FAKULTI PENDIDIKAN DAN BAHASA

OUMH2203
ENGLISH FOR WORKPLACE

NAMA

: NORINI BINTI MAHMUD

NOMBOR MATRIK

: 640930125308001

NO KAD PENGENALAN

: 640930-12-5308

EMEL

: norinimahmud@oum.edu.my

PUSAT PEMBELAJARAN

: OUM CAWANGAN TAWAU

JANUARI 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS
NO

CONTENTS

PAGE

1.0

INTRODUCTION

2.0

CONTENT

2.1

PRESENT SITUATION

2.2

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD COMMUNICATION

IN WORKPLACE
2.3

2.4

THE CAUSES

2.3.1

Fear of Mistake

2.3.2

Shyness

2.3.3

Anxiety

THE SOLUTION

2.4.1

Join Online Forums That Use English

2.4.2

Read Texts Out Loud

2.4.3

Make Friends with English Speaking Expats

2.4.4

Trust your Teacher

3.0

CONCLUSION

4.0

REFERENCES

1.0

INTRODUCTION

Effective communication in English is one of the most sought after skills in an employee at
all work places. Interpersonal communication at workplaces includes public and small group
communication through which we can communicate our needs and requirements in different
situations.
It does not matter if you are laborer, salesperson, manager or something else. If you are a
sales person, then most probably you will have to speak to customers efficiently or if you are
a manager, you are expected to communicate in English in the most effective way. Besides
speaking English properly among various business levels in an organization, one also needs
self promotion. You can face enough difficulty in networking if you cannot communicate in
English proficiently.
If you communicate well in English, your peers at work will be happy to converse with you
about work related matters and other things. There are around 1 billion learners of the English
language. This figure of people trying to learn English proves the growing need to
comprehend and communicate in English. English has become the global language for
communicating in all streams such as politics, finance, education, entertainment culture and
international relations in almost every country of the world.
Proficient English speaking skills can give you liberating confidence and the ability to
express yourself in English at work. It gives added benefits and more opportunities to expand
your career prospects. A study indicates a solid growth in the number of companies
throughout the world that require employees with excellent English speaking skills.
According to the GlobalEnvision, English is widely recognized as the official language in
more than 70 countries and also taught at educational institutes at all levels. If you know
English really well, you can always expect to climb the ladder of success at your workplace
because you have the potential to deal with clients and communicate effectively with
coworkers which ensures smooth tasking.
According to other research, 80% of the Internet web content is published in the English and
within this figure, a major portion of web content is published by businesses. So it is very
important to know English to understand business information, terminologies and data over
the Internet and communicate it further with your coworkers.

Communication is very necessary to acquire knowledge, circulate information and persuade

people to what you think. It helps in developing goodwill and sustaining harmonious
relationships with others at work. Real communication is when we listen to what we hear
with understanding. It should be the same process with listeners when you speak in English at
your workplace.
In this assignment, the highlight will be the issues with communication in English in the
workplace especially when it comes to business-related matters which will be discussed
thoroughly. In this matter, there are some people whose able to write well in English but not
in communicating. There are some possible causes to this situation such as lack of
confidence, lack of practice and lack of knowledge.
2.0

CONTENT

2.1

PRESENT SITUATION

Working professionals today are being expected to excel in spoken and written English.
When dealing with clients and top management as well as preparing business documents,
English is the official language of business. Being equipped with the right amount of
knowledge and skills when it comes to English communication helps in shaping and
enhancing ones career here and abroad.
However, not all employees can speak well in English. Even though their writing skills are
excellent. It doesnt guarantee that they can speak fluently in English. In todays rapidly
changing business climate, good communication is important for everyone, from top level
executives to client facing employees. Organisations that fail to convey clear strategies and
do not engage employees in shared goals, are likely to lose to companies with more effective
communication practices. Some of the effects of poor communication are:
Increased employee turnover
People voluntarily leaving is a significant cost to any employer. Employee replacement costs
can be as high as three times the persons annual salary. A Watson Wyatt study found that
companies that communicate most effectively are at least 50 percent more likely to report
turnover levels below the industry average compared with only 33 percent for the least
effective communicators. This can have a substantial impact on the bottom line.

Increased absenteeism
Inadequate, inefficient and insensitive communication severely impacts employee motivation.
This in turn drives the employees decision to come to work each day. Poor communication is
also associated with rising stress levels in workplaces leading to absenteeism.
Poor customer service
Poor communication with employees leads to unsatisfactory communications with customers.
Employees who lack guidance from management and are locked out of genuine dialogue
about their job, struggle to know how to satisfy customers and lose the commitment to do so.
As a result the bottom line could be affected.
Greater incidence of injuries
Occupational health and safety accidents and stress related illnesses cost organisations and
taxpayers billions of dollars each year. Inadequate communication is a major factor in many
of these incidents
2.2

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD COMMUNICATION IN WORKPLACE

Workplace communication improves worker productivity.

Research has shown that effective lateral and work group communication leads to an
improvement in overall company performance. It has also been discovered that employees
who were graded as highest in production had received the most effective communication
from their superiors. For example, Gertrude works in engineering, and her prototypes of toys
receive accolades. She is an effective communicator about her designs and how they will be
played with in real life by kids. In addition, she receives specific guidance from her superiors,
allowing her to create designs quickly and efficiently.
Workplace communication can increase employee job satisfaction.
Employees feel empowered if they are able to have upward communication. This type of
communication is when information flows upward in an organization and usually consists of
feedback. If bosses or managers are able to listen to employees and respond, this leads to an
increase in employee job satisfaction.

In addition, employees are also happy if there is intense downward communication, which is
information flowing down from superiors or managers to direct reports. Gertrude recently
sent an email to her boss recommending that her department upgrade its design software. Her
upward communication feedback was not just acknowledged but also acted upon, resulting in
a very happy design team.
Workplace communication can also have a positive effect on absenteeism and turnover
rates.
Communication flow is very important to workers. Employees have to feel secure that they
are receiving truthful and updated information from superiors. They also want to have the
ability to share ideas, thoughts and concerns within the company. Studies have shown that
even after a layoff, companies that have excellent communication are able to retain the
surviving employees.
2.3

THE CAUSES

There are several causes to this problem, such as lack of confidence, lack of practice and lack
of knowledge.
2.3.1

Fear of Mistake

As argued by many theorists, fear of mistake becomes one of the main factors of people
reluctance to speak in English in the workplace (Tsui in Nunan, 1999; Yi Htwe, 2007; Robby,
2010). With respect to the fear of making mistake issue, Aftat, (2008) adds that this fear is
linked to the issue of correction and negative evaluation. In addition, this is also much
influenced by the people fear of being laughed at by others or being criticized by the
employers. As a result, employees commonly stop participating in the speaking activity
(Hieu, 2011). Therefore, it is important for someone to convince them that making mistakes
is not a wrong or bad thing because students can learn from their mistakes.
The primary reason of fear of mistake is that people are afraid of looking foolish in front of
other people and they are concerned about how other will see them (Kurtus, 2001). In
addition, Hieu (2011) and Zang (2006) cited in He and Chen (2010) explain that employees
feel afraid of the idea of making mistakes as they are worried that their friends will laugh at
them and receive negative evaluations from their peers if they make mistake in speaking
English. Employees fear of making mistakes in speaking English has been a common issue
6

especially in an EFL context like in Malaysia. As argued by Middleton (2009), most EFL
employees are afraid to try and to speak in a foreign language they learn. In this context, as
he adds, emloyees do not want to look foolish in front of the class. In some other cases, they
also worry about how they will sound, and are scared of sounding silly and so on
2.3.2

Shyness

Shyness is an emotional thing that many people suffer from at some time when they are
required to speak in English class. This indicates that shyness could be a source of problem in
employees learning activities in the classroom especially in front of supplier, customer, or
employers. Therefore, paying attention on this aspect is also quite important in order to help
the employees do their best in their speaking performance in the classroom (Gebhard, 2000).
In line with this, Baldwin (2011) further explains that speaking in front of people is one of the
more common phobias that students encounter and feeling of shyness makes their mind go
blank or that they will forget what to say. This theory is also supported by the result of this
research in which most employees fail to perform the speaking performance when in
presentation. As they say, their inability to show their ability in speaking is also influenced
much by their feeling of shyness. In other words, it can be said that shyness plays an
important role in speaking performance done by the employees.
2.3.3

Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of tension, apprehension and nervousness associated with the situation of
learning a foreign language (Horwitz et all cited in Nascente, 2001). Further Nascente writes
that, among other affective variables, anxiety stands out as one of the main blocking factors
for effective language learning. In other words, anxiety influences students in learning
language. Therefore, paying attention to this factor of learning should also be taken into
consideration. The fact that anxiety plays an important role in students learning is also shared
by other researchers like Horwitz (1991) as cited in Sylvia and Tiono (2004). He believes that
anxiety about speaking a certain language can affect students performance. It can influence
the quality of oral language production and make individuals appear less fluent than they
really are. This explanation suggests that teachers should make an attempt to create a learning
atmosphere which gives students more comfortable situations in their learning activity.
Thus, this problem continuously even the students entered working period. They unable to
speak English fluently especially in front of other people.
7

2.4

THE SOLUTION

2.4.1

Join Online Forums That Use English

Joining an online forum means you can interact with native English speakers. It also gives
you a chance to practice your English outside the classroom without leaving the comfort of
your own home.
Some tips:

If you are nervous about people finding out, make an anonymous profile.

Find forums that have topics you are interested in. If you are unsure, think of your
hobbies and interests: perhaps photography, traveling, TV shows, movies, or cooking?
The more you are interested in something, the more likely you will be motivated to
participate in the forums.

Start off by reading on-going discussions. After 2 or 3 weeks try to answer some
questions that other people post and contribute to the discussions. You can even post
your own questions in the forums and respond to answers you get.

2.4.2

Read Texts Out Loud

Reading fluency is simply the ability to read a book or text clearly. You correct your
pronunciation mistakes until you make no errors. The more you practice fluency, the more
confidence you will have because it gives you a safe environment to practise in, increase your
reading speed, and to process words faster. If you are nervous about speaking in front of
others, start reading aloud by yourself at home. As you feel more confident, ask a teacher or a
native English speaker to give you feedback on more advanced vocabulary.
2.4.3

Make Friends with English Speaking Expats

The more you practice, the more you will gain confidence in your English speaking abilities.
An excellent way to practice English (and enjoy it!) is to make friends with people who only
speak English. You are then forced to speak with them in English, instead of relying on your
native language. Friends are not there to judge you and your English skills. All they want is to
meet new people in the local area.
2.4.4

Trust Your Teacher

8

If you are following a course, remember that your teacher is there to create a safe
environment for you to learn from your mistakes. Making mistakes is very important because
you can see which areas you need to work on. The key is to try not to make the same mistake
twice. No one is there to make fun of you. You can be certain that your teacher is working
hard to ensure that you reach your full potential. Your teacher is also there to celebrate your
accomplishments. They want to encourage you to continue practicing, and will tell you what
you are doing right. If you want to feel more comfortable in class, try to get to know your
teacher better. It is ok to ask personal questions such as their hobbies or why they decided to
become a teacher. If you share information about yourself you will feel more comfortable
sharing your frustrations about learning English.
3.0

CONCLUSION

Workplace communication is very important to companies because it allows companies to be

productive and operate effectively. Employees can experience an increase in morale,
productivity

and

commitment

if

they

are

able

to communicate up

and

down

the communication chain in an organization.

Effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills are valuable in the workplace. Some
companies spend a lot of money to train their employees on how to effectively communicate.
Good communication skills go beyond conversations, but employees must know how to
communicate well in written reports and emails. Understanding the benefits of effective
communication helps companies place a focus on developing a workforce that is able to
communicate within the firm and with customers, vendors and international business
partners.
There are several reasons why employees unable to speak fluently in English which are fear
of mistake, shyness and anxiety. These reason are the huge obstacle for the employees to
practice conversation in English with other people. Thus, these problems should be dismiss in
order for the employees can speak in English with confidence. Several solution proposed
which are join the online forum, read the text out loud, make friends with English speaking
expats and lastly trusting the teachers. With that, the problems with speaking English skills
will be solved.
(2632 words)
4.0

REFERENCES
9

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