How to express yourself more clearly in foreign languages?

Why should I express myself more clearly? For many of us, this is not a self-evident question. In some cultures, the listener bears all the responsibility for understanding a message correctly. If someone does not understand you correctly, you feel entitled to blame him. “This goes to show that you were not listening attentively!” “You should have known what I wanted to say, because you should know me well by now”. For some people, the problem seems never to be that they themselves communicate in an ineffective manner. 

Sometimes, it gives the speaker more power, especially if he is a teacher or an intellectual. “If you do not understand me, it means, that you have not reached my intellectual level to understand such things.”

Among the broader population, there seems to be a reverence for complicated texts. People are impressed by convoluted texts and by the use of intimidating words.

There are, however, many reasons to strive for more clarity!

-        It helps to sell products or ideas. Remember: Confused customers do not buy.

-      It is a sign of respect and empathy for the other person. We actually should adapt our ways of saying something to each individual person we meet.

-        It helps us become a more disciplined and better thinker.

-        Clarity in our speech is caused by clarity in our thoughts, and clarity in our thoughts has many other beneficial side effects for our personal and professional life.

How can you express yourself more clearly?

-        Speak in shorter sentences. Record yourself and actually count the number of words per sentence.

-        Avoid jargon and use only words you are confident the other may understand.

-        Try to paraphrase, that is, to express the same content in many different ways.

-        Ask friends and colleagues to rate those alternatives. What version is more understandable, and why?

-        Find good role models (writers, and radio/TV personalities).


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Overcome fear and inhibitions in international business communication. It does not matter whether you are shy, an introvert or a perfectionist, or whether you have a strong accent. You can communicate effective and reach your professional, after starting to make small adjustments.

Gerhard Ohrband is a psychologist, book author and language teacher from Hamburg/Germany. Starting as a shy student, he currently speaks over 21 languages and assists business executives and companies in developing better international communication skills.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerhardohrband/




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