, O as in Oscar, L as in Lima, I as in India, N as in November, D as in Delta, A as in Alpha. Jolinda.”

Make sure to preface the spelling by alerting the listener that you are going to spell your name. While the list above is “official,” you can change words if you feel others won’t recognize them. Just make sure the word you substitute is understandable. For example, you might say, “T as in teacher,” (instead of T as in Tango), but don’t choose to use the word “that” which starts with a T but begins a sound “th.”

An online tool for pronouncing names

I just read about Audioname, a start up company headed by Sheetal Dube. She’s an Indian entrepreneur in Oregon who recognized how awkward it was for others to pronounce her name during those critical first minutes of a business conversation. Her free software tool enables users to easily record their names, post those recordings on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, or even add them to blogs and websites.You might find this tool helpful if people have difficulty understanding your name.

Your name is important. In business it can be your brand.  Take the time to help others spell and pronounce your name.

Best,

Jolinda

jolinda@jolindaosborne.com 

Be Your Team's Devil's Advocate

I’ve been catching up on reading, and a recent article in the New York Times Business section struck me as useful to share: Every Team Should Have a Devil’s Advocate.  Becoming a devil’s advocate at work has some advantages, and good communication strategies can help you take on that role

There is a legitimate place for a Devil Advocate

A devil’s advocate is someone who raises difficult questions and argues a position or viewpoint that he or she may not necessarily agree with in order to engage others in a discussion. The value of such a discussion is to test the validity of the argument or proposed action, identify weaknesses or invalid assumptions, and improve or abandon the original idea or proposed action.

The name “devil’s advocate” was originally given to a lawyer in 16^th century  Europe who was assigned to argue against the Catholic Church’s assertion that a certain person should be made a saint (canonized).  The Devil’s Advocate was supposed to be skeptical and critical, and thus ensure the accuracy by the Church of all evidence of saintly acts by the person being considered.

A devil’s advocate is more than a naysayer

At work, we often dislike skeptics, but we certainly need more of them, according to Ori Hadomi, CEO of Mazor Robotics in Israel. Every Team Should Have a Devil's Advocate Often teams of employees are too positive in their group thinking, or they simply nod at whatever idea senior management suggests, without giving the idea a hard look. Hadomi actually appoints one of his executives to play devil’s advocate. Such a person challenges the group’s thinking, asks the hard questions, and punches holes in assumptions.

How to be an effective devil’s advocate

Following are three strategies for being an effective devil’s advocate:

·        In advance of the meeting, inform the meeting facilitator that you are going to raise some questions. That way the facilitator won’t be caught off-guard and misunderstand your misgivings, will expect you to speak up, and will allow you time to voice questions and concerns.

·        Start your remarks by saying, “I’m going to play devil’s advocate.” Others will know, then, that you are going to raise some hard questions or make comments on the proposal, but that you don’t necessarily agree with all the points.

·        Respond to others’ comments or arguments by saying, “Let’s look at this differently.”  Or,  “What if we make a different assumption?”  Or, “I think we should consider a completely different approach.”  

An effective devil’s advocate enlarges the conversation and ensures that all the issues and concerns are addresses.   If you choose to play devil’s advocate and use the communication strategies I bulleted, you’ll be appreciated at work for your insightful thinking and for helping the group arrive at a solid decision.

Best,

Jolinda

jolinda@jolindaosborne.com

Liquid Networks and Random Collisions

I recently read Steve Johnson’s fascinating book,Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation The book’s premise is that innovation depends upon the capacity of organisms (and individuals) to make as many new connections as possible, and to be in environments that encourage random collisions among all elements of a system. 

The author covers a lot of ground – from the origins of carbon-based life on earth, to the complex structure of coral reefs, to the science of neurons and synapses in the brain, to the richness of cities, to the intricacies of technological platforms. A common factor that leads to diversity and innovation anywhere in the universe is plasticity and connectivity.  

How does this premise relate to communication at work?

I work with many engineers and managers at high-tech companies. I regularly see people sitting alone for long hours in their cubicles. They may skip lunch, or else rush to the café, get takeaway food, and return to their drab gray walls to work alone. Of course some work requires concentration, but the lack of connections with others outside their immediate teams may preclude them from those new connections and random collisions that spark innovative ideas.

Thus, a conscious effort to engage new people in different ways can be helpful to your work and career.  Engagement is actually easy if it becomes a priority. Sit in your company café rather than return to your cubicle. Take advantage of the company fitness room. Attend the quarterly team building offsite event. Make it your goal to strike up a conversation with someone in the elevator, or who commutes with you, or whose car is parked next to yours in the lot.

A flowing, energizing 2012

My intention this year is to make put myself in new situations, communicate with new people and unfamiliar environments, and thus be open to the creative, liquid flow of possibilities. It does take effort and energy to attend a lecture, dance, sports event, or neighborhood gathering. I try to keep in mind that the others are also hesitant, unsure what to talk about, and convinced everyone else is already connected. Instead I am going to focus on the potential payback: greater insights and a richness of experiences that will prime my brain to link it all in some amazing way to spark a new idea.

I wish you an innovative year.

Jolinda

jolinda@jolindaosborne.com

The Art of Fielding Questions

Some weeks back I discussed how you can up-level your presentations at work. While careful preparation, organization and practice are critical to presenting well, I find that employees I coach often dread the Q&A session following the presentation. They fear looking stupid or else stumbling over their words when responding to questions or interruptions to their well-prepared and timed presentation.  

You want questions

Really, you do. That’s the way to be sure you’ve gotten your message across and achieved your purpose. If you avoid answering questions, you miss the chance to understand your listeners’ objections. You won’t be able to figure out what you can do or say to convince them of your point of view. You’ll be frustrated when you don’t get what you want (resources, the okay for your recommendation, etc.), and you’ll lose an opportunity to show your expertise, confidence, and authority.  

Set ground rules*

Conferences normally set aside a Q&A time after each presentation, but audiences in typical business meetings/presentations play by their own rules. You may start your presentation by asking people to hold their questions until you’ve finished, but colleagues and especially senior level managers will jump in with questions or comments whenever they want.  You may say that you will address their concerns in the next slide or in a few minutes. Or, you may need to move around in your presentation to satisfy a senior manager. (Know your presentation organization so well that you can do so without stumbling around in the material.) However, if people keep interrupting to ask for clarity or data, consider that you should have better organized your presentation to put that priority information up front. Thus, it’s critical to practice your presentation with colleagues in advance of “game day.”*

Tips for responding to questions and interruptions

You should anticipate 90% of the questions that will be asked. After all, you are the expert, and you’ve rehearsed your presentation with your manager or other colleagues. Thus, you should have worked out answers to those obvious questions. Practice aloud your answers so you hear yourself speaking, instead of just running words through your head and then struggling for vocabulary under the stress of an actual presentation.  I’m amazed at how often presenters seem stunned by questions, when in truth they should have known exactly what the audience would ask.   

Fielding questions on the fly*

Of course, that one question you didn’t expect or can’t answer will arise. Here are some tips for handling the unforeseen.

·        Clarify with the questioner the specific nature of the question, so that you don’t begin speaking to a different point, only to waste time and look stupid when the questioner says, “That’s not what I asked.”  

·        Acknowledge (if true) that the question is important, interesting, insightful, critical, or even one you’ve asked yourself. Your honest statement is a compliment to the questioner, and it gives your brain a few seconds to organize a response.  

·        Make eye contact with the questioner, or, if on a teleconference call, repeat the name of the questioner. That connection helps you focus on the underlying nature of the question, and the intent of the questioner.

·        Be truthful. Never pretend to know what you don’t. Someone will know you are faking. You might need to state that you can’t answer the question. Do so calmly, and add that you will get back to the person with an answer. 

·        You might turn to a colleague and ask for help answering the question. It’s okay to call on others’ expertise, but you don’t want to lose control of the meeting. Thank your colleague and resume your presentation. 

·        If the interruption is not a question but rather a long statement, you might need to interrupt and ask the person what it is he/she wants to know. Don’t allow your presentation to turn into a platform for others to take over.  You’re at bat.*

·        * Note: In this blog I’ve included several idioms from the world of baseball. Please see my book, Touch All the Bases: The Culture and Idioms of America's Pastime - Baseball, to learn over 170 baseball idioms and expressions used daily in business.

Happy holidays,

Jolinda

jolinda@jolindaosborne.com

All Voice Begins with Vibration

I started blogging a few months ago by sharing communication tips and strategies gleaned from workshops and classes I’ve taught over the years. I’m shifting the focus of my blog to discoveries I’m making about the interface of communication and culture.

My Singing Bowl
A few weeks ago I purchased a beautiful gold-colored bowl, 12 inches in diameter, forged of seven metals, and made by artisans in a small village in the Himalayas.  Such bowls are called singing bowls, or sometimes Tibetan bells, because of the amazing sounds they produce when struck.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hncJzoAiAw 

My bowl has helped me “tune in” to the essence of sound – a vibration set in motion by a “mover,” and “received” by the “antenna” of our ears and entire body.  Whether I strike my bowl with a wooden implement or roll the striker around the bowl’s circumference, the complexity of sound is beautiful and mesmerizing.  

All voice begins with vibration

Anthropologists and linguists have debated for centuries the interrelationship between the speech patterns developed by cultures, and the natural sounds they heard in their environments and eventually imitated with their voices and musical instruments. What, for example, led the peoples of Tibet and Himalayan India to forge metals from their mountainous homes into bowls that could produce such a range of captivating sound? And how did the bowls themselves alter the pitch, intensity, and range of the speech of those very people who created them?

Physicists explain that the human voice begins as vibratory energy produced by the complex forces of our body’s organs on molecules of air. Such vibrations become spoken voices because of factors unique to each body, as well as to learned factors of pitch, breathing, resonance, articulation, etc. Cultures impose their own “likes” upon speech, so that a particular pitch, cadence, and intonation become favored. Musical instruments and objects come to complement that range of voices dominant in a particular culture.

Each voice is unique

When I coach people on how to speak clearly or present more effectively in meetings, I am aware of some of the cultural or geographical influences that forge familiar patterns of speech (i.e. accent). I also am interested in discovering how a person’s voice projects his or her personality. Each voice contains within those molecules of vibrating air the potential to express itself in an individual way. When we speak of a person having “a voice,” we mean more than simply vibration and accent; we hear the person’s essence in the timbre and intensity of the words conveyed in speech.   

The goal of coaching or training, therefore, is not try to change that vibrating, molecular-level essence of the person’s unique voice. Rather, it is to help the person fully utilize the instruments of sound available in his/her body to form words, express thoughts, and evoke responses that we then call communication.

I give thanks for my bowl

Today, Thanksgiving Day, I will “play” my beautiful bowl, an instrument uniquely different from all the other bowls in the little shop where I bought it. I give thanks for its harmonics originally forged and valued by the cultures of the Himalayas. I give thanks for the lessons it’s teaching me about the human voice. 

Note: A helpful book for those interested in singing bowls is Singing Bowl Handbook: Singing Bowls - Tingshaws - Bell - Dorje

Best,

Jolinda

jolinda@jolindaosborne.com

Bears and Bulls

The stock market’s gyrations these last months have led to speculation about whether the market will rally and become a “bullish” market, or else retreat into a “bearish” market.  I got thinking about how American culture, any culture, uses animal metaphors.   Such metaphoric communication is called zoomorphism, the tendency to describe human activities and behaviors in terms of the behavior of animals. When animals are paired and then contrasted in descriptions, we gain insights into what is being described metaphorically.

Bears and bulls

Bears hibernate in the cold months of the year; i.e., they retreat into caves and lairs to sleep. And while a mama bear with her cub can charge a summer hiker who stumbles across one in the mountains, a bear usually runs away when disturbed. 

Bulls, as we know from viewing a rodeo or a bullfight, seem wired to attack.  A “bully” at school is a stronger child who makes fun of or physically attacks weaker children. None of us likes a bully. However, anyone with money invested in the stock market hopes for prices to charge ahead. To that end, Merrill Lynch uses a bull for its logo, and visitors to the Shanghai stock will see five golden bulls at the entrance.

Hawks and Doves

Hawks are predator birds, skilled hunters with keen eyesight. One often sees a hawk perched on a fence post or tree limb, ready to swoop down on an unsuspecting prey. Used metaphorically, hawks are those individuals who advocate an aggressive foreign policy based on strong military power, and who see war as a logical response.

Doves, on the other hand, value peace and try to resolve international conflicts without the threat of force. A dove is a bird with a heavy body, small head, short legs, and long pointed wings.  A dove has a soft “cooing” sound. Some birds in the dove family, like pigeons, are kept as pets. Doves appear in art as peaceful birds in idyllic scenes.

The Tortoise and the Hare

Aesop, an ancient Greek write (620-564 BCE) is said to have written many fables, stories with a moral teaching to them. Many of his stories use animals that speak and have human characteristics.  One of his most famous stories is that of The Tortoise and the Hare.

The story concerns a hare (a rabbit) who challenges a slow-moving tortoise to a race. The hare soon leaves the tortoise behind and, confident of winning, decides to take a nap midway through the course. When he awakes, however, he finds that the tortoise, crawling slowly but steadily, has arrived before him and won the race. Today people might describe a person (or themselves) as a tortoise, a seemingly mild criticism but with a subtle message of a persistent person who wins out in the end.  

Cat and Mouse

“Cat and mouse” is an old English idiom that means an action involving constant pursuit, near captures, and repeated escapes. Sometimes the idiom “cat and mouse game” implies that the contest is never-ending, as in a battle. If you’ve ever observed a cat chase a mouse, you’ll know that often the cat can’t quite capture the mouse, who is weaker but smart. Sometimes a cat appears to "play" with the mouse by releasing it after capture, only to pounce on it later.

In all of the examples above, commonly recognized animal characteristics are used to describe human behavior. At times English language application of zoomorphism is confusing. A person can be described as a “lazy dog.” However he or she can also “work like a dog,” meaning to work hard.  Some animals have such a variety of observed behaviors that their metaphorical usage in English is mixed, and therefore confusing for people of other cultures.

Many of you reading this blog are from non-English cultures.  What are some of the animals that have appeared in idiomatic phrases and descriptions in your language? 

I welcome comments, or questions about other zoomorphic pairs used in English communication. 

Best,

Jolinda Osborne

jolinda@jolindaosborne.com