Corporate CPR Episode 59: How Communication Biases are Impacting Your Organization

On today's show, we discuss how communication biases are impacting your organization and the most effective intervention you can take.

Heather Hansen helps top global professionals show up, speak up, and inspire action in a changing world. She is on a mission to empower global voices to contribute to conversations that matter – in business, politics, and life. Only through conscious, confident, and connected communication can we achieve our collective potential and peacefully solve the world’s greatest challenges.

Heather is a leader in the field of global English communication where she is known for being an outspoken advocate for global voices. She fights against micro inequities related to language and accent in international teams, and helps companies build communication cultures where every voice is heard. She is called upon by some of the world’s largest companies to unmute leaders and teams so they can be more innovative, inclusive and efficient while adapting to modern challenges.

Key Takeaways:

• Linguistic bias refers to our own common bias to listen to and respect people that sound and communicate in a way that sounds like ourselves.
• National culture generalizations can be tricky because areas of each nation can have different dialects and behaviors.
• The key is to find a balance between conscious, confident, and connected communication.
• Warning sign of a toxic environment - "That's just not how we do it here." Leadership should be open to new ideas or change. Leaders set the pace. If they make it clear that new ideas and innovations are welcome, employees will be more likely to share and engage.
• Biases are often related to experiences that we have had with people in the past with certain accents. 
• Hiring decisions and promotion decisions can be affected by accent bias. Studies have shown that even a simple statement at the top of the interview question handout will remind people to be aware of it and avoid it.
• Some of our bias is hardwired from birth as a safety precaution, allowing us to recognize the sound of our family and those that are safe. One study found that the only intervention that really makes a difference is raising awareness that accent bias exists so that we can act appropriately in the workplace.
• Avoiding bias can take some effort. We can change our perspective by making it a game or challenge to recognize language patterns to increase understanding.

Top 3 Takeaways:

• For those of us who are confident in our communication, we want to remember to turn down our voices to give space for others and be more inclusive.
• For those of us who are struggling, we want to remember to turn up that voice and become part of the conversation.
• For leaders, it's your job to make sure everyone is being heard and feels valued.

Connect with Heather Hansen:

Website: https://heatherhansen.com/ https://globalspeechacademy.com/

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansenheather/