Do: Speak Slowly and ClearlyĮven when native English speakers aren’t trying to talk quickly, their speech sounds rapid-fire to someone who speaks English as a second language. That’s because most of us learn academic reading and writing much more than we learn speaking and listening in our home countries. It’s often easier to read in your second language than to hear it or speak it.

Putting together even a few bullet points that meeting participants can refer back to will help everyone track what’s going on.

But this is especially important to do when some participants will be using their second language. Sending out an agenda and goals ahead of time will make any meeting more efficient. So don’t feel odd if you see participants watching your mouth – this only means they are trying to understand. Also, watching someone’s mouth increases understanding. With video, participants can see other’s body language and facial expressions, which makes it easier to convey what they’re saying and to understand each other.

Do: Choose Video When PossibleĮven with the “Zoom fatigue” we all seem to be experiencing these days, video meetings are a better option than conference phone calls if some participants will be using their non-native language. Using tactics like these can help everyone contribute to their full potential. But if your call includes participants from different countries or others whose first language is not English, it can take even more work to ensure engagement, collaboration and understanding. Conference calls can be a challenging way to communicate, even when everyone is a native English speaker.

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