Whatever your industry or profession, advancing your career up the corporate ladder is challenging.
For those business professionals for whom English is not their first language, there may be an additional challenge – communicating in written and oral English. It is expected that, at an executive level, you are able to speak with the fluency and the nuances expected of a native English speaker. This is a tall order, and entirely possible, if you want it.
As you move up the corporate ladder, expectations around your oral and written communication skills change and shift. In many cases, the expectation is that you can communicate in English fluently and spontaneously, without any difficulty making yourself understood. This is especially true when your career path includes managing people, clients, or large projects. You will need to take additional care and attention when refining your English fluency, as you rise up the corporate ladder.
No matter your industry, strong written and oral English skills are invaluable skills you need to hone as you advance in your career.
Reviewing Important Documents
Business executives in an organization are responsible for overseeing large teams, projects, and most importantly - critical documents. As a senior executive, a primary function of your role will be to review plans, contracts, partnership agreements, budgets, and other important documents. Being able to quickly understand and retain this information is critical. If you are struggling with written communication or comprehension, this gap in your English skills can be a huge risk to not only your career, but to your organization as well.
Communicating With Company Stakeholders
As part of your senior role in a company or organization, you will most likely encounter a variety of different stakeholders. These stakeholders will be more senior and varied than stakeholders with whom you would have engaged, in previous levels in your career. Your role may have you speaking regularly with CEOs, government officials, or other experts in the field. Building and fostering these relationships is key to furthering your career.
Improving your English skills when presenting and speaking with these stakeholders will help to strengthen your working relationships. It will also help to resolve issues and challenges quickly. In this article from Forbes, author Dr. Pragya Agarwal discusses some of the ways having a strong accent can impact your career growth and promotional opportunities. While having an accent is not something you can simply unlearn, taking proactive steps to ensure you are well-understood when speaking, is something you can control.
A C-Suite Role Requires Excellent Communication Skills
As a senior leader in an organization or company, your communication skills will be on display for all employees, clients, and stakeholders. Executives in the C-Suite are responsible for several projects, employees, and shifting priorities. Because of this extra responsibility in your role, your comfort with the English language will be critical when making thoughtful decisions. Your productivity will be impacted if you are struggling to read and draft written communications, or if you are finding it difficult to be understood during meetings.
Opportunities
As a non-native English speaker in a leadership role in an English organization, you may be a role model for other employees from different countries or nationalities. In this LinkedIn article, author David Kertzner explores the strength and the importance of diverse language and cultural identities, within the workplace. Remember, while you may experience some challenges, you may also find opportunities to leverage your unique language and cultural experience, to your advantage.
Working With a Business English Language Coach
Throughout your career, working with an English language coach that specializes in business communication skills for executives will have innumerable benefits. As part of your professional development and career growth plan, a language coach will help to refine your oral and written English to better represent you, in the workplace. I work with my clients to ensure my language coaching is well suited to their industry needs and is conducive to their professional goals and aspirations.
Schedule a 30 Minute Complimentary Meeting to meet Sandra via phone or video. Find out if you both are a good fit to work together. Come to the call with your questions and what business communications challenges you’d like to get help with.