ENGStrategic work sessions - Auditing your international communication
During a strategic work session, we will assess your company's or department's current situation regarding the use of foreign languages. More specifically, we will look into
Current and projected market demands
- What language skills do your employees currently need?
- What is the critical/required threshold level?
- How is the feedback of your customers and clients? What are current complaints?
- Can you name concrete opportunities you missed due to insufficient language skills?
- Do you systematically solicit, document, analyze and follow up on language-related feedback?
- Are you expected to work soon in new markets that would require the acquisition of a new language?
- Even if it is not an explicit requirement (because you are using English as an international language), would your relations with customers and partners improve, if some key employees knew the former's native language?
Organizational set-up
- Does your company offer systematic language instruction?
- What is the job-related outcome of language instruction?
- How does your company culture and processes support foreign language improvement (e.g., through mentors, peer instruction, systematic role playing, competitions, formal or informal forums or clubs)?
- How is the use of foreign language and intercultural communication part of your quality management system?
- How does your company incentivize language improvement?
- How would you estimate the monetary value of lost opportunities due to insufficient language skills?
- What is the financial risk if employees undermine customer or partner relations due to faulty communication (both foreign language skills leading to serious misunderstandings and intercultural insensitivity)?
- How would your bottom-line increase, if your key employees improved their international communication skills?
In one or more strategic work sessions, we will audit the above areas. During discussions and in the audit report, you will obtain practical insights and strategies.