|
Speaking the “Language” of
Employers: How to Get Heard
One of the primary roles of a
workforce development provider is building strong relationships with employers.
Fundamental to this role is language; you must be able to communicate with your
employers using terminology they understand and appreciate.
Language does not just represent
concepts and ideas; it represents an attitude and way of doing things. Notice
that when you shift to an accepted form of communication, meaning, as well as
the general tone of a conversation, changes. In the same vein, nonprofit and
business language can be worlds apart in what they suggest and mean. To
effectively work with employers, you need to take the time and exert the effort
to get into their mindset because chances are they are not going to take the
time, nor should they, to get into yours. The easiest way to do this is by using
widely accepted business language.
The following are tips to consider
when using business language:
Stay Away From Nonprofit Jargon
I am just as guilty as the next
person in using nonprofit jargon. I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t use
it. Depending on the funder or project, words come and go, but terms like
‘stakeholder relations,’ ‘blending/braiding of funds,’ ‘multi-systemic impact,’
‘co-case management,’ and ‘trickle-down effect’ are phrases that truly belong to
us. For an employer, these terms may seem foreign at best. While it’s good to be
in the know of what’s the latest lingo in our industry, when communicating with
your employers, this language may come off as exclusionary - even if you don’t
mean to.
As much as you can, use an easy
conversational style that gets your point across. Employers are generally
practical people. When talking about your program or service, a good rule of
thumb is to use language that a lay person can understand. Then, there won’t be
any confusion about what you mean.
With that said, keep in mind that an
acceptable to you as a
service provider may have an entirely different meaning to an
employer. For example, a study that included both non-profits and employers
showed that the phrase ‘mutually beneficial partnership’ (I happen to like that
term) was found acceptable by those in the nonprofit industry, but implied
unequal balance or having to give up too much to participate in the program to
the employers. A word that had positive meaning and communicated a win-win
situation for both was the term ‘partnership.’
If you’re going to use jargon, a
better investment of your time is learning some of the terms that are common in
the business world (and this may vary regionally). Terms like ‘return on
investment’ and ‘customer relations’ may be better terms to package workforce
development programs and get your point across.
Avoid Acronyms
Almost every sector, whether profit
or nonprofit, uses acronyms. Think about the last conversation you had with a
friend or colleague who is a computer savvy. Unless you’re computer savvy, too,
after the first few sentences, your brain shuts down, right? If you’re in the
habit of using acronyms, it’s easy to forget that outside of your group, these
acronyms may not be understood. Worse, they may have a totally different
meaning!
For example, CDC for nonprofit
organizations stands for
Community Development Corporation or some variation of that. But, employers
don’t know this. Likely the first thing they’d think about is the Center for
Disease Control!
To be safe, just say the term in
full. If you’re going to be
working together for a while, you can let the employer know the commonly used
term, but still be considerate when you’re
referring to it. It’s better to anticipate misunderstandings rather than have an
entire conversation not realizing you’re not being understood!
Practice, Practice, Practice
The good news is the more that you
practice communicating, the better you will become and the easier it will be for
you.
Communication is crucial when working to become effective in
your role. This makes it imperative that you be at the top of your game at all
times. Spend some time practicing with colleagues and then get out there with
your employers to continue improving and building on those skills over time.
Would you like to reprint this article?
You may as long as you include this blurb in its entirety:
Lisa Jordan
is a disability and workforce development expert. Lisa uses her keen
ability to
identify challenges and develop solutions so
that workforce development professionals can increase their comfort level,
productivity and effectiveness when working with a diverse clientele.
Download Lisa’s White Paper on 5 Easy Disability Tips to Immediately Increase
Agency Accessibility by visiting
http://www.human-solutions.net.
|
