The way we speak, from formality and filler words to conversation styles and accents, shapes how customers, employees, and job candidates see us, and linguist Daniel Hieber explains how small business owners can recognize those perceptions and communicate more effectively.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/r428-daniel-hieber-language-perception/
Research linguist Daniel Hieber, founder of Linguistic Discovery, shows small business owners how the way we speak shapes how others see us, and how to use that awareness to lead, sell, and hire more effectively.
Every interaction in your business runs on language: a sales call, a customer complaint, a new hire's first day, an email to a client. How formal we are, how we take turns in a conversation, how direct we are, and how we sound all send signals. Most of us read those signals without realizing it. For a small business owner, a misread can strain a customer relationship, create friction on a small team, or cost you a great hire.
In this episode of The How of Business, Henry Lopez is joined by Daniel Hieber to look at linguistics, the study of human language, as a small business topic. Henry calls it "a completely different topic than I've ever addressed over 400-plus episodes."
Danny got hooked on languages as a kid. He learned Spanish, Latin, and Swahili, studied abroad in Kenya, and found linguistics in a William & Mary course catalog. He knew right away: "That's what I'm doing with the rest of my life." He spent five years with Rosetta Stone's Endangered Language Program, earned his PhD at UC Santa Barbara, and works today with the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana to revitalize their once-dormant language.
Danny opens by rejecting the idea that language works differently at work and in social settings. "Business is a social context," he says. All day long we move between formal and informal registers, adjusting to the person, the relationship, and even the room. Problems start when two people read the situation differently. A small business owner may keep things casual to welcome a new hire, while that new hire, nervous on day one, is actually looking for structure.
The same thing happens with conversation styles. High-involvement speakers jump in to show they're engaged. High-considerateness speakers wait their turn. Each can read the other as rude or disengaged. Even filler words have a job: they signal you have more to say. Henry shares how his direct South Florida style came across as brusque to customers in Texas, and how he learned to "speak toward" the point.
Accents raise the biggest blind spots. Danny cites studies in which people were turned away based only on how they sounded, often by people who didn't realize they were doing it. He reminds us that everybody speaks with an accent, and that an accent says little about education or ability.
The conversation closes on writing, which Danny treats differently from speech. Standard written conventions matter for credibility, and they can be taught.
As Danny puts it: "Your attitudes about the way people speak are never really attitudes about language. They're always attitudes about people."
This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run, grow and exit your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com