Business at Work, Company Communication Patterns Through Linguistic Lens

In the next few years, communication techniques will become increasingly sophisticated in the world of business. There is not the slightest doubt that adaption to the worldwide phenomenon of globalization, or the rapid pace of free market and trade will have to come naturally to leaders and managers, both in the present and future, on condition that they have the ability to remain sensitive and responsive to different ways of thinking and acting in interpersonal communication.

From a broader perspective, a highly competitive business environment requires highly skilled business people (negotiators, sellers, investors), able and willing to stay attuned to the values and behaviours of their customers, suppliers or business partners.

While stressing the importance of a global mindset for a company or corporation to succeed in the domestic and international marketplace, it is essential to acknowledge the necessity of watching our language, by recognizing the different levels of meaning in people's words (either vague or general), and constantly monitoring their reactions for feedback. Although managers may use the same words, phrases, terms (acronyms, company jargon) in communication, there can be significant differences in how these are understood or agreed upon.

In addition, not sharing the same 'frame of reference' can lead to unfiltered feedback in the context of listening likely to block our communications. To quote from Andrews' practical guide to Effective Communication (2015), "It is important that the language used for feedback is acceptable to the person being spoken to and appropriate for the circumstances. Not everyone has the same understanding of language, and certain words that mean one thing to a manager may mean something very different to a person receiving feedback [...] Successful managers avoid language that will cause confusion, and choose words that are universally understood" (Andrews 2015: 59). Just as it  is naive to presume that all people understand the world and respond to the same words in the same way that we do, it is equally misleading to fall into the trap of holding stereotypes and assuming that a group's members share identical characteristics. The same guide remarks that: "Put aside any stereotypical views you may have; treat each person as an individual [...] Even individual mindsets can set up barriers, affecting what we understand and how we react to outside stimuli" (Andrews 2015: 13). Furthermore, it is significant to note that fighting such individual mindsets, i.e. holding stereotypes, can remove language barriers and provide an appropriate framework for constructive business communication.