Situation
Our clients Media company was recently purchased by a larger, UK based outlet. Due to his past performance, our client was in line for a promotion that would see him not only managing the team he currently works in (which would now include English-speaking members), but also require him to submit weekly progress reports in English to his new UK-based bosses.
Solution
We developed a customized program for our client, designed to highlight and improve his management skills, while also addressing his ability to discuss work-related issues over the phone, and over email.
We reviewed some of the most common issues in the office, and discovered that most of them were dealt with non-verbally. These issued were often something which could be easily seen, and didn’t require much discussion.
We took some of the core issues and practiced describing in writing what led to some of those challenges and errors, and what steps we took to correct them (making sure to give credit to those team members whose participation was vital to the correction).
We focused on formal language that was direct and to-the-point, including the use of common acronyms, i.e.: BTW, ASAP, EOD, ETC. We then followed up with a phone where one of our instructors would call as that UK-based Director, and get some updates on the situation.
Our F2F lessons consisted of improving MGMT techniques when it came to offering criticism (without being cruel) as well as dolling out praise (without being indulgent)
Benefit
This program gave our client the practice needed to handle any interaction with his superiors, as well as his colleagues, whether those discussions were by phone, over email, or in person. An increase in confidence and vocabulary have him just the boost he needed to move out from the IT desk, and successfully enter the MGMT side.
