Discussion Post: Bridging Language Barriers
In your Harvard reading, Communicating, Negotiating, and Resolving Conflicts Across Cultures, the author lists 11 second-language strategies to improve communication with ESL speakers. The author suggests that culturally intelligent people have an obligation to adapt their style to be in harmony with less skilled English speakers. Discuss a recent personal exchange with an ESL speaker and how you could have used the strategies from pages 91 and 92 to enhance the quality of your communication. For those of you who are ESL speakers, share your observations on how these strategies would enhance your ability to understand or engage in discussions. Two paragraphs will suffice.