Consider Occupational Spanish to Bridge the Gap Between Distinct Audiences.

Almost seven (7) years ago I discovered the world of Occupational Spanish and have grown to appreciate its value in enhancing communication between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking people.

Whether it is an EMT trying to save someone’s life… a social worker trying to qualify someone for benefits… a funeral home trying to comfort a loved one… a bank trying to better serve a customer… teachers wanting to talk to parents… managers wanting to give better instructions to their workforce…

Occupational Spanish language training is industry specific, based on thousands of hours of job shadowing and consultation from language experts all across Latin America…

You are guaranteed immediate results – You can leave class speaking Spanish – what you learn today, you can speak today; it’s as simple as that!

Occupational Spanish is an invaluable tool that can not only enhance communication but improve productivity and build community. Plus, it’s fun, easy, and a reasonable time commitment.

• You do not spend time conjugating verbs, learning grammar or memorizing vocabulary word lists.  There are no tests!
• With very few exceptions, in the Spanish language, “what you see is what you get.”  You learn simple pronunciation techniques to help you pronounce just about any word you see, in Spanish.
• No prior knowledge of Spanish is required!
• You, as a group, learn only the Spanish phrases, questions, and commands needed for specific job-specific purposes.  It’s not an “I’d like to know” approach but rather a “I need to know” solution.
• The methodology is based on repetition.  You will be active, working in pairs and in groups.
• You learn short, bite-size terms & phrases you need to know for specific situations in order to do your job better and more efficiently.
• And it is nothing like the language classes many of us grew up taking!

Over the past 6+ years, I have had the pleasure of training hundreds of people – EMTs, librarians, social workers, bankers, teachers, volunteers, police officers, funeral home staff, managers, and business professionals in the area of Occupational Spanish and cultural awareness.

Each engagement is unique and rewarding in its own right. Plus, it is always inspiring to hear “students” Success Stories of how they use this new found language skill to help someone  or accomplish an important task at work thanks to taking the plunge to embrace Occupational Spanish as a viable communication tool.

I have been curious about the growing issue of childhood obesity for some time now – wondering how a great country like the U.S. has such a problem and what small role I, as both a citizen and as a communicator, might be able to play in tackling this growing epidemic.

So, I took this past Friday off and joined 275+ others at the Let’s Move the Needle on Childhood Obesity conference to learn more about the issue, the players, and, more importantly, what was going on here in Fairfax County to tackle this growing threat to countless lives and our community.

Speaking of lives, have you heard – for the first time in our country’s history, the life expectancy of today’s children is shorter than that of their parents?!?!?!?  That’s right, statistically speaking, you have a good chance of outliving your own kid.  Crazy!!!

According to Inova and The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, co-sponsors of the event, here’s a snapshot of childhood obesity right here in Fairfax County -

• One in four children is overweight or at risk of becoming overweight
• Many children and teens spend 4+ hours per day in front of a screen (TV, computer, video games)
• Approximately 80% of parents admit that their children eat too much fast food and get too little exercise

Back to the conference – Not only did I learn more about the “state of” childhood obesity but I also learned about what several area groups are already doing to address the issue here in Northern Virginia.  Plus, I was overwhelmed with the diversity of the crowd – sure there were your usual politicians and government offices in attendance but there were also lots of teachers, non-profits, volunteer groups, faith-based organizations, and other concerned citizens like me, not to mention a past winner of The Biggest Loser, Bill Germanokos.

Even clergy and churches have gotten into the game – what a fabulous idea!  These already established communities with shared interests and values are coming together to help one another change their lives. And I would be remiss for not complimenting Dr. Khalid Randolph of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. Both he and his work are truly inspirational.

I proactively worked the room, thanking the conference organizers and speakers, offering my services and time in support of helping them be successful in this very important initiative. As a communications consultant, it was refreshing to be in the presence of so many dedicated and energized people, all committed to taking on this cause. Myself included. I look forward to volunteering with one of these organizations to help them be successful in combating childhood obesity once and for all.

It’s not often that I take a day off work to attend a conference but it was totally worth it on several different levels. I left informed, energized, and proud to live in a community that is committed to making a difference. Friday was a good day.

For those interested, here’s a link to resources on childhood obesity and this regional coalition: http://www.inova.org/inova-in-the-community/nvhkc/lets-move-the-needle.

I had the opportunity to work with a group of 30+ Latinos on behalf of one of my clients who wanted to enhance the customer experience. While the primary goal of this engagement was simple and clear, it presented a number of challenges.

1. The “customers” were primarily English speaking families; a mix of kids and adults of different ages.
2. Staff was a multi-generational group of native Spanish speaking people who were dedicated and long-term employees. However, they did not necessarily understand the bottom line benefits of delivering first class customer service, especially to kids!

My assignment was complex: Successfully reach out to a diverse staff, culturally and generationally, on behalf of delivering a fabulous, in person, customer experience to an equally diverse audience – parents and their children.

Among other things, the Needs Assessment phase of this engagement unveiled that there were two older gentlemen on staff – patriarchs of two local Hispanic families whose children and grandchildren all worked for my client.

I immediately requested a meeting with the two patriarchs which turned out to be the best thing I could have ever done as they understood the clients’ goals, embraced my involvement, and supported the initiative 110%.

The end result was that those two gentlemen, as leaders of the two families that comprised my clients’ workforce, ensured that every member of the staff enthusiastically attended every meeting; understood and supported our collective roles and responsibilities; and were committed to delivering a first class customer experience.  Without their support, my job would have been a lot more challenging – and difficult – to accomplish.

Reaching out to staff, establishing a mutually beneficial – and respectful – relationship along with creating buy-in to the end goal was imperative to the success of this initiative.  It remains one of my fondest professional achievements and most enjoyable life experiences to this day.

While I am all for diversity and even do some consulting in this area, it continues to amaze me how many companies’ voice mail systems are set up to say “Press #1 for English” right off the bat. And oftentimes before they even say Hello!

Most people don’t like it but nobody speaks up. And who decided these protocols in the first place?

While I commend companies and organizations for wanting to “reach” and even cater to other niche audiences, i.e., for example, “Press #2 for Spanish, Press #3 for French,” why would you risk offending 99% of your existing customer base by making them opt in to English when we are in the United States of America.  I don’t think you will ever hear “Press #1 for German” while visiting Munich during Oktoberfest…

Again, most people don’t like it but nobody speaks up.

The irony of it all is that it is a very easy fix. The companies that create these corporate voice mail systems should program them to automatically default to English. THEN, let callers opt in to other languages albeit in Spanish, French, German or whatever.  And the reason is simple – it makes good business sense!  You successfully serve your primary customer base FIRST while reaching out to other distinct audiences. It’s an AND not an OR.

Why risk offending or losing your primary audience to cater to another audience that has yet to embrace you or demonstrate its loyalty?

So, take moment to call yourself. You may be surprised at the messages, direct and indirect, you are actually giving out. If you are in the market for a new company-wide voice mail system, make sure it is installed correctly. And, don’t forget to say Hello!

Author’s Note:

This isn’t about anything other than Good Customer Service.

I speak Spanish as a second language, have had the good fortune of traveling and living abroad over the years, and have fabulous friendships with people from across the globe.

“Have It Your Way” has never been more true than today.

Everyone expects it. Even demands it. Why should your “customers” be any different?

It takes more than just a great plan to have a successful communication program. It also takes knowing your audience – Who are they? What do they want? Need? How do you reach them? Engage them? Keep them?

As my father always says, “Why do we always have time to do something twice but never have enough time to do it right the first time?”

The reality is that no longer does “one plan fit all.” It doesn’t matter if you are inspiring, influencing, recruiting, educating, selling or just giving away something fabulous. In this day of one-to-one “Have It Your Way,” companies and organizations alike have to take the time right up front to know their primary audiences and give each and every one of them what they want, when they want it and how they want it. Nothing less.

And if you don’t know, accept, and do that, you too will be part of the DoOverNation. It is as simple as that.

So slow down, do your homework, align your resources and work smart. You will be glad you did AND be more successful for doing so.