Employee training programs are a priority for most human resource departments with sales training, product training and negotiation skills workshops topping the charts. But do language and communication training feature in your organization’s calendar?
Corporations are waking up to the reality that it may no longer be adequate to simply train pockets of the company. Every level of the organization, across functions needs to be able to communicate well.
In cosmopolitan multilingual countries like Singapore where you have a diverse workforce with different cultural contexts, it is important to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Some factors you will need to keep in mind:
- Demographic makeup of your workforce. Do you have a multinational team? Have communication skills trainings been conducted to ensure ‘one voice’ for the business?
- Geographies your business serves. Has language training been conducted? While your French partners or clients may communicate in English would they be more forthcoming in their native tongue?
- Cultural sensitivity. Language skills training doesn’t just teach your employees how to speak.
- Communicating in English can be different from Mandarin or Japanese, due to cultural nuances that can only be learned through training.
- Time and location. If your workforce is distributed across geographies, you may need language training programs that can be delivered online.
- Tracking effectiveness. Pick programs that test participants, so you can gauge the impact of the program by reviewing scores.
With the right training programs, you should see a marked improvement in the effectiveness of employees across the board and long-term impact on the performance of your business.