Before we even started, the Human Resource (HR) Manager explained their company's needs and what the foreign bosses expected of the staff in terms of English language skills. She also told us that the staff do not want to attend class because they think their English is good enough. Why is management forcing them to get better at something they are already good at?
Having worked among Cambodians and Vietnamese for some years, I knew the root problem. No one wants to improve. They are satisfied with the status quo. They cannot accept what the bosses are saying. "I'm good enough already. Why bother?" Well, after telling my business partner what we needed to do to make the local staff improve, he sent my comments lock, stock and barrel to the HR Manager!
The HR Manager took the carrot and stick approach by telling the staff in no uncertain terms that they were all to attend class without question. Supervisors had to give staff time off to attend class. Those who did not attend class would have their annual benefits cut completely. It worked. All the staff attended class on Day 1.
Silence from the staff for the first 15 minutes. Suddenly, the barrier broke and it was noisy for the rest of the time. Even in the Basic class, everyone tried to speak English as best as they could, mistakes and all. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. They enjoy learning English! Even the Austrian boss asked the trainer, "What happened to the staff?" Clearly, our approach was correct and effective.
You will never know how much of a language you know until you are forced to speak. Too often Asians are afraid of using their newly acquired language for fear of making mistakes and thus, making a fool of themselves. You have to die to personal pride in order to learn. Once you have made a mistake and someone corrects you, you are not likely to make the same mistake again. Lesson learned for life.
I have an uphill task trying to learn Vietnamese. I know words and phrases. From a written text, I can sometimes guess the meaning but cannot pronounce the words correctly. I am determined to learn. I have wonderful friends who are going to help me in this journey. I will be able to speak fluently someday. In the meantime, I must try to speak as often as I can. The more I try, the faster I will learn. Speaking is key to learning a language. So, get out there and open your mouth!
Have fun learning a new language!
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