by Francis Jock

Created on: November 03, 2008   Last Updated: December 25, 2008

In the dynamic business world of today, employer communication skills can make the difference between business success and business failure. Today's global marketplace is a market of many cultures, languages, customs and traditions. Rising stars on the economic horizon include India, Indonesia, China, and Pakistan and Peru. Businesses both large and small are conducting massive numbers of sales with these economic powerhouses on the Internet as well as the sales office every day. The importance of good customer service, and good communication skills, will continue to be the hallmark of companies that succeed instead of fail.

In our multicultural and pluralistic business world, it is critically important that every CEO and manager understand the importance of communications as a skill requirement for business success. A look at the demographic makeup of most companies confirms that inside, as well as outside the company walls, there are many different people representative of our multicultural society. There are occasionally strong religious and philosophical differences between groups, but as employees most are maintain some degree of loyalty to their employer as long as the employer is respectful of the differences. The best way for an employer to avoid misunderstandings and potential disruptions to productivity is to recognize the need for clear, unambiguous communications without the color of cultural bias. If cultural bias appears in oral or written communications, it is quite likely to have a negative effect on employee morale and adversely affect business productivity.

Biased language is defined as "words and phrases that assign qualities to people on the basis of their gender, race, religion, or physical ability" (Rozakis, 2000). Beyond the inadvertent use of sexist language, meaning the common practice of using "he" and "man" to refer to both men and women, biased language includes "language that denigrates people." Businesses that fail to carefully audit their communications for the presence of biased language risk productivity problems and employee unrest.

For example, the media's coverage of the Presidential Election has made the need for good communication skills evident. An unintended slip of the tongue during a debate is thought to reveal cloaked bias and, according to pundits, proves that there are secret agendas and unresolved issues hidden deep within the candidate's psyche. Whether or not this is so is not the purpose of this article. It merely

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