Monday Motivation

Have you ever met someone that is born in the USA, works very hard and is competent in their work but never learned how to speak proper English? At some point in their education, they missed the grammar lesson on verb tenses or their teacher passed them onto the next level when they needed extra help in this area.

What is even more disheartening is the fact that no one has brought this to their attention or they choose to ignore it. This week we will explore the phrases I hear most often in the workforce that kill the credibility of those that choose to use them.

Great speaking!

Diane

P.S. Drop me an email if you are hearing these phrases or others and what you have done to improve the situation.

P.S.S. Please share your thoughts about this email or send future topic ideas to diane@dianeamundson.com  

I admit that I am not an expert on grammar or the English language. As you know through reading my newsletters, I make plenty of grammatical mistakes in my writing.   However, even a novice like me can recognize when someone is not using proper grammar when they speak. I have had employees over the years that were wonderful, hardworking and thoughtful but the moment they used a verb tense incorrectly, it killed their credibility with me and others.

Let me give you the three phrases I hear the most in the Midwest:

• I seen him do that
• I had went there once before
• I borrowed my book to him

Now, these are not earth-shattering mistakes but they are subtle enough to make most people who speak them appear to be less educated and unprofessional. As a result, they lose credibility with others. There are probably hundreds of additional phrases that kill credibility but I have first-hand experience with these. Because we learn to speak first by listening, many people who make poor grammar decisions when speaking are just repeating the verb usage of their parents and siblings.

So, what can you do if you have someone reporting to you that has poor grammar speaking skills?

• Choose to ignore them as they don't really deal with the customer too often
• Continue to correct them and hope that they self- correct over time
• Identify those phrases most used, show the correct usage and role play with your staff member until they have mastered it  
• Buy them grammar books and ask them to complete the conjugating verb section as homework
• Send them to your local technical school for remedial learning

You may ask yourself if identifying and correcting an employee with this problem is really necessary. I believe it is. Speaking proper English is a skill like any other job skill, and with practice, it can be mastered. Not only is the credibility of the employee at stake but also your department and company's credibility if this person speaks poorly with internal and external customers. While some people may not be bothered by this improper use of verb tense there are customers that will choose to work with more professional vendors.

Question for You:

Do you find yourself being corrected by others when you do not use proper English? Do you have someone that reports to you or works with you that does not use proper grammar?

Action for You:

If you have the problem, swallow your pride and seek help. Ask your co-workers or boss to identify those phrases you use that are not proper English. Write them down; learn the correct usage and practice, practice, practice. Also, consider going back to school if this was an area of your education that you struggled with. If you have someone reporting to you with this problem, don't sweep it under the carpet but rather make it a part of their performance evaluation to correct those phrases that kill their credibility and yours.