In our interconnected world, no culture exists in isolation. Learning how to communicate across borders is more important than ever. Writing for a global audience is now a critical skill for contemporary communicators — and mastering this craft benefits more than just your audience. When we write for the world, we write better for ourselves too.
Why should we make our communication borderless?
Words reflect and construct our world. According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, our language shapes our perception of the world. Language colours our reality — and different languages colour different aspects of reality.
But this isn’t just a metaphor. Researchers have found that different communities around the world understand colour differently based on language. For example, the Himba tribe in Namibia has no word to distinguish between blue and green. Think about how different your world would be if grass and the ocean were in the same mental category. The words we use can even bring different colours alive.
So language is part of the lens we view the world with — and that lens is powerful and complicated. How do we make English communication clear for a global audience, when most of the world’s English speakers are non-native speakers?
Communicate for clarity
The answer lies in clarity. If you want to communicate with people of diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and ways of seeing and knowing, you need to be as clear as you can be.
And non-native English speakers are already doing this. Non-native speakers are savvy global communicators — able to understand each other more easily than native English speakers. So native speakers can learn how to do this too. They can adjust how they communicate for a global audience.
But what will help non-native speakers understand more easily?
Keep your sentences short and sweet
To be understood clearly, keep your sentences short, straightforward, and with one main idea. Clear the clutter from your sentences.
Focus on the words you must have in your sentence to carry the meaning. These are working words, which we sometimes string together with glue words that we don’t really need.
Look at the difference between these two sentences:
- This sentence starts with a clear subject and verb.
- It is important to note that this sentence, while retaining the same subject, separates the subject from the verb, doesn’t start with the subject, and has more than one idea.
The second one would give both native and non-native speakers a headache!
Be specific with your language and words
Borderless communication should try to get ahead of confusion. It needs to be as clear as possible, avoiding being vague or leaving things up to interpretation.
Try to avoid contractions. Even though they sound friendly, contractions can be hard to see and understand. Contractions that miss out the word not (like can’t), are especially difficult to process. It’s hard for non-native speakers to spot negative contractions — it takes them longer to work out what letters are missing.
But even simple contractions can also make more work for your reader. Take the word they’d, for example. Does that mean they would? Or they had? Filling in the gaps takes extra mental strain. Keep things simple and leave out the contractions.
Try to use words that create a clear mental picture for your reader. Choose words that are concrete and specific. For example, use ‘house’ rather than ‘housing’ or ‘accommodation’.
Use plenty of verbs
In the world of borderless communication, verbs are your best friends. They are the doing words that bring sentences to life. Verbs make it easy for readers to see what the action is. And the action is at the heart of a sentence.
Look at the difference between these two sentences:
- The jury came to a decision on the verdict.
- The jury decided the verdict.
The second sentence makes it much easier for people with English as an additional language to spot and understand the action. This is because the action-oriented nature of verbs mirrors the way our brains process information.
Avoid slang and be literal
When you’re writing for a global audience, always be literal and precise. Slang can confuse people, especially if they have learned English as an additional language. It is culturally specific and can make people feel excluded. Its meaning can also change over time and morph into something totally different.
New Zealanders use lots of slang — so much that we may not even realise we’re using it. Think of using ‘I reckon’ to say, ‘I think’. Or phrases like ‘all good’ or ‘no worries’ when someone thanks you. These expressions are so commonplace that they feel natural. But for a non-native speaker, they could cause confusion.
These efforts will pay off — for you and your audience
Borderless communication is persuasive, compelling, and fair. Removing barriers means your audience is more likely to engage with your information and take the action you want them to. Your readers are less likely to get stuck, complain, or call you for help. They’re more likely to tell their friends and family about you. They’re also more likely to think well of you and trust you.
Communicating for a global audience is great for native English speakers too. It helps you think critically about your language choices, write more clearly, and helps your messages land as you intended. Borderless communication makes you a better communicator.
Go global with Write Online
To unlock all our borderless communication secrets, check out Write Online’s Borderless Business Communication series.
We share more top tips to help you communicate well with the world. Once we’ve taught you about borderless written communication, we’ll also help you brush up on your spoken communication for a global audience.