Vodcast #44 – Respect Different Accents by Goodie Okechukwu

• August 3, 2021
• Margot
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Our power of voice – our accent is fundamental to our identity. But in today’s global village, it can also make us more susceptible to quick judgments and stereotypes. Research on the detection of French accents by American listeners uncovered that it takes us less than 30 seconds to linguistically profile a speaker, and make quick decisions on their ethnic origin, socio-economic class, and their backgrounds. Unfortunately, foreign language speakers are often still judged not on the basis of their capabilities and achievements but on how they have not yet mastered the “ideal” native accent. Unconscious or unintentional bias can have devastating effects on the health and productivity of individuals and can also resonate throughout the entire structure of an organization. In this week’s TCP video, Goodie shares actionable tips on how one can identify and remove the bias that lies at the root of this discrimination. Is accent posing a barrier to effective communication in your organization? #Discrimination #Accent #Leadership #CrossCultural #GlobalCommunication