Many overseas born professionals in Australia struggle with…

• Being assertive in the new culture
• Negotiating with clients
• Speaking confidently at meetings
• Writing effective emails and reports
• Expressing thoughts fluently and to the depth required
• Understanding the Australian humour, slang and accent
• Finding common ground for conversations with colleagues
• Difficult colleagues
• Operating at a level of formality much lower than in workplaces overseas
• A flatter organisational structure. Your manager actually wants your advice?
• Demonstrating initiative in solving problems
• Friday night drinks
• Incessant conversation about the footy
• Gender roles

Fitting-in can be one of the hardest things to achieve in a new culture and causes great stress for many. Through practice, you can improve your communication at work.

Have you thought about…

• how our daily interaction is imbued with culture
• how the tone you use can vary depending on the situation and your objective
• how polite, assertive, rude, submissive you may sound
• the different purposes of communication

Are you strategically equipped to perform well in the variety of workplace communication situations?

• Small talk
• Requesting/Giving Instructions
• Refusing
• Making Suggestions
• Disagreeing
• Making Complaints
• Making Apologies

Are you aware of how indirect language can make you sound more polite without losing your assertiveness? Do you know what ‘indirect language’ is?

To improve your workplace communication you need …

• Someone to talk to about your workplace problems
• Opportunities to practise your workplace communication in a friendly, fun, non-threatening environment
• Access to explanations about things that are puzzling you
• Opportunities to learn more about Australian culture (and footy) and explore the language and humour
• Feedback on your writing and strategies to improve

OBP Australia is able to support overseas born professionals through its Workplace Communication Skills Program.

Take charge of your career.