There is no doubt that the world is becoming a much smaller place. These days we meet more and more people in the workplace who are citizens of other countries or speak with limited English.

When we need to accomplish something, we will often go out of way to have only the best and most experienced members on our team. The rewards far outweigh the extra effort we may have to make in being understood.

Language is not just a mixture of words, it involves much more than that. It is also a means of expressing thoughts and visions. Therefore, accurate descriptions of abstract ideas can be very difficult to put into words that learners would understand. Add to this the many other problems associated with being understood and it could become very hard to manage an employee or an entire team which does not use English as its first language, therefore the chances of being misunderstood are very high.

Whilst, we welcome the knowledge and expertise of our foreign employees, communicating with them effectively could be a challenge in itself. The primary key to mutual understanding is keeping our language simple. Too often, we take it for granted that our foreign friends can understand our cheeky humour. However, this is the quickest way to add confusion to what could be a simple request made complicated. Therefore, an adjustment in the way communication is presented is vital in avoiding those misunderstandings and errors.

It is worth asking your foreign employees to relay their understanding of what you have requested so as everyone on your team is working in unison to complete a task. If you suspect that you were not understood, try presenting the message again with a more simplified choice of phrases and smaller use of words until the point becomes clear.

It is important to remember that although our foreign employees may have a different culture and language to us, they are still able to complete the work expected of them and even bring some new ideas to the table. Their different background may equip them with skills and procedures we do not use so we could benefit highly from their fresh insight and new approach. By breaking down the language barriers and mastering some simple techniques you can not only make yourself easily understood but also learn some new approaches along the way.

If you really want to work well with your foreign employees, it may be worthwhile finding out more about their background. Sample their native foods, compile some research into their national holidays and what they represent and even immerse yourself in their language by watching foreign films (with subtitles). The more you become familiar with their way of life, the more you can effectively iron out any confusion and make a clearing for productive language solutions to flow through. The ultimate goal is to work together as a team to complete jobs on time and successfully.

One way to keep everyone on track and get your point across is to view your foreign employees as people that you hold in high respect such as your father or grandmother. This will stop you from using expletives or language which would be inappropriate. It also mentally programs you to speak clearly and concisely and with more formality. Words used this way are easier to understand as they cut out all of the fluffy jargon which could complicate a simple request.

Avoid using slang and idioms as it could be misunderstood and taken literally. In return, you will very rarely find an English learner using idioms in their conversation as they fear that the correct expression will not be used with the feeling wishing to be expressed. Therefore, foreign employees find idioms difficult to understand and memorise. It is said that there are over 4,000 idioms used in the English language - to try to explain any one of these could result in using an additional 2000 words of vocabulary to get a simple point across!

The last thing you want to do is ask one of your foreign friends to go out at lunchtime to buy pizza and step on it. It is likely that they most certainly will! In short, if you can say something using brief paragraphs and simply phrased sentences...go for it. Use the concept, a phrase in place of a sentence and a word in place of a phrase. This way you keep communication basic and stop language overload being tipped onto the heads of your foreign employees. If you can back up your communication with pictures, it will go a long way to painting your words. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and this is certainly the case when you are trying to make someone envisage the same goal as you.

Get tired of hearing the sound of your own voice. You may grow tired of having to repeat the same thing over and over again but repetition is an effective way of getting your point across. It helps the reciprocate to fully understand what is being conveyed. Advertisers use the repetition procedure over and over again to spread their message and ensure that it stays engrained on people's minds.

Don't use don't. Contractions can often be difficult for foreign language teams to understand. If you want to be sure that any written documentation is completely understood, take a few extra minutes to write 'do not' and 'cannot' as it may not always be convenient for members of your team to ask for clarification on a word. To be able to fully understand contractions, the learner would have to have become immersed in the English language for several years to be able to understand or use them effectively. If you listen to your foreign employees you will notice that they rarely use contractions when they speak. Hence the reason why their communication sounds much more polite and formal. The best way to respond is similarly. This form of communications sounds better because every word is pronounced and comes across more clearly.

Let your actions speak louder than your words. Although some of your team may not fully understand your words, they will likely understand your actions. This means that you should make it a point to actively demonstrate what you would like them to do instead of just verbalising your requirements. It is also important that you explain why you would like things to be carried in a certain way.

One last tip. Keep your speech slow for learners to pick out words and understand what you are saying. It can take time to adjust to a new language especially if it involves new words associated with a project or task.

By instilling these tips into your working day, the relationship with your foreign employees should significantly improve and help to create a more productive and successful form of verbal and non-verbal communication.

Remember: If you want to be heard you must speak in a language that the listener will understand and on a level at which the listener is capable of operating!