Vodcast #44 - Respect Different Accents by Goodie Okechukwu

Our power of voice - our accent is fundamental to our identity.

But in today’s global village, it can also make us more susceptible to quick judgments and stereotypes.

Research on the detection of French accents by American listeners uncovered that it takes us less than 30 seconds to linguistically profile a speaker, and make quick decisions on their ethnic origin, socio-economic class, and their backgrounds.

Unfortunately, foreign language speakers are often still judged not on the basis of their capabilities and achievements but on how they have not yet mastered the “ideal” native accent.

Unconscious or unintentional bias can have devastating effects on the health and productivity of individuals and can also resonate throughout the entire structure of an organization.

In this week’s TCP video, Goodie shares actionable tips on how one can identify and remove the bias that lies at the root of this discrimination.

Is accent posing a barrier to effective communication in your organization?

#Discrimination #Accent #Leadership #CrossCultural #GlobalCommunication

About the Author

Goodie Okechukwu is a radical inclusionist, change catalyst, with a mindset of the transformer, and very passionate about Equality and Diversity. She holds a Masters's degree in Diversity Management and has made valuable contributions to this field over the years. Goodie is obsessed with the inclusion of accent diversity in the workspace, she is the founder of the #ProtectAccent campaign. Goodie is an author, her first book – “Navigating the Problems and Solutions of Work-Life -Balance” is available for sale on Amazon in hard copy and Amazon’s kindle formats. Goodie’s books are also available in major bookstores in The UK, New York, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.