Introduction We all read reports about women facing challenges progressing in business. There are numerous reasons for this such as childcare, lack of role models or mentors and work-life balance. However, in some cases, our use of language in the workplace could be an issue. The way we speak and interact with colleagues is a key means by which we make a negative or a positive impression in the workplace. This guide takes several real-life scenarios in business meetings and explains how we can use language to create a really positive impact with our colleagues. It is based on research conducted in seven multinational companies in the UK. This chapter offers advice on achieving business goals.
Achieving Business Goals Case Study: Suri Suri is in a business meeting with her peers and they are discussing the possibility of opening a new branch office in a neighbouring town. She and her peers are all middle-ranking managers in a leading building society, and there are slightly more men than women around the table. The purpose of the meeting is to agree whether or not the idea of another branch is sensible during a recession. However, the meeting quickly turns to
the proposed location and then to room layout in the proposed building. Suri feels that the conversation should be asking more strategic questions such as ‘what is the new office for?’ rather than focusing on details, but her colleagues are now locked into a conversation about details of room layout. How can Suri use language effectively to handle this situation?
What not to do: 1. Criticise what they are talking about: E.g. ‘Look you are all wasting time discussing room sizes when we haven’t even decided whether we want to open an office or not!’ If people are deeply involved in an issue they consider interesting or important, they are unlikely to welcome Suri intervening as she could sound rude or condescending, however humorous her tone. 2. Disengage: E.g. Look bored, sigh, fidget and remain silent. if Suri doesn’t join the fray, she could find herself excluded from the team which would make it harder for her to contribute later on. She needs to have a voice in the discussion.
What did Suri Actually Do?: She used four linguistic strategies: 1. Intervening/Tribal Entry: E.g. ‘Hang on guys, aren’t there bigger questions for us all here?’ Suri avoided criticising or judging anyone directly, but instead, used an informal conversational device (‘hang on guys’) to direct attention to her. By using a question rather than a statement, she implied rather than stated her viewpoint. Her question also encouraged her colleagues to question their own line of discussion. Using a phrase like ‘for us all here’ helped to include her again within the team. 2. Positive Politeness: E.g. ‘I liked the point Shaun made earlier about the problems of having an office in Leicester…..’ Suri reconnected to an earlier strand in the conversation about strategy by linking her point to one made by a colleague. Her use of positive
politeness allowed Shaun to feel pleased that his point had been referenced, and helped her to maintain solidarity with her colleagues. 3. Framing her point: E.g. ‘Should we discuss whether a new office is really the right move for us?’ Suri followed up with a second question which was rhetorical (and therefore did not require an answer). The question enabled Suri to reframe the direction of the discussion, which once again appeared less threatening than a stated opinion. A rhetorical question gave her a platform to go on to state her viewpoint. 4. Making a suggestion: E.g. ‘I would suggest that a new office is a bad move because…’ Having prepared the ground for her viewpoint, Suri then made a suggestion followed by her reasons, which invited her colleagues to engage once again on a more strategic level.
Criticise the conversation
Intervene/Use ‘Tribal Entry’
?
Use Positive Politeness
1… 2…
Disengage
Frame Your Point
Make Your Suggestion
Summing up: Suri used a series of linguistic strategies to prepare the ground for changing the direction of the conversation and raising it to a more strategic level. These included using a combination of politeness, inclusion and framing strategies in order to voice her viewpoint. If you found this short introduction the Achieving Business Goals useful you may be interested in the other parts of the Using Language Effectively series: Handling Conflict and Using Authority, available via the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce website: www.BirminghamChamber.com/WiBLanguage
This Using Language Effectively series was created by Professor Judith Baxter, Aston University, in partnership with the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.
About Judith: Judith Baxter is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Head of English Language in the School of Languages and Social Sciences at Aston University, Birmingham. She is Deputy Director of Aston’s Research Centre for Interdisciplinary research in Language and Diversity (InterLAND), which brings together researchers and practitioners in applied linguistics, social sciences, leadership and business studies (see http://www1.aston.ac.uk/lss/research/ research-centres/interland/). Judith specialises in the relationship between language, gender and leadership in educational, business and professional contexts. She recently worked on an Economic and Social Research Council funded project entitled ‘Leadership Talk and Gender in Senior Management Business Meetings in the UK (http:// leadershiptalk.blogs.aston.ac.uk/), which ran from January 2010 until May 2012. She has published numerous books and articles including Double-Voicing at Work (2014) and The Language of Female Leadership (2010), both with Palgrave Macmillan. Her research has received considerable media attention, including a feature on BBC TV’s Women at the Top, Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour as well as press articles in The Guardian, The Observer, The Mail and The Telegraph.
About Leena: Leena Patel is a research placement assistant for InterLanD, Aston University. She currently works on projects which focus on gender and leadership talk, youth inequality and accents in the West Midlands.
About Henrietta: Henrietta Brealey is the Patron and Policy Advisor at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. She is currently leading on the Chambers’ Women in Business work . The Chambers’ are partnering on and delivering a number of Women in Business initiatives and activities. For more information on our Women in Business work please go to www.Birmingham-Chamber.com/ WomenInBusiness or contact Henrietta on H.Brealey@Birmingham-Chamber.com.
About The Chambers: The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce is one of the UK’s oldest and largest Chambers. It has nearly 3,000 member companies that employ over 200,000 plus affiliate organisations representing 15,000 people. It offers extensive services to industry and commerce, having served the interests of business for three centuries, promoting trade locally, nationally and internationally.
Based in central Birmingham and ranked 12th out of 113 UK Universities by the 2010 Complete University Guide, and 19th in the Guardian rankings 2010, Aston is recognised for its world-class research, teaching and strong links to industry, government and commerce. Aston is based on an attractive, green campus in the heart of Birmingham. Over 1200 people work at the university in a wide variety of professional, technical, academic, manual and clerical roles. Aston University is:
Ranked within the top 1% of universities in the world, and consistently in the Top 20 in the UK
In the Top 5 for Graduate Employability in the UK and Top 40 worldwide
Focussed on the needs of business and the professions, with all Aston undergraduate students taking part in integrated work experience
Carrying out world class research that leads to the creation of practical and applicable solutions for the challenges of the future, and contributes to the development of research leaders and entrepreneurs
Putting sustainability at the centre of all we do, ensuring that Aston is one of the greenest and most sustainable of all UK universities, in the Top 5 of the People and Planet League.
Click here: www.aston.ac.uk for our website.
Professor Judith Baxter is Head of Applied Linguistics and English Language at Aston University. She leads a friendly, energetic and expanding department, which is one of the largest subject groups within the School of Languages and Social Sciences. All members of the group teach across Applied Linguistics, and we work closely with groups in the regional community such as business leaders, the police, community leaders and local schools. We are renowned for the high quality of our teaching and in 2014, we were ranked 15 th in the 2013 Guardian League tables, and achieved a 100% satisfaction rate with our undergraduate students. All areas of specialism have recently been successful in securing significant external research funding.
Contact Henrietta Brealey, Policy Advisor Chamber House 75 Harborne Road Birmingham B15 3DH H.Brealey@Birmingham-Chamber.com 0121 607 1786