• Good topic.

    I think the problem hinges on what people (mis)understand communication to mean. It's often forgotten that, just like a database transaction, communication involves saying what you mean, and then performing checks to verify the recipient actually listened and understood. Communication isn't just the talking, yet so many people will say something, either verbally or by email, voicemail, post-its, bulletin boards (I could go on; the list is seemingly endless) and assume their job in the communication process to be finished.

    In some ways, talking with people with differing first languages makes things easier. Certainly, the participants are already actively performing those "have you understood?" cross-checks, and are concentrating far harder on what is being said. If I'm honest, I really look on acronyms and tech-speak as just another "dialect", and therefore only use them when I'm happy the other participant in the conversation is similarly fluent.

    For that reason, and please pardon the pendantry, I'd be inclined to take issue with the sentence in the editorial talking about "it pays to be able to clearly and effectively communicate your ideas, thoughts, and concerns to others". I believe that if you're playing your role properly, it's impossible to communicate to; instead you'll be communicating with, and that's a massive improvement.

    IMHO, of course 😉

    Semper in excretia, suus solum profundum variat