Business Innovation

His only problem is that as a department manager, he reports to an American boss. As well, since three of his colleagues are expats, he has to communicate with them in English. He finds that the scariest part of his job.

"Why are you so afraid to speak with your boss in English?" I ask him.

"I'm afraid that my grammar is not correct," Krid tells me.

"What are the consequences if you use the wrong grammar?"

"I guess my boss will look down on me. I have a master's degree from a leading local university and I am a department head, but my English is not even as good as his secretary's."

"Why doesn't your boss communicate through his secretary if he's so comfortable with her English?"

"His secretary doesn't know much about the operational work, who does what, how to handle problems, how to motivate staff. I know that best."

"So, your boss talks to you because of your work expertise."

"You're right," Krid acknowledges with a sigh of relief.

I probe further. "When was the last time your boss commented on the deficiency of your English skills?"

"He's never said a word. On the contrary, when I speak to him, he always pays attention. I guess he can understand about 70% of what I'm trying to get across. But I want to impress him and other Thai colleagues with my English."

"Krid, let me share a story with you. My friend Wit has hired a Burmese housemaid _ legally. She speaks very little Thai. One day, I went to his home for dinner. Wit told me about his maid's good points. He complimented her on the quality of work, her diligence and her ability to learn fast.

"Then I asked him whether he had trouble communicating with her since she hardly speaks Thai.

"Wit told me that he focuses on the performance, not the language. I notice that Wit can communicate with his maid and that he does not bother about Thai grammar when talking to her."

Body language and gestures can also help a lot.

"You're right," says Krid. "Yesterday, I told my secretary: 'Lek, you know what? Today I spoke with my farang boss until my hands were worn out."'

I laugh at his joke. Foreigners do tend to gesture a lot when they speak and it's something that's quite alien to Thais.

Then I continue: "But I don't mean that you should be satisfied with your English skills. You should practise more. Don't expect a two- or three-month miracle. I think at least it will take you two years if you really want to see improvement in your speaking skills."

Krid asks: "Why are Thais so afraid of using the wrong grammar?"

"What do you think, Krid?"

"Khun Kriengsak, you always answer a question with a question. Is this the point of coaching?"

"Okay, let me explain. Timothy Gallwey, who brought the sports coaching concept to business, says that coaching is unlocking a person's potential to maximise performance. It helps them learn rather than teaches them.

"There's nothing new in this concept. Socrates said the same thing 2,000 years ago. He believed that people knew all the answers _ it's just a matter of asking the right questions."

Krid smiles. "I get it. I guess Thais are afraid of using the wrong English grammar because of our childhood experience. I remember that in school when we took English examinations, only the grammar was tested."

"I agree. But surprisingly, we don't bother to use the correct grammar when it comes to our own language. And many Americans also don't worry about correct grammar in day-to-day communication.

"Apart from grammar, I think the Thai value of face-saving is also responsible, particularly when we speak in front of other Thais who we feel speak much better English than we do.

"We should turn that fear of losing face into a driving force and improve our English skills by studying hard instead of allowing the fear to paralyse us and hamper our career advancement."

KRIENGSAK NIRATPATTANASAI is the founder of TheCoach, specialising in executive coaching in leadership and cross-cultural skills. Copies of previous columns are available at www.thaicoach.com. He can be reached at 02-517-3126 or coachkriengsak@yahoo.com