With hybrid working and cross-functional teamwork becoming the norm, gaps in language skills are more exposed than ever. And in today’s fast-paced, challenging business environment, rapidly closing these skills gaps is essential.
But doesn’t it take a long time to develop language skills?
It doesn’t have to. Explore strategies and practical techniques you can use to rapidly develop your teams' language skills and support talent mobility, global working and market expansion in your organisation.
Reading time: 6 minutes
‘The great enemy of communication, we find, is the illusion of it’.
When American sociologist, organisational analyst and journalist William H. Whyte wrote this in 1950, he reflected on the complexity of society, the diversity among people, and the resulting challenges for understanding and communication.
Fast forward 25 years, and that complexity has only increased.
Globalisation. Cross-functional teamwork. Rapid technological advancements. Our workplaces of today would have been unrecognisable 25 years ago.
With greater diversity, remote work, and increased collaboration becoming the norm, gaps in communication are more exposed than ever. And strong language skills are essential to communicate effectively in multi-cultural, multi-lingual situations where clarity and understanding are crucial.
In today’s fast-paced, challenging business environment, where rapid market expansion, supply chain diversification, and talent mobility are standard, rapidly closing these skills gaps is essential.
But doesn’t it take a long time to develop language skills?
According to Cambridge research, adult learners typically need 180-260 hours to progress from intermediate (B1) to upper-intermediate (B2) level on the CEFR scale.
No one felt this pressure more than Aliyah, the L&D team lead at DigiSpan, a technology solutions company in the Middle East. As DigiSpan expanded its customer base into the US and Canada, Aliyah faced a daunting task: she had just three months to elevate the sales team's English proficiency to ensure effective communication with their new clients. And they had to continue their regular role responsibilities at the same time.
Curious how Aliyah tackled this challenge?
Read on to discover the strategies and techniques she used and learn how you too can rapidly develop your teams' language skills.
Strategy #1: Hyper personalise learning
If you’ve done a Training Needs Analysis, you’ll already know when and where people use different languages, what their proficiency levels are and which skills they need to work on.
How do you use this knowledge? The answer is hyper personalise learning.
- Focus on targeted skills: Streamline learning by concentrating solely on the specific skills and competencies your team needs. For Aliyah’s sales team, this involved developing language to network with clients, understand their needs and make recommendations, influence and negotiate. This kept the learning efficient and practical.
- Make learning relevant: Aliyah incorporated real case studies, sales simulations and challenging sales conversations into the training. Think about the situations your teams find themselves in and build your content around these.
- Leverage technology: Implement adaptive learning paths that dynamically adjust content and pacing based on each learner's performance and preferences.
Strategy #2: Use nano learning
In today’s fast-paced world, even microlearning might not be short enough. With our attention spans shrinking (down to just 47 seconds on screens), nano-learning becomes a powerful tool.
- Focus on one concept: Each nano learning session should be less than two minutes long and focus on a single idea or concept. For instance, DigiSpan’s sales team learned how to politely decline common client requests.
- Make It visually engaging: Use infographics, charts, animations and videos for engaging learning experiences. Aliyah sourced two-minute training videos, quizzes and case studies to keep her teams engaged. The platform also served up slices of learning at spaced intervals for easy digestion.
- Keep the momentum: Provide nano feedback, assessments and certifications to keep learners engaged and motivated. This approach keeps the learning dynamic and interactive.
Strategy #3: Integrate learning in the flow of work
Have you ever considered how learning while working can boost progress and keep productivity high? This approach can transform how your teams develop language skills.
- Curate resources: Ensure your teams have all the tools they need at their fingertips. Use your Learning Management System (LMS) to provide online translation tools, templates, sample communications and style guides. Provide clear guidelines for using AI to support communication without it sounding formulaic or unnatural.
- Set up practical projects: Create projects or hackathons where learners can apply their language skills in real situations. Implement policies for using the target language in specific meetings to create immersive learning opportunities.
- Foster a learning community: Establish interest groups where learners can connect, share and support each other. This community approach accelerates learning and makes it more enjoyable.
At DigiSpan, Aliyah created an ‘English only’ forum for the sales team to share video updates and progress which they could like and comment on.
Strategy #4: Integrate continuous assessment and feedback
It’s common to assess learners at the start and end of training.
But did you know continuous assessment and formative feedback can speed up learning?
At DigiSpan, Aliyah incorporated regular self, peer and trainer feedback throughout the training, all based on the core competencies being developed. She implemented mystery shopping and manager feedback for a real-time snapshot of progress. This helped her team adjust training to keep pace with learners and speak individually to the sales managers who were off track.
So, what can you do for your team?
- Regularly check learners' progress with quick 'micro' assessments. Clearly communicate progress and be specific about actions they can take for continued improvement.
- Evaluate practical language use through on-the-job assessments and focus more on situations and scenarios where learners are struggling.
- Be positive and encouraging, recognising progress. This can keep learners engaged and motivated as well as focused.
DigiSpan did it, and so can you. In today’s increasingly globalised world, rapid language upskilling is essential for staying competitive. Keep these tips in your toolkit to elevate your team's language skills and stay ahead in the global market.
British Council has 90 years’ experience of partnering with organisations and individuals in over 200 countries to upskill their workforce for success. Our four-step process supports you to implement initiatives that make a difference, whatever the career path your employees choose.
Download our Corporate English Solutions brochure or book a free consultation to learn more.