On The Tip Of Your Tongue: Verbal Ergonomics
As a society, we invest millions into speech pathology for our nations’ young people. Speech therapists are available in every major school corporation in our country. It is clear that the verbal skills are considered a high priority for children facing speech challenges. A great deal of time is devoted to correcting or mitigating these problems but should our commitment to speech hygiene lessen as we grow older?
Meaning and understanding are the foundation of communication. It is why newcomers to our country are helped and encouraged to learn the English language so that they can share in the comfort of understanding and meaning of the world around them. I emphasize these concepts because while our business community invests in safer office spaces, better work cell design, and color palettes to sooth, energize, and motivate workers, they often forget about verbal ergonomics–the care and development of the voice.
Our ability to speak is one of the most basic senses and it is one that we can endanger by poor working conditions, equipment, and lack of vocal conditioning. We train our employees in how to use a new software package, how to use new computer terminals, even how to use the new copier but do we train them how to use their voices in a way that adds to its effectiveness and longevity. We take for granted that vocal talents are part of the person we hire, much like a part of their personality. We need to look at verbal skills as ones that need care and development to effectively convey the message our company wants to convey.
Look at it as you would look at a new advertising campaign. Would you want it full of misspellings, grammar mistakes, or graphics too confusing and small to be understood? Investing in verbal conditioning and training should receive the same priority as promotional communication because it performs the same function.
Verbal ergonomics is accomplished when employees have access to training and working conditions conducive to good speech hygiene. Your business is the winner when all venues of communication are at their best. When your employees have been trained in how to say what you want them to say in the clearest and most authoritative way possible. We put spell check on our computers but what can we enlist to insure clear and correct vocal communication. The first step is training. Training is not just for sales representatives, but for everyone who communicates to your customers, vendors, and the public. Nothing will inspire the confidence you seek to gain faster that a crisp and clear message.
While training is the first step, creating an environment where all that training can be maximized is the next step. Noise reduction through the use of headphones, office partitions, carpet, and office machines is what insures that your message is coming from a space designed to maximize vocal integrity. Noise reduction is essential to protecting vocal integrity. Work cell design addresses that concept just as they do physical ergonomics. Qualified designers can aid in the selection of carpet, chairs, and desks that all reduce ambient noise in the workplace.
But even the best designed workplace needs workers trained in oral techniques that please and impress your customers and clients. The many benefits of this training reach throughout your organization. More confident and satisfied employees will transfer information to your customers and clients that, in turn, raise their confidence and satisfaction in you. It’s a win-win situation where workers win and their employers win and the prize is elevated customer service ratings and higher profits for you!