Everyone speaks English these days, right? You can just turn up to that meeting and carry on as normal because everyone in the room has great English? No need to worry?
If you think that, you are doomed. Native speakers of English speak a version of English that can be hard for non-native speakers to understand. They may be totally fluent but understanding your English may be a real challenge. Here are 5 things native speakers of English need to avoid when working internationally.
- Idiomatic language. I remember sitting in a meeting when the British chair explained to the assembled team (comprising 5 different nationalities) that they were playing a very sticky wicket at the moment. I think he took the blank expressions to mean that everyone understood the seriousness of the situation. Sporting metaphors are the biggest culprits here. Cut them out. If you find yourself saying one, follow it with the same point made in more straight forward language.
- Phrasal verbs. This is counter-intuitive. Most people recognise that they should speak more simply when dealing with people in their second language but phrasal verbs give the impression of simplicity but actually are very complex. For example, if you say we are going to "put back the meeting" this is much harder to understand than "postpone the meeting". Don't "do away with" phrasal verbs, "abolish" them.
- Indirect language. British English uses a lot of these expressions that if you take them literally have a completely different meaning. For example, "not very happy" doesn't mean "quite happy" but "unhappy". Say exactly what you mean. Don't hint. Similarly American English uses a lot of euphemistic language to be more polite. As a rule, more polite is often harder to understand.
- Stock phrases that don't mean what they seem to mean. Like indirect language, these are phrases that are a code that a native speaker will understand. My favourite example of this is "With all due respect," which is said just before you are rude about someone's idea. These phrases confuse non-native speakers. Cut them.
- Complex sentences. The longer the sentence, the harder it is to understand. Also the longer you speak the easier it is for your audience to get lost. Keep your sentences short and to the point. And don't talk too long.
As a native speaker you need to simplify your English without falling into the trap of speaking like Tarzan. By adjusting your language as above you can still communicate complex ideas without obscuring them with local idiom.
Your small improvement for today is record yourself at a meeting and listen back to identify what you do which makes your English harder to understand.