FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND LANGUAGES

OUMH2203
ENGLISH FOR WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION

Name: LING LEH KING

Matrix number: 920609136154001
NRIC: 920609136154
Telephone number: 010-409-7899
E-mail address: lehking0609@gmail.com.my
Tutors name:
MUNAH BT. SUJA
Learning Centre: SIBU LEARNING CENTRE
Jan 2016 Semester

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Table of Contents
Table of Contents...........................................................................................................................1
Title of Report................................................................................................................................2
1.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................3-4
2.0 Purpose..................................................................................................................................5-6
3.0 Contents.................................................................................................................................7-8
4.0 Recommendations....................................................................................................................9
5.0 Conclusion..............................................................................................................................10
6.0 References...............................................................................................................................11

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Many Malaysians have difficulty communicating in English in the workplace, especially

when it comes to business-related matters

Prepared for
Tiong Liang Liang, Director
Mafrica Corporation Sdn Bhd
Level 25, Wisma Sanyan, No.1, Jalan Sanyan,
96000 Sibu, Sarawak.

By
Ling Leh King
Faculty of Education and Language
Open University Malaysia
Sibu Learning Centre

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1.0

INTRODUCTION

Background
In a survey conducted by Maes, Weldy, and Icenogle (1997), oral communication skills
have been identified as the most important skills in the workplace. Their study conducted in the
Greater Gulf Coast area, including the coastal areas of Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida
panhandle, revealed that oral communication in English is the most important skill demanded by
employers when it comes to recruiting new staff. In addition to being one of the most essential
skills for employment, oral communication skills are vital to job success and promotion (Lee,
2003; Crosling & Ward, 2001). Huckins and Olsen (1984) are of the view that employees who do
not demonstrate good oral communication skills are rarely given managerial responsibility.
Effective oral communication skills are vital to people who hold managerial positions because
managers need to explain, listen to, persuade, guide, coach, encourage, facilitate and direct group
members to meet the goals of individuals and their organizations. Effective oral communication
enables individuals to be understood and helps create understanding between people and fosters
good relationship among workers in any business context (DiSanza & Legge, 2000).
An understanding of the communication patterns in the workplace will necessitate
inquiry into various ways of workplace communication to arrive at an understanding of the forms
and skills used in an organization. Research shows that there are three main types of
communication are: verbal, non-verbal (e.g. gestures, body language) and written
communication (e.g. reports, memos, letters etc.). Between oral and written communication in
the workplace, oral communication is more extensively used and rated more important when
writing is compared with oral communication (Maes et. al.,1997). In another study conducted by
Boyette (1995; cited in Miller et.al., 1997), graduates enrolled in engineering curricula spent
26% of their work time involved in written communication and spent almost 56% of their
working time in oral communication. The study also reveals that graduate employees spend most
of their time communicating with people who are in the same department with them, such as
their peers and superiors, while half as much time is spent with people from other companies,
such as vendors, customers, regulators and the media. Among the communication events
performed most by the graduate employees were personal activities and status reports, group
meetings, giving instructions and formal presentations.

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Adler & Elmhorst (2002) contend that when face-to-face communication is not possible
(due to separation by great distance which causes the charges of communication to be costly,
time-consuming and impractical), teleconferencing, telephone and voice mail may take place in
the workplace. They also highlight the importance of good listening skills as the relationship
between listening and speaking needs to be emphasised as both skills are interrelated. Peters
(2002) suggests that effective communicators in the IT industry must possess good listening
skills because employers in the IT industry spend considerable time listening and communicating
with people in the workplace as technical professionals are fundamentally problem solvers
(Huckin & Olsen, 1984).
Previous study in Malaysia have found that members of staff often facing problems such
as speaking fluently English and presenting in front of a large audience. This paper reports on
Many Malaysians have difficulty communicating in English in the workplace, especially when it
comes to business-related matters. Do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Does this
apply to both oral and written communication?

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2.0

Purpose
I agree that many Malaysians have difficulty communicating in English in the workplace,

especially when it comes to business-related matters. According to Malaysiakini (2015) English

is currently the world language is a fact that even the die-hard nationalists in the country cannot
argue with. So if we aspire to be more proficient in the language we are only trying to be better
citizens of the world. English is the second language in Malaysia, the concentration is on
generating learner with the ability to writing and communicate effectively in different social and
professional contexts. Currently in Malaysia, writing and communication skills play fundamental
role at workplace situation. So, the purpose of this report is to highlight possible causes of this
situation. Below are the reasons as to why many Malaysians have difficulty communicating in
English in the workplace, especially when it comes to business-related matters.
It can be seen whether it has to do with the lack of proper training or lack of confidence
in ourselves, one of the main causes can be attributed to a lack of professionalism. One of the
things that are constantly up for debate is whether the poor writing and communication is a cause
or an effect. Is it attributed to a cause that did something cause an individual to have poor writing
and communication in the workplace? Was the poor writing and communication a result of
something that occurred at work or at home? These are questions that should be asked and
answered in order to correct the communication problems.
The possible explanation is there are many things can cause poor communication in the
workplace. It can look from personal conflict to low morale and to lack of motivation, and so
poor communication will often ensue. If you examine the personalities of the people in Malaysia
and the workplace relationships between them, it is often easy to see where the problem may lay.
For example, if there are individuals who have a superiority complex this may attribute to poor
communication. Besides, if there is an ineffective exchange of information in between internal
and external communication then there will be a breakdown in communication.
Usually, poor communication can be seen whether writing or just general oral
communication is something that starts on the executive level. If there is a break in
communication on the executive level, then it will be cant avoided be a break in communication
on the administrative level as well. When it comes to the innate causes of poor communication,
individuals need to analyze the whole situation or the overall picture. Poor communication and
writing in the workplace such as poor email or letter writing do not cause themselves however if

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left unattended the effects may prejudicial. Below are a few causes of overall poor
communication in the workplace.

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3.0

Contents
Here I would like to highlight a few examples of mistakes that even highly-intelligent and

advanced speakers of English may continue to make after studying English for many years.
Incorrect use of definite and indefinite articles for example, Meeting is held tomorrow.
Another one is forgetting the s on plural count nouns: Give us five minute. Besides,
confusing she or he in writing or oral communication. Many languages do not distinguish
between these pronouns.
Next, managers should be aware that what may be regarded as rude in American culture
is often a manifestation of a speakers native language or culture. For example, many nonnative
English speakers use the rhythm and intonation patterns of their first language when speaking
English which these rhythm and intonation patterns may sound harsh or aggressive to native
speakers of American English.
In addition to rhythm and intonation, the lack of softeners or indirect phrasing may also
be deciphered as rude by native speakers, but this is often not the intent. Many of our advanced
clients will ask the questions, Why did you?, Why didnt you..?, or Why arent you?
While native speakers may begin those same questions with I was wondering?, Is there any
reason?, or Do you think you could? It is important for managers to remember to
evaluate the intent of the question before responding to the tone.
By becoming more aware of the reason for miscommunication among nonnative speakers
in the workplace, managers are in a better position to open up dialog and overcome these
workplace challenges. Here are a few suggestions that I want to highlight. Firstly, let employees
know that youre available to talk and discuss any language or cultural problems they are having.
Let them know if their language issues are causing problems with colleagues or customers and
discuss solutions. Do not just say, your language is incorrect. Instead, should try to identify
specific situations where you noticed problems and share these with the employee or we also can
try explaining the problem that is having now which enable to help both understand what
improvements are needed. Recognize improvements can be seen if the employee has shared with
you that she is working on certain skills please make sure to point out improvements that had
notice. Manager should praised employee for example, I thought the email you sent was really
well-written. I can tell you are improving. Most individual do not recognize their own
improvements but will be motivated if they hear praise from others.

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Malaysians are really influenced by their mother tongue in their lack of proficiency in
English including their tone, pronunciation and intonation as well. At first, we can see from the
bad management in the company. For example, if you have bad managers in the company then
often you may suffer from poor communication and writing skills. Bad managers do not allow
their employees to communicate effectively in the workplace. A bad manager would much rather
control every part of their employees and over inflict control because they do not have the self
control necessary to manage effectively. As a result they have their poor communication on their
employees.
Secondly, lack of education. Knowledge is power, and without the proper education you
will not be able to move forward in your career. In order to whet in on good communication and
good writing, it would help to take extra courses on how to have better communication in the
workplace. Training is important to have a good communicating in English in workplace.
Thirdly, individuals lack in motivation in learning oral and written English in workplace.
For example, individuals are not motivated to expand their own writing skills and
communication skills in the workplace. It will be one of the causes of Malaysian having
difficulty communications to both oral and written in English in the workplace especially when it
comes to business-related matters.
Next is the domino effect and Murphys Law. For example, if your manager and
executive level staff have poor communication, then chances are by intercommunication you also
will suffer from poor communication.

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4.0

Recommendations
While the causes of poor communication can be discouraging, there are plenty of set to

right that can help diminish the problem. Training is essential and must be done continuously in
order for poor communication to cease. Whether in the guise of workshops or seminars, it is
important to have a stronghold on the poor communication problem before it causes catastrophic
effects in the workplace. Continuous positive reinforcement between management and
employees is essential and could be an instant remedy of the poor communication problem.
Strong written and oral communication skills are important in the business world where
high school and college courses do not always prepare students for what they will find in the real
world. If you feel that your own communication skills can use a refresher course, you can make
them stronger in some ways.
First, we can review letters, memos and emails prepared by others in the company. Find
patterns in business communication, like short, to-the-point paragraphs and requests for further
action. We also could diminish the problems by pay special attention to the letters, memos and
other documents created by your boss and other members of the management team.
Secondly, we could also enroll in a business writing course at your local community
college. These courses normally are inexpensive, and the course often are held in the evenings
and on weekends to make it easier for working people to attend. The more you can learn about
modern business oral and written communication, the better off you will be.
Third, learn as much about the acronyms and business terms of our industry as we can.
Every field, from insurance or trading to information technology, has a set of business terms, and
those who work in those fields are expected to know, use and understand them. Ask our boss and
company workers for clarification if they use a term with which we are not yet familiar.
Ask your boss if you can sit in on an upcoming meeting and your boss will appreciate the
initiative. You can watch businesspeople interact with one another in a formal setting. Use what
you had learnt in those meetings to work on your own oral communication skills. Practicing with
a trusted friend or company worker which would like to lend us a hand to improve our
communication skills or also can taking a course on business communication or public speaking.

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5.0

Conclusion
This paper provides information about the difficulties that Malaysians faced when

communicating in English in their workplace and give some suggestions on how to solve the
problems.
The importance of being able to communicate in English in the workplace, especially
when it comes to business-related matters.Unless the ministry is seen to be attentive to the needs
of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language, whatever steps taken to upgrade English language
proficiency in this country will always be opposed by the die-hard nationalists. However, these
same nationalists too need to be proficient in the English language for them to succeed in their
respective careers in the wider world.

6.0

REFERENCES

Books
1.) Maes, J. D., Weldy, T. G, & Icenogle, M. L. (1997). A managerial perspective: Oral
communication competency is most important for business students in the workplace.
Journal of Business Communication, 34(1), 67-80
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2.) Peterson, M. S. (1997). Personnel interviewers perceptions of the importance and

adequacy of applicants communication skills. Communication Education, 46, 287-291.

Onlines
1.) Malaysia kinihttps://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/
2.) http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/causes-of-poor-writing-andcommunication-in-the-workplace.html

3.) http://www.ovient.com/resources/managing-nonnative-speakers-of-english-in-theworkplace/
4.) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/strong-oral-written-communication-skills-workplace21378.html

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