By Dania McDermott, Ruby.
At Ruby, we understand the profound impact that effective communication has on organizational success. We wanted to explore how historical power dynamics have shaped our standards of professional communication. By recognizing these biases, we can work towards a more inclusive and equitable workplace.
Improving organizational communication starts by understanding the stigmatization of underrepresented groups and working as a team to improve emotional intelligence, embrace a variety of communication styles and become more intentional in every interaction.
What becomes standard in language is almost always a function of power. We speak English in the United States not because it’s indigenous to the land, but because England conquered colonial America.
As a result, we value and reward certain communication styles over others, not because they’re inherently better, but because they’ve become the standard.
In the world of work, understanding the historical dynamics around language is crucial to navigating the larger cultural context of sounding professional.
When we do it successfully, we reaffirm the power structure. When we don’t, we raise doubts about our ability to function within it.
It’s not fair, but linguistic profiling is real. If your communication choices too often deviate from the dominant or prevailing norm, you’ll appear less competent.
This doesn’t only happen at work — or with English. Many established languages with their own standards also have corresponding sets of stigmatized speech.
In Russia, the pejorative term nekulturny means uncultured but also carries connotations about class and communication ability. Among Spanish speakers, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans are frequently criticized for speaking bad Spanish.
In the United States, you’re at greater risk of sounding unprofessional if:
What can members of these groups — and more importantly, the people positioned to empower them — do about it?
Step 1: Check yourself.
Many workplace communication blunders happen well before we open our mouths.
That’s because even with perfect diction and an enviable vocabulary, low emotional intelligence can quickly steer interactions in an unprofessional direction, even if it’s unintentional.
High emotional intelligence, on the other hand, can help overcome many tricky communication challenges, demonstrating your professionalism more powerfully than words often can.
Whether you’re in one of the at-risk groups or a member of the standard club, examining your least productive beliefs, behaviors and attitudes (about yourself and/or others) is a necessary step in fortifying your professional acumen.
Enhancing emotional intelligence
Remembering the familiarity principle
Also known as the Mere-Exposure Effect, the familiarity principle is a psychological phenomenon that explains our tendency to 1) prefer what we’re familiar with and 2) develop preferences through exposure.
On the positive side, this means maintaining a diverse workforce will increase your exposure (and thus, appreciation) for people and things that were previously unknown.
Unfortunately, it also means that many qualified candidates won’t receive interview calls, promotions, or even the grace afforded to their more familiar peers.
As an extension of building your emotional intelligence, challenge yourself to broaden your ideas about what professionalism looks like.
Step 2: Strive for impeccable, settle for deliberate.
Sounding professional isn’t about using big words, though it often includes industry jargon. It’s also not about speaking in a particular lilt, though your tone of voice definitely matters.
The best public speakers share several characteristics that make their communication effective, but the core reason their words are so powerful is intentionality.
Becoming more professional through deliberate speech
If this sounds like a lot to think about, it is. But as you learn to maneuver through trial and error, you’ll emerge more adaptable, capable and confident — qualities that scream professional (politely, of course).
Original article source: Ruby
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