At Speexx, we are proud to deliver on our product promise. Our drop-out rate is below 5% - i.e. more than 9 out of 10 students complete their language training courses successfully. How do we do this? The answer is simple, but the process involved takes years of development and adjustment. Closing the gap between opportunity and usage can be achieved with what we call Active Performance Tracking, a formulated system that analyses and assesses all students’ skills and competency levels at a given time. 1. Continuous performance tracking Although technology is very much able to disseminate content to any place in the world, students still need hands-on coaches and practical guidance to assist them with how they utilise learning content. At Speexx, we have been successfully implementing what we call "Active Performance Tracking" for more than three years and have a wealth of experience with it. We have found students who use the performance tracking tool on top of our cloud-based learning system have a much higher motivation and an average success rate of over 90% of finishing their course - an excellent figure compared to conventional language training methods or stand-alone eLearning. 2. One global language training strategy We still see many of our clients claiming they have a global strategy, but upon careful examination, we see that their language learning system is very much local. As soon as language learning is introduced to a global training space, there is a need to find a common language that will unify the multinational organisation, such as English. Quite simply, there is no better way to unlock talent within a company than to have everyone speaking the same language. Before implementing a talent management strategy, it is essential not to make assumptions about skill levels within your organisation. Instead, take the time to implement accurate assessments across the board in order to identify any  strengths and weaknesses. Equally, it is important to identify career opportunities and skill gaps to help develop a strategy to close those gaps through talent recruitment, mobility and succession planning. Once a standardised system is in place, the measurability of skills becomes far more accurate and the results more visible. 3. Embrace change With the rise of social media, globalisation and informal learning, change is in the air. Learning content is now available via a plethora of technological platforms. This is a big change for companies that are used to operating in local silos. Real progress is about embracing change and harnessing technology’s ability to connect everyone anywhere and anytime. Moving forward, organisations need to keep up to date on all the rapid changes in learning technology, methodology and deliverability in order to meet the demands and expectations of the global workplace. Take time to research, keep informed and adopt a tailored language training approach that meets your short-term and long-term needs. The post Successful Online Language Training in 3 Steps appeared first on speexx exchange.

Successful global organizations are beginning to realize that blended learning is the way forward. Blended learning represents a combination of self-study and subsequent application of this knowledge in a live situation, e.g. with a trainer in a virtual classroom. But how can an organization ensure that blended learning is implemented properly? Based on our experience, we at Speexx recommend 5 vital success factors for this.  1. Content Students must be able to benefit from relevant and interactive learning content. In terms of communication skills training, this means learners should have the option to pick out certain elements which are important to them, such as pronunciation training or listening comprehension, and repeat these as often as they wish. Customization is the key. 2. Clearly defined targets Thanks to the advanced levels of technology surrounding us today, we can use e-learning to get an analysis of our learning progress and results at any time. This is ideal for immediately recognizing strengths and weaknesses. Good e-learning sets clear goals and shows how close we are to them. At Speexx, over 80% of our learners reach their given targets within the set timeframe and receive a CEFR-certificate upon passing an assessment. A good solution provider will also offer ongoing support and feedback. 3.  Blended Learning with the perfect blend Training in a traditional classroom environment can never address all the students’ individual needs. It is virtually impossible to create such a homogenous class that will guarantee each student’s individual learning progress. Blended learning solves this problem with an ideal combination of Short training intervals at home or at work (self-paced study through e-learning) and Regular live training with trainers and conversation partners (e.g. in live virtual classroom sessions, on the phone or face-to-face) In order to maintain their interest and motivation throughout the course, students need a whole variety of learning methods. In addition, these methods must overlap; different exercises from one learning unit must contain the same learning elements or topics, e.g. such as conflict solving. This will ensure a single-source and all-round learning experience. At Speexx, we support this need with a diverse blend of e-learning tools. These include pronunciation exercises, mobile vocabulary lists, grammar questions, karaoke sessions, New York Times videos and virtual classroom sessions. Find out more. 4. Continuous coaching Don’t abandon your students with their new e-learning solution. Ensure that your provider offers regular reporting, feedback and motivation. The internet offers endless opportunities for this - fast and personalized. This way, students are supported with an individual on-the-job service, a highly valuable aspect since they will not be left alone even during self-study. This will maintain their motivation throughout the course sessions.  5. Effective communication Students need to understand why their organization wants them to learn a particular thing. There is no point in just providing them with the solution but not expressing the organizational targets and potential benefits for individuals. E.g., why is learning a language useful for an employee? On the one hand, it could ensure more efficient communication within the company, resulting in faster business processes and higher profitability. On the other hand, the student receives their own certificate and has the advantage of knowing an additional language if they ever go abroad. In fact, a new language may increase their mobility within the company and thus their chances for a promotion or an overseas post. But managers need to communicate these advantages to learners. It is also crucial to speak to the provider and see what kind of support they can offer to ensure a smooth kick-off. At Speexx, we offer kick-off sessions, online demos, tutorials, flyers and brochures. Speak to us and find out more! What other factors can you think of? What has your experience been with blended learning solutions? We’d love to hear from you. The post Blended Learning: 5 Success Factors appeared first on speexx exchange.

Language skills today often represent the missing link  in a global talent development strategy. According to Bersin Associates, businesses spend more than $3,000 per hire on recruitment, and often 20 times this on senior positions. So anything which helps to "attract" candidates to an open position has huge value. Cue communication skills and language training. With a globally consistent language and communication skills strategy, businesses are able to find talent in even the remotest parts of their own organization. Does somebody in the Manila office bring the skills required for an opening in Sao Paolo? If this person has had the appropriate language training to become communication-empowered, he or she might as well move within the company or even fill this position from their home location - at a fraction of the potential recruitment cost. Language training will lend a hand to succession planning and recruitment: The recovering global economy now offers increased career mobility to a larger number of employees. At the same time, with the changing generational dynamic of the workforce, potential vacancies may arise in parts of the business that need to be addressed promptly in order to maintain continuity. A thorough succession management strategy includes language and communication training for all staff across the board. Organisations need to recognise the availability of communication skills and knowledge first, before planning how to make the most of staff talent and where to place them within the company. Changing learning channels: The ‘Speexx Languages and Business Audit’, revealed that 71 per cent of organisations believe they will be delivering more blended learning content within the next two years. The way global workforces are trained is also expected to change by 2014. 71 per cent of respondents stated that ‘blended learning’ will be the primary method for delivering training. In the meantime, classroom training will dramatically fall and one out of five organisations expects that ‘social and informal learning’ will play a greater role in staff development. Consistent delivery and adoption gives better ROI: One unified language and communication skills training system, where staff can log on wherever whenever they wish, is becoming an increasingly vital component of multinational organisations’ entire talent management strategy. A standardised, consistent approach is also essential to measure the outcome of every component of talent management and development. Most companies assume that language skills are much higher, however, when the unified tests are conducted there is a large gap between the assumed skill level, and the actual level of communications skills. Once the standardised system is in place, the measurability of skills becomes far more accurate, and the results more visible. Creating a winning situation for all: The movement towards friendly, informal learning that can be managed into the day-to-day activities of staff does not mean disparate results. Taking the right measures to develop a perfect blend of learning is the key to achieving consistent results. Managers can encourage staff to use and develop the communication skills they have already acquired and offer language training in ways that are both motivating and compatible with a dynamic and diverse workplace. The post Building the Case for Online Language Training appeared first on speexx exchange.

The recent mergers and acquisitions activity in the cloud-based learning space signals the start of an e-revolution in the global workplace. Global HRMS vendors like SAP, Oracle, Workday, Ultimate, Salesforce.com, and others are moving towards the cloud at lightning speed. The shift began in December 2011, with SAP announcing its takeover of SuccessFactors. Salesforce followed, buying social performance management software company Rypple. Oracle has since integrated Taleo, giving it a powerhouse set of products for human resources and talent management. More recently, in August 2012, IBM announced the acquisition of Kenexa to help ramp up its analytics service, specifically in the identification of workforce skills. The Global Workplace - Cloud versus Classroom Our current Speexx Exchange Mobility Survey shows that among our European customers, 21% are already impacted by this recent cloud development, with more than 70% expecting to feel the effects of this within the next three years. But there is a flipside to this: Although many organisations are buying into higly sophisticated cloud learning systems, they are often still resorting to the rigid structure of classroom training. It is this gap between opportunity and usage which organisations need to close in order for students and end-users to make the most of new online talent management systems. In a survey conducted by Bersin & Associates of over 720 companies representing a broad spectrum of global industries, ‘driving internal mobility and career development’ is considered one of the top factors for improving organisational performance   With the rise of enterprise resource solutions, companies now have a greater opportunity to work across borders, using all systems available within the ‘cloud’ of consolidated training and talent management resources. Companies are also able to integrate their talent management systems within their overall IT structure, especially those wishing to operate on a global scale. Read more on this in our latest article on Training Zone. The post Learning in the Cloud appeared first on speexx exchange.

We are strong believers in the power of virtual communication. After all, this is what Speexx is about - empowering communication across borders. But I have to admit, every once in a while it helps to meet face-to-face. For example, at our annual Speexx Exchange event. And this is why we came up with Speexx Exchange - our series of events where we meet clients, users, e-learning industry experts and friends to discuss topics we care about as a company - empowering global organizations to communicate, talent management, online language learning, web-based training, social, mobile and much more. Last year, we met in 5 cities around the world and this year, we are hosting events in Milan, Paris, Madrid and Berlin. This year’s topic is quite straight forward: We´d like to discuss why e-learning-empowered organizations are so much more agile and profitable. Which best practice really gets results? And where is the e-learning industry headed today? Speexx Exchange 2012 will take an in-depth reality check on the state of the e-learning industry. No future talk, just facts. Meet industry leaders, hear and talk about best practice for deploying global e-learning scenarios at scale and get the latest results from Europe’s leading e-learning industry research. Join us on the eve of the Online Educa 2012 event for half a day packed with networking opportunities, expert presentations, discussion, interaction and - great food. For the Berlin event on November 28, register here, seats are limited! Can’t make it to Berlin? Meet us at one of our other Speexx Exchange autumn editions in Madrid, Paris or Milan instead. Even better than Speexx Exchange 2011 Last year’s Exchange event drew an audience of more than 250 HR and L&D professionals from all over the world to discuss "The Future of Learning". The conference featured French e-learning Guru Michel Diaz, Martin Raske (Head of Global E-learning Solutions at Crédit Suisse AG), Spanish industry expert Maite Sáenz, edublogger Kirsten Winkler of www.kirstenwinkler.com and many more. This year´s line-up includes Laura Overton from Towards Maturity in the UK, Pascal Debordes of CEGOS, presentations from the African Development Bank, Richemont SA, and many more. We can’t wait to see you there!   The post Madrid, Paris, Berlin, Rome - Speexx Exchange 2012 Events coming soon! appeared first on speexx exchange.

Looking back at the London 2012 Olympic Games, it is undeniable that the United Kingdom is rich in talent. From the opening to the closing ceremonies, the world saw Great Britain as front-runners, not only in sport but also in music, technology and fashion. And many from multicultural and multilingual backgrounds. Yet when it comes to business, much of this talent remains largely untapped. While the economy struggles out of recession, the pressure mounts on businesses to find more innovative ways of enhancing revenue streams. The latest estimate from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research revealed that output in the UK grew by only 0.2 percent in the last three months. Looking outside domestic trade may therefore be an alternative way to boost business growth. This will only be possible, however, if cultural shifts in integrating multilingual communication skills in the workforce are actively implemented.   It’s all about communication In a rapidly changing workforce, language skills provide the key to communicating across borders and operating efficiently. Multilingual learning also opens up intercultural dialogue and better communication amongst staff. This, in turn, increases efficiency, quality, accuracy and the smooth running of business operations. There is a lot to learn from booming businesses in countries such as India and China. These have invested much time and resources  in developing and implementing communication skills training within their labour force. And now, they are reaping the rewards. The UK is in a unique position as it has an abundance of multicultural talent from all over the world in its backyard. Yet many organizations fail to ensure that skilled migrant workers are identified, trained and positioned appropriately within the company. Read more about this in our latest post on Ingenious Britain. The post Communication skills to boost growth: Britain’s got talent appeared first on speexx exchange.

Is Globish the answer to all your business communication needs? Digital technology has transformed global business into a fast-paced competitive environment, unconfined by time and space. As more and more organizations access an international pool of customers and staff, communication skills become essential to improving productivity and forging bonds across borders. Slow economic recovery in large parts of the Western World has also meant that businesses are under greater pressure to tap into new revenue streams outside domestic markets in an effort boost growth. Do you speak Globish? Let us compare the near-stagnant business growth in the United Kingdom to the stream of success enjoyed by countries such as China and India. One outstanding difference is that these markets have invested a significant amount of time and energy in improving communication skills within their labour force. Many organizations in English-speaking nations assume they need not worry about language training because most business is conducted in English. In reality, however, the international business space demands communication in Globish. First coined in 1995 by Jean-Paul Nerrière, a former vice-president of marketing at IBM, Globish denotes a simple form of English made up of 1500 words which is becoming the widespread common dialect of the non-Anglophone business. Many workers in countries such as China and India are so proficient in Globish that they can actually communicate with each other in this simplified language more easily than with British-standard English speakers, whose regional accents, pitch or idioms may not be widely understood. There are roughly 380,000,000 native speakers of English, an impressive figure. But compare this to 300,000,000 Chinese learning English. Within the next ten years, they will make China into the world’s largest English-speaking nation. Even ten years ago, a British Council report suggested that there will be over 2 billion speakers of English by 2015. Native speakers are strongly outnumbered by those who speak English as a second language. Therefore, even though the English language finds its roots in the United Kingdom, organizations in the English-speaking world still need to embrace the Globish phenomenon if they wish to open the international doors of business understanding. But will Globish be enough for you and does your organization speak Globish? Read more on this in our latest post at growthbusiness.co.uk. The post The Globish Phenomenon appeared first on speexx exchange.

The first two Speexx Exchange e-learning events were a huge success! We are just half way through the European circuit - with Milan and Berlin still to come - and we’ve already had twice as many visitors as we had at Speexx Exchange 2011. On November 13th, the Salon des Miroirs venue in Paris filled with e-learning experts and L&D specialists for half a day to share international findings and opinions on the current state of the e-learning industry. Among the speaker panel for Speexx Exchange Paris were Pascal Debordes of Cegos, Olivier Charbonnier of Interface, Zofia Sorokowska of Bel and Pascal Bignier of IGPDE. The conference was followed by cocktails and some great networking opportunities with numerous global organizations. The audience’s feedback in terms of agenda quality, round table topics and speakers’ presentations was phenomenal. 8 days later, November 21st, the second edition of our annual events series kicked off - this time in Madrid. Around 100 attendees, speakers and Speexx represenatives gathered at the Cámara de Comercio Alemana para Espana, with yet another fantastic line-up of experts, including Luis Huete of TopTen Management, Juan Carlos González of AEDIPE, Maite Sáenz of the Observatorio Recursos Humanos magazine, Mario Stofenmacher of Cegos, Enrique Díaz of GREF and many more. Recent research findings, studies and discussions gave attendees of Speexx Exchange Madrid a unique insight into the latest e-learning trends, leaving them hungry for next year’s event. Find out more about Speexx Exchange Paris and Speexx Exchange Madrid. For more photos, visit our Speexx Facebook page. Next up are Speexx Exchange Milan on November 27th and Speexx Exchange Berlin on November 28th. Stay tuned for more updates! And finally: don’t forget to join our global e-learning Reality Check Survey! Around 200 organizations have taken part so far and you’ll also have the chance to win an iPad, so make sure you take part and have your say!     The post Speexx Exchange 2012 Starts off with a Bang appeared first on speexx exchange.

Speexx Exchange 2012 is over for this year! Involving 4 major European cities, 400 attendees and dozens of inspiring presentations, our annual series of e-learning events brought together experts from around the globe to discuss the state of the e-learning industry and conduct an exclusive Reality Check. The 2012 Reality Check Each year, we gather all over the world to discover e-learning best practice initiatives from global leaders and to open up new discussions about current industry movements on an international level. In parallel, our annual Speexx Exchange survey reveals the attitudes of global organizations towards learning & development trends provided attendees with solid facts and figures to benefit them in learning scenarios on the ground. It’s not too late to join the Speexx Exchange survey and have your say - you’ll even be in with the chance to win an iPad 3! Here’s a sneak peek of the results we’ve received from the 200 organizations which took part so far: - 89% considered communication skills to be crucial to their organization’s success - 94% believe that cloud-based learning solutions will gain even more importance in the future - 49% have implemented or are planning to implement mobile learning strategies Stay tuned for more details! Even better than last year Speexx Exchange 2012 took place across four major European cities: Paris, Madrid, Milan and Berlin to offer a total of 400 attendees (twice as many as last year!) and speakers the chance to network, learn from each other and open up new avenues for e-learning ideas and opportunities. Partners, clients, attendees and media representatives travelled from all over the world to exchange their knowledge with a fantastic line-up of experts from organizations such as Richemont, Airbus, Nokia Siemens Networks, Towards Maturity, Vodafone, Cegos, Bel, African Development Bank, Obervatorio Recursos Humanos, Vodafone and many more. Thank you to everyone who attended Speexx Exchange and made the event circuit even more amazing than last year! Staying in touch Attendees confirmed that they were extremely  impressed by the diverse blend of speakers and regarded Speexx Exchange as an highly valuable learning opportunity. 90% said they would be interested in joining again next year. You can find more impressions, highlights and quotes via our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn Accounts and on the Speexx Exchange homepage. To register interest for Speexx Exchange 2013, drop us a line: info@speexx.com.   The post A Resounding Success: Speexx Exchange 2012 appeared first on speexx exchange.

When describing Speexx as a global online language training service with local support, we often use the term glocalization. I would really love to claim this one for myself but actually it first appeared in the late 1980s in articles by Japanese economists in the Harvard Business Review. The term simply combines the words globalization and localization. It was invented to emphasize that the globalization of a product or service is more likely to succeed when the product or service is adapted specifically to each locality it is marketed in. Sociologist Roland Robertson, who is credited with spreading the term, describes glocalization as the tempering effects of local conditions on global pressures. At a 1997 conference on "Globalization and Indigenous Culture," Robertson explained that glocalization "means the simultaneity — the co-presence — of both universalizing and particularizing tendencies." Glocalization everywhere There are plenty of popular examples for successful "glocal" enterprises; among the best-known are McDonalds and KFC. The increasing presence of fast food chain restaurants worldwide is an example of globalization. A fast food chain’s menu adaptations to local palates, on the other hand, is an example of glocalization. Perhaps even more illustrative of glocalization: For promotions in France and given the French’s legendary unease with the sort of mass-market American culture that McDonald’s has come to epitomise, they simply sacked the familiar Ronald McDonald character. Ronald’s replacement comes in the form of  a champion of Gallic culture - Asterix. Another well-known example is Coca Cola - described in an interesting blog post on the BBC website by Nathalie Nahai, author of ‘Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion‘. She puts the effects of glocalization pretty straight: "English is dead, long live ‘glocalization’. Glocalization in Education Which brings me to languages and online learning in a global workplace: A global technology platform like the ubiquitous cloud-based learning and performance management systems we see at large corporations around the world is a great way to disseminate information. But on its own, it does not teach anything. Many organizations make the costly mistake of assuming that, just because they have one centralized system, it can be applied to everything, everyone and anytime. A "one-size-fits-all" approach, however, is not pragmatic and most often does not work. This is because the objective, drive and capacity to learn varies strongly among individual users. Therefore, a successful talent management solution is about "glocalization," which in this context is about implementing one streamlined, global solution complemented by local support. The more we look at organizations on an international scale, the more we see the need to address learning diversity by way of age, gender and culture. Local support starts with a technical help desk, who can implement the technology and the methodology. Local tutors are also necessary, who can teach languages in a way that is suited to the cultural and learning needs of the particular set of students. In this way, organizations can effectively embrace the opportunities that new technologies have to offer and unlock the full potential of talent within their workforce. The post The Need for Glocalization appeared first on speexx exchange.

For those inexperienced in American business, the language of Finance English can appear dry and straightforward. Despite this common belief, even a native English speaker can be lost in the world of high finance slang. The scenario: A skyscraper conference room on Wall Street, a mid-market firm is looking to select a financial advisor. This process of selection is known in the finance world as a beauty contest. As the company and the banking team gather around the table, the bankers lob their pitch. ‘We’ll need to ramp the cash flow multiple by three in order to leverage the action on the street this year. We also expect to bring out the big guns in order to get the boys in the backroom thinking about sweetening this deal.’ Even a native English speaker might shake her head and ask: ‘What? English please!’ To someone with a lot of experience in the business world, the above statement can be translated as follows: ‘We’ll need to increase revenue by a multiple of three in order to take advantage of this year’s national economic growth and buying frenzy. We also expect to introduce something of interest (e.g. financial projections, new product line-up, etc.) in order to encourage the decision-makers to offer more money for this transaction.’ Even after this translation to English vernacular, this statement still contains specific corporate finance language. But where did all of this business jargon come from? It is commonly the case that even highly educated native English speakers are not familiar with the origins of business slang. Curiously enough, a lot of business slang derives from America’s favorite pastime, baseball. For example, in business you might be told to either ‘play hardball’ or ‘get out of the big leagues.’ The reason that baseball has so affected the modern American business tongue can be traced back to the 1920s. During this period of economic boom, both blue- and white-collar workers alike found a common bond in the pleasure of baseball. This is attributed to a general reduction of labor hours, more free time and an overall higher quality of life. Today, however, the world of finance has transformed into its own sports arena, and the slang originally used on the baseball diamond has transformed with it. Therefore, companies seeking financial advisors usually bring in lawyers in order to translate for them at the negotiating table. Some suggestions for playing hardball in the American market? Don’t just study the bottom line, otherwise the fat cats might gain too much ground and the figure may be way out of your ballpark. So, before you’re saddled with debt, ask your colleagues at the round table to straighten out their lingo. After all, a fair game requires a level playing field, don’t you agree? By the way, why not boost your financial English in our free webinar series? One of our top native trainers will help you get the key banking and financial vocabulary needed for your daily work in the industry.

With ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN fast approaching us on the 5th and 6th December, it’ s hard to believe that the event is now in its 19th year. The conference brings together more than 400 speakers and 2,000 participants from in excess of 100 countries and is an annual fixture in my calendar. Ahead of Speexx Exchange, which takes place on the eve of Online Educa Berlin, we are running our annual audit of global CXOs, HR, L&D professionals and training consultants who are also scheduled to attend the event. Early findings of the Speexx Exchange 2013-14 Survey show some interesting insights which I’m pleased to share with you. We asked L&D professionals worldwide about the main benefits they see in e-enabled learning. 60 per cent said that "flexibility and instant accessibility" were the key advantages they gained, followed by a "reduction of direct training costs" (cited by 14 per cent). It is encouraging to see that HR and L&D managers are already registering financial benefits of e-learning programmes. In line with this trend, more than half of respondents indicate that they plan to increase the proportion of their online training budget within the next three years to support a more diverse and dispersed workforce. As an important element of e-learning, mobile learning is soaring in all industries. 38 per cent confirmed that they were actively supporting mobile learning within their organisation and 19 per cent plan to implement a mobile learning strategy within the next three years. The main factors considered to be hampering mobile learning in the workplace were "lack of integration", "No BYOD policy in place" and "corporate data security issues". In addition, the survey shows that social learning is a popular concept, but has not yet been implemented as widely as mobile learning. Only 23 per cent currently have a social learning strategy in place, while 30 per cent plan to introduce it by 2016 and the rest have no social learning projects. By contrast, the vast majority strongly believe in the potential of social learning, with 90 per cent considering it to become either "very effective" or "somewhat effective" by 2016. Read full post via Training Journal.

Once upon a time, employees went to the office and completed their tasks there on company-owned computers and telephones. These days, employees are just as likely to perform those same tasks on devices they themselves own. But as the popularity of ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) grows, employers are starting to wonder: Umm, shouldn’t we have a policy about that? BYOD is becoming the norm worldwide Bringing your own device to work is becoming increasingly common at companies around the globe. The research organization Logicalis determined that especially in high-growth markets like Brazil, Russia, India, UAE and Malaysia, nearly 75 percent of employees were likely to use devices they themselves had bought and paid for. In mature developed markets, like the United States, the rates were more moderate, at about 44 percent. At first glance, letting employees use their own laptops and smartphones seems like a pretty good idea. Some studies have shown that mobile devices increase productivity, and employees certainly prefer not having to carry around two smartphones or laptops. In some industries, being able to use your own device at work makes a company seem like a more desirable employer. Flexible but overworked? The report ‘Mobile Workforce’ from iPass indicates that the flexible work schedules made possible through BYOD implementation is also causing many employees to work up to 20 additional hours per week. One third never fully disconnects, even during personal time. Just eight percent disconnect completely from work while on vacation. There are, however, enormous security risks involved with implementing BYOD. In the recent Speexx Exchange 2013 Survey, "Corporate data security issues" was cited as one of the main issue hampering mobile learning in the workplace. For example, what happens if the device is stolen or compromised?  And how can companies ensure that employees provide and maintain at least basic security standards? Lack of a true BYOD policy Recent research has shown that, internationally, only about 20 percent of employees have signed some sort of BYOD policy. Interestingly, an Aberdeen Group study found that 75 percent of surveyed organizations allow employee BYOD, and an amazing 51 percent could bring in any device, with little or no policy limitations. So if a company decides it wants to benefit from BYOD without getting burned, it makes sense to develop a company policy that defines exactly what sensitive company information must be protected, and who should have access to it. Getting to the heart of mobile device management There are two typical approaches for securing information. Companies can limit which device users use to access the company network, or the data itself can be protected so that anyone with any device can access it, but only if they have the right password. Either of these approaches, or a combination of both, becomes the heart of a mobile device management (MDM) policy. The crucial final step, of course, is making sure employees are educated about the policy once it exists. It is important that everyone understand why such a policy is needed and that there are no exceptions. Only then can employers and employees expect the benefits of BYOD to really pay off. Interested in mobile learning? Find out how Speexx can help you foster mobile language training in the workplace.

Speexx Exchange, our global e-learning and talent management conference is approaching fast and in line with this, we are running our annual Reality Check survey. Join now and you could win a brand-new iPad. Each year, we assess the industry by asking senior HR and L&D professionals from all over the world about how they manage e-learning and talent issues in their organizations and what challenges they are dealing with. We’ll be presenting the first survey results at conference Speexx Exchange which is taking place in Berlin, Madrid and Paris and Rome this year - so make sure you save your seat! Our latest whitepaper "Empowering Communication - what’s in it for the bottom line?" is based on first-hand research which we carried out among some 230 organizations worldwide last year. Here’s a sneak preview for you: Executive summary "Organizations that empower communication skills not only open themselves up to cloud-based talent management and e-learning, but also gain a significant competitive advantage over those retaining local, silo-based solutions. Communication is the glue holding together any organization. It can make or break business success in a globally competitive market. Effective communication across borders is essential, not just for increasing business productivity and enlarging the global talent pool, but for building a competitive advantage in today’s borderless workforce. Without communication, a global cloud-based solution cannot be implemented. Nor can any real partnerships be formed between e-learning providers and Human Resources (HR). Capability development is the number one issue driving business growth at the moment. Although the majority of organizations agree and aim to move towards cloud-based learning management systems (LMS) by 2015, a surprising number of them are still using local silo-based systems. The truth is that at this rate, most will not make the move in time and will miss the target. What organizations gain from e-learning E-learning sets the stage for communication and is a vital component of any HR and L&D strategy. Effective communication opens up intercultural dialogue and better working relationships among staff. This has a knock-on effect of increasing efficiency, quality, accuracy and the smooth running of business operations - all key parameters for productivity and growth. As cloud-based technology has helped create a tighter global talent management network, the pressure is on organizations to adopt one streamlined process across the board that encapsulates the needs of all their international counterparts. Many organizations have already recognized the numerous benefits of e-learning and are implementing programmes across nearly every skills area such as business communication skills, IT skills and customer service skills. The recent Towards Maturity[1] Benchmark Survey indicated that there is almost four times as much e-enablement of language training in 2012 compared to 2010. One example is Japanese-based company, Rakuten[2], which operates in 18 countries, covering more than a dozen languages. The company implemented an "Englishnization" policy to tackle its corporate communication skills gap on a global level. This not only improved communication, but also propelled the organization into the ranks of global expansion leadership. Despite these trends, the Towards Maturity Benchmark Survey also highlights that e-learning is still not seen as a management priority by 53 percent of organizations surveyed, which is actually an increase from 45 percent in 2011. The top obstacles to adopting e-learning technology include lack of skills amongst employees to manage their own learning (63 percent) and the lack of knowledge of use and implementation (63 percent). Nevertheless, organizations need to realise that the approach required in today’s global environment is changing fast. It involves a cloud-based solution encompassing communication development, leadership development, technical training and compliance, which it must apply against its talent management strategy." Read more in the full whitepaper.   1 http://www.towardsmaturity.org/article/2012/05/14/2012-13-towards-maturity-benchmark/ 2 http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/04/unify_your_global_company_through.html      

That’s all folks! Speexx Exchange is over for this year. And what a fantastic month it has been. A big thank you to all the speakers, partners and guests who joined us this year and made it such a huge success. And a very special thanks to our sponsor ChapmanBlack, the leading Technology, Engineering & Operations Executive Recruiter. We’re already looking forward to seeing you at Speexx Exchange 2014 but first, here are the 2013 highlights. Speexx Exchange - A truly global event series 4 cities, 450 attendees and dozens of exciting presentations, discussions and opportunities to collaborate, connect and exchange. This year’s Speexx Exchange was all about finding innovative approaches to global talent management and getting practical solutions that can be applied in the workplace right away. Over 400 attendees from over 25 countries joined this year, representing global organizations such as JW Marriott Maqruis, Bulgari, Brückner Group, ALSTOM, SGS, Saint-Gobain, Generali, UniCredit, BCD Travel, E.ON, Volkswagen, eBay and many more. Together, we created a unique exchange of ideas over the course of several weeks. Paris We started out in Paris on November 19 in the beautiful Salon des Miroirs. The venue was filled with e-learning experts and HR Managers for half a day to share findings on the current state of the e-learning industry. The speaker panel included Charlène Berneau of Saint-Gobain, Patrick Galiano of Cegos, Olivier Charbonnier ofGroupe Interfact and Ahmed Limam of Wipro Technologies. The conference was followed by open discussions and networking opportunities over some great cocktails. Madrid The journey continued in Madrid on November 27 at the German Chamber of Commerce. Here, our event was kindly hosted by Adrián Murcia of IFAES and Maite Sáenz of Observatorio Recursos Humanos. Our speaker panel included Markus Kemper, Vice President of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain, Enrique Sueiro and Enrique de Mora of Top Ten Business Experts, Montse Font of Grifols, Raquel Calvo of GREF and Jose Antonio Viejo of Fundación Laboral de la Construcción. Exclusive research findings and discussions gave attendees a unique insight into the latest e-learning and talent management trends. Rome Next up was Rome on November 28. Here, Speexx Exchange took place as part of the HRC Best Practice Day, one of the most important HR events in Italy. The speaker panel consisted of an impressive line-up of experts, such as Franco Bellini, Antonella Gesualdo and Elizabeth Crane of UniCredit, Lucio Sindaco of Gruppo Lillo MD Discount, Roberto Manzi of Yamamay, Rossello Asaro of Bulgari, Immacolata De Bonis of AXA-MPS and Renzo Manzin of Generali Business Solutions. An intensive afternoon of presentations and workshops left delegates with some great food for thought to take back to the workplace. Berlin The final Speexx Exchange edition kicked off in Berlin on the morning of December 4th. The conference was held as part of Online Educa Berlin and in close cooperation with our sponsr ChapmanBlack. The room was packed, with no seats going spare. Around 100 international guests and speakers from all over the world and a broad range of industries gathered together to get an in-depth reality check on what is happening in e-learning and talent management right now. An impressive line-up of eight international experts from HR and L&D joined to share their insights. We were delighted to welcome Laura Overton of Towards Maturity as our host, who guided us through the day with new learning approaches, lots of opportunity for the audience to interact and live votings about e-learning usage in the workplace. Laura started her session by sharing some of the key findings of this year’s Towards Maturity Benchmark Survey and showing what the top quartile do differently in terms of learning in the workplace. This was followed by Nabil Senyonga, Director of Learning at JW Marquis Hotel Dubai. Nabil gave us an insight into the e-learning advent in the Middle East and the reasons for its fast uptake. In particular, he highlighted how the learning culture in the Middle East differs from that in other parts of the world and what role the government and infrastructure play in fostering learning technologies. Barry Trout, CEO of ChapmanBlack and HireStorm took the floor next, by showing us how to hire and retain the best talent in organizations worldwide in seven crucial steps. Barry shared a comprehensive and practical set of guidelines which simplify the hiring process for any organization aiming to find and keep the right people. Did you know that there are 4 million people in the UK alone who seeking new job opportunities and available to change right now? Our final session of the morning was held by Stefan Linge, Head of Training & Development at SGS Germany. With an in-depth set of statistics, Stefan helped us to see what really remains of the learning process in self-directed scenarios. In order to really measure the transfer of skills and knowledge, we must use the formular of Learning x Ability x Motivation x Work Environment. Stefan also raised the question of how many organizations really help their staff grow their ability to learn and relearn. After a delicious lunch served by the famous Hotel InterContinental cuisine, we heard how Petra Pongratz-Kolbig of Brückner Group manages intercultural awareness in a globally engaged organization. As Head of HR, Petra is faced with the daily challenge of managing intercultural teams that not only have very different approaches and expectations in terms of their work, but also in the way they acquire new skills. Next up was Michael Salone, CEO and Co-Founder of 3-6TY, who gave us some first-hand advice on integrating learning and talent through peer-to-peer talent identification. It turns out that our colleagues often know much more about our skills than our bosses do. Michael gave us some fresh perspectives on how to deal with this and other challenges in talent management. The next session featured Bernd Binzenbach, Training Manager of the Business Travel Academy atBCD Travel. Bernd showed us why he truly believes in the power of blended learning and how to get buy-in from colleagues and management when implementing blended learning formulas. Above all, as we discovered, it is crucial to compose different learning modules and not just throw them together. Donald H Taylor, Chairman of the Learning and Performance Institute, wrapped up the event with an impressive insight of learning trends and pitfalls that we can expect in 2014. In particular, Don touched upon maturing delivery, the rise of the networked individual and the demanding business as the key trends. And the 2014 pitfall for HR and L&D? Organizational agility. Our final session involved a World Café with round table discussions, where our delegates got their final say on what is really driving learning and performance in global organizations. This was followed by some refreshments and networking opportunities to end a truly eye-opening day. To see the full day in pictures, visit us on Facebook and Twitter. To find out more, visit our conference website. To see the events in pictures,  join us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. And to register your interest for Speexx Exchange 2014, sign up for our free Newsletter.  

With 2013 coming to an end and a well-deserved holiday break around the corner, we’re looking back on what has been another great year for Speexx . Events We were delighted to present and network at loads of international trade fairs around the world this year, covering China, Thailand, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Brazil, the USA, and many more. Our annual Speexx Exchange conference series is now in its third year and continues to help HR and L&D Managers from a different countries and industries get new insights on talent management and learning solutions and network with industry peers. This year’s events took place across four major European cities and we were so happy with the outcome, we’re already planning Speexx Exchange 2014. See a recap with pictures and highlights here. Awards We added a number of new global industry awards to our list, including the International E-Learning Award, the Seal of e-Excellence and the eLearning Journal Award. We were also shortlisted for the Eurelea Award, the Training Journal Awards and the E-Learning Age Awards. In addition, our consumer products came first in Germany’s Stiftung Warentest audit of English language learning solutions. Content 2013 has also been a great year for publishing our content about talent management, business communication and e-learning innovations. A big thank you to all the publishers and online magazines who have featured our articles and podcasts this year, in particular to Training Journal, Training Zone, HR Magazine, Wirtschaft und Weiterbildung, America Learning & Media, IDG Connect, Strategic HR Review, Learning Technologies and Real Business. Two Speexx Whitepapers were published this year, both based on our own industry research from the Speexx Exchange survey. "Setting the Agenda for Global Talent Management" and "Empowering Communication - What’s in it for the bottom line?" help HR and L&D Manager wordlwide recognize industry trends and deal with new challenges. Stay tuned for our next whitepaper which will be available in 2014. A Million Chances Each year just before Christmas, we donate 1 Million Euros worth of online learning content to charities all over the world as part of our A Million Chances initiative. A Million Chances aims to make education accessible to disadvantaged people of all ages and backgrounds, and also to those who help them. We’re proud to partner with DisasterReady.org for several global charity projects this year. DisasterReady.org is a collaborative, non-profit effort informed and supported by prominent aid agencies and the Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD) Foundation—a leader in the field of online learning for nonprofit organizations. The goal of the initiative is to increase the preparedness and effectiveness of humanitarian aid workers by making training more accessible. Support for DisasterReady.org is provided by participating aid agencies and by the CSOD Foundation. In close cooperation with DisasterReady.org, Speexx provides aid workers of NGOs and humanitarian agencies with free online language courses for English, French and Spanish. This year’s organizations include the French Medical Institute for Children, E.L.I.S.A. MEDICOPTÈRE, Mercy Corps, UNHCR, Save the Children, and many more. Humanitarian aid workers access Speexx courses through the DisasterReady.org portal and start their language training right away. We hope that with better language skills, these aid workers will be able to communicate better in the affected areas and help those in need more quickly. For more information about the projects we support, visit our A Million Chances page. A big thank you to our partners, customers, friends and colleagues for their continued support. Merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

This week, while writing an email to someone I’ve never met, I came up against a thorny question: What’s the best way to address someone you don’t personally know? He’s another American, roughly my age. And an artist. I was contacting him with a work question. So, after some debate, I opened the email with, ‘Dear Mr. Smith.’ I was surprised when Mr. Smith wrote back and said, ‘Hello Holly. Mr Smith is my dad, my name is Joel!’ My first thought after this faux pas, was, will we ever be able to do business together? Was he insulted? Was I being stuffy and old fashioned? Or am I just that out of the cultural loop? In the end, I decided I hadn’t been too old fashioned, and I probably didn’t insult him. Artist or not, it would have been very rude to write ‘Dear Joel.’ English is kind of sticky that way. Unlike many other languages, there’s but one set of pronouns to work with, and they apply to everyone, no matter how old or young, or how well you know them. It’s been that way since the 17th century, when we English speakers dispensed with the rather awkward ‘thou’ and ‘thee.’ Naturally this raises questions for learners of English: If there’s only one ‘you,’ how do you show someone respect? Where’s the formality? Are English speakers well, just, rude? Politeness is a serious matter for the English Actually, English speakers take politeness very seriously. It’s just that the tools are a bit different. Let’s start with titles. Especially for introductions, the titles ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’ are used, or occasionally, ‘Dr,’ although that should only be used with doctors of medicine. So, in spoken English at least, introductions might go like this: ‘Holly, I’d like you to meet Mr Davy Jones from Monkey Music.’ Notice that the title Mr. isn’t really doing anything in the sentence, but it does add a tiny glimmer of respect. In formal business, this makes a difference. However, as an English speaker who isn’t too keen on upholding unnecessary formality, I’m likely to throw that right back out the window. Here’s my likely answer: ‘Nice to meet you. Please, call me Holly.’ And that’s that. Now Mr. Jones tells me his given name, we shake hands, and we’re on a first name basis for life. Avoiding embarrassment English seems so intent on dropping formality that even Mrs. and Miss are starting to disappear. Blame feminism if you like, but many women prefer to be introduced as Ms., which incorporates both unmarried and married women. This is especially true in business settings where women want to be recognized for their ability, and not their marital status. From my point of view, you can always think of ‘Ms’ as a way to avoid embarrassment - if the woman you’re writing or speaking to is not married, and you choose ‘Mrs,’ you might insult her. If she is married, and you choose ‘Miss,’ you might insult her too. So stick with ‘Ms.’ Really, this is progress! Back to my email. Maybe now it’s clear why I initially chose to write to ‘Mr Smith,’ rather than ‘Joel.’ It was the most polite option at the time. However, since Joel made a point of writing to Holly, and signing his email with just Joel, I now know all of our emails will be between Joel and Holly. Ditto for phone calls, and so on. Nice, huh? But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna be hangin’ wit’ my homey, Joel. I still don’t know him, and I still need to have a business relationship with him. It’s time to go back to my toolbox. The most important words in English: please and thank you Have you ever noticed how often English speakers say ‘please’ and ’thank you’? In spoken English at least, you can’t actually say those words too often. In fact, if in doubt, throw one in - it can’t hurt, and it certainly might help. ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ are social lubricators. They grease the way. The English are famous for social lubrication. Any typecast Brit will pepper his or her speech with seemingly meaningless phrases, like, ‘Pardon?’ ‘Allow me,’ and ‘may I?’ These fill the gaps, and make English sound more polite, even when the meat of the sentence is quite direct. All Englishes function on this principle. Social lubricators don’t work as well in written English though. Modal auxiliaries are the best tools there. By modal auxiliaries, I mean those little helping hands: would, could, might or may. Beat around the bush To many non-native speakers of English, they make the language sound uncommonly wishy-washy and indirect, but hey, that’s language for you. A good example: complaining. You’ve bought a camera, it doesn’t work. You take it back, but the clerk doesn’t want to either fix it or give you your money back. You get mad. What do you say in English? Option 1: ‘I’m sorry, but that’s just not acceptable. May I speak to the manager, please?’ Or Option 2: ‘You’re wrong. Where’s your boss?’ Believe it or not, option 1 will get you tons further in English-speaking countries that option 2 will. ‘Keep calm, and carry on,’ as the English would - no, might - say. And trust me: the clerk will get the message. ’2′ on the other hand, will just make them stubborn. Still confused about that civilized behavior in English? That’s okay. As I said, every language has its sticky points. Just remember: mind your manners, lubricate your speech, and be - just a little bit - indirect. Want to become a real pro in written and spoken English? Check out our free webinar series for Automotive, Banking and HR English. Find more business English podcasts here. So how much did you understand? Now I’ll ask some questions. Questions Q: What’s the problem with ‘you’? A: Nothing, really. It’s just that in English, ‘you’ is used for everyone, no matter how old or young, and regardless of their relationship to you.   Q: What did I call those useful little phrases, ‘allow me’ and ‘pardon’? A: I called them ‘social lubricants.’ That’s because they grease the way.   Q: What did I have to say about please and thank you? A: In English, you can never use them too often. If in doubt, throw one in! It can’t hurt, and it might actually help.     Some useful English vocabulary for you Here is some of the vocabulary you heard in the audio. Do you know what these idiomatic expressions mean? thorny - difficult to be stuffy - to be stiff to be out of the loop - to be unfamiliar with current trends to be rude - impolite a glimmer of sth - a little bit of sth to throw sth out the window - to refuse sth to be on a first-name basis - to know and use someone’s given name, rather than family name to stick with sth - to keep doing sth ditto for - the same is true for hangin’ wit’ my homey - to be good friends with sb if in doubt, … - if you’re unsure, … to grease the way - to make sth easier to be typecast - to be stereotypical to pepper one’s speech with sth - to fill one’s speech with sth to be wishy washy - uncertain, indirect or undecided to get the message - to understand sth

We’re back from this year’s Learning Technologies in London, which has, once again, proven to be one of the most inspiring e-learning events of this day and age. Thanks to everyone who dropped by our stand to find out more about the Speexx solutions and get a free demo. Busier than ever Over 6,000 HR and L&D professionals and e-learning experts attended this year, offering exciting opportunities to connect and learn from each other. From the minute the doors at the Olympia 2 venue opened, the halls were bustling with international visitors from small and large companies worldwide, eager to see what’s hot in e-learning and talent management this year. More than 230 exhibitors joined the Learning Technologies and Learning & Skills trade shows and displayed their latest products and solutions - ofted topped with some delicious and brightly-colored macaroons or cupcakes. The spaces between the booths were filled with a total of 140 impressive seminars, delivered by industry experts. This year, our very own Mehdi Tounsi of the Speexx London office held a 30-minute seminar on redefining learning strategies through cloud-based talent management. Mehdi explained to us why so many people talk about moving into the cloud, yet so few actually use it and what its benefits could mean for your business. If you’d like a to receive a copy of the full presentation, give us a shout at info@speexx.com. Some of this year’s trending topics at the show included: Human Capital Metrics Compliance Bespoke content development Our latest Whitepaper "Championing business agility through better workforce communication", printed exclusively for the Learning Technologies ahead of official release, went away like hot cakes, making us wish we’d printed more. But fear not, you can still get your copy of the whitepaper, along with loads of other free learning resources, via our website. Find out how better foreign language and business communication skills can benefit your workforce and deliver better productivity and profitability for your organization as a whole. Check out the Learning Technologies in pictures on our Facebook page. About Learning Technologies Now in its 16th year, it’s Europe’s leading showcase of technology supported workplace learning. And it’s literally bigger and more vital than ever before. It’s Learning Technologies 2015 and it all happens again on January 28-29 2015 at Olympia 2, London. Official event hashtag: #Lt14UK It’s not over yet Didn’t make Learning Technologies this year but attending LEARNTEC in Karlsruhe instead? If so, join us at Stand E21 for a coffee and a chat about boosting communication and foreign language skills in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian among your employees. We’ll be there for the full three days and would be delighted to meet you. To arrange an individual appointment, sign up on our events page. Hope to see you soon, bye for now!

The need to focus on talent acquisition, developing deeper skills and fostering employee engagement will continue to be a major driver for deploying better technology and learning in 2014. Moreover, identifying and retaining your best talent will play an even bigger role for businesses. I really enjoyed the Learning Technologies 2014 in London last month. The challenges of supporting employee performance are, not surprisingly, echoed throughout this year’s conference programme. The Speexx team and I attended the show for the 6th time in a row and it was interesting to see how attitudes to development are becoming intrinsically linked to business performance. Technology and learning have moved a long way in just those years. HR and L&D professionals are ideally positioned within their organisation to make a direct and valuable contribution to the bottom line. Technology has opened up the opportunity for business to be conducted across borders and this has in turn opened up opportunities for greater talent mobility. Delivery of an integrated, unified talent management system that is consistent across the board is the key to achieving both short-term and long-term talent mobility goals. No longer can one section of an organisation operate in a silo. One unified language training system, which is accessible to staff anytime and anywhere, is becoming an increasingly vital component of multinational organisations’ talent management strategy. A standardised, consistent approach is also essential to accurately measure the outcome of every component of talent management and development. One of the major things Speexx has seen companies get wrong is the perceived language skills level of their workforce. Most companies assume language skills are much higher, however when the unified tests are conducted there is a large gap between the assumed skill level and the actual level of communications skills. Once the standardised system is in place, the measurability of skills becomes far more accurate, and the results more visible. Facilitating a common business language through technology and learning In a recent global survey, we found that English is the dominant corporate language in organisations (44 percent) however those audited acknowledged the need to improve the competency for non-native speakers and to also support other languages such as German, Spanish and French. 85 per cent of HR directors, CXO and L&D senior managers consider communication and foreign language skills to be important or very important for business success. Technology is helping to bridge the gap between workforce learning and business success. The ‘perfect blend’ of combining virtual classrooms, mobile learning and e-learning is revolutionising the way organisations approach business communication skills training and development. With a blended approach, companies can combine self-paced learning, assignment tasks and classes, which can be attended virtually or over the phone. These technology and learning tools can then be customised to suit staff needs and level of skill - and companies should encourage staff to use and develop their skills in ways that are both motivating and compatible with the demands of the workplace. That said, individuals and organisations now have greater flexibility on how linguistic skills are delivered and effective results can be achieved regardless of skill, nationality or age. See full article via Training Journal Blogs. To find out how better communication skills can boost your orgnisation’s business agility, get your free copy of our latest white paper here.

Smaller innovative firms have something all big businesses are talking about, but many can only dream of - business agility. Young, energetic SMEs can respond quickly to evolving industry trends and customer demands and keep one step ahead of the competition with innovative products and solutions. SME-sized businesses may be powered by low cost or even free cloud-based systems, which are globally accessible. They work across borders and time zones in a way that, before the 21st century dawned, was only possible for massive enterprises with the financial resources to build a multinational IT infrastructure. Businesses that have tapped into this new technology-enabled business agility are succeeding where others are falling by the wayside. Yet, increasingly, smaller businesses can only reap the benefits of all this cloud-based collaboration and productivity if their employees have the language and communication skills to speak to each other and their customers worldwide. Even big business sometimes gets this one wrong; the web abounds with amusing marketing translation failures, such as a well-known brewer’s attempt to sell beer in Spain by translating its English slogan "Turn it loose" into "Suffer from diarrhoea" in Spanish. Growth beyond borders In 2014 the workforce is multinational and as we climb out of the recession, many businesses will be looking at opportunities beyond their country’s border. Employees in different countries, who at one time would never have communicated with each other, now collaborate daily. In a smaller business, employees are not lost in huge departments, their skills atrophying with the passing years. Instead, workers are assigned to different projects when and as needed, with no skills going to waste. Business agility is about implementing and communicating internal changes more quickly and this now means communicating them to workers in different countries and in different languages, as small businesses tap into the global talent pool to get things done. The Speexx Exchange 2013-14 Survey, an audit of 250+ organisations worldwide, revealed that business agility is top of directors’ agendas. Respondents cited several areas where enterprises benefit directly from better communications, including increased collaboration across borders (43%) and faster time-to-decision across borders (41%). Workers across the globe now collaborate on projects, while enterprises source talent from the whole organisation as needed. Cloud-based collaborative systems allow global teams to work around the clock, speeding up decision-making and time to market. A full list of Speexx white papers for download is available here. 39% of respondents mentioned that better communications improved competitive advantage in global projects, while increased quality of customer care was a factor for 38% of business leaders. Cloud-based customer care systems enable even small UK companies to provide customer care round the clock improving sales and customer retention. UK SMEs might feel at an advantage on the global stage, with English as a native language, but just having English as a mother tongue does not automatically make someone a good communicator in business. Foreign language skills are an excellent start but learning to communicate in a clear and efficient manner, while taking cultural differences into account, is key. For example, a manufacturing company may need to use specific technical vocabulary unknown to most native speakers, and needs to explain this to customers from another country in a way that is easy to understand. Even businesses that do not have any immediate plans to operate beyond UK borders may find themselves facing communication challenges. According to the latest census, 140,000 people living in the UK cannot speak English. Responses to the census uncovered that English is not the first language of about four million people. After English, the second most spoken language was Polish, spoken by 546,000 people, followed by Tamil (with 420,000 speakers) and Urdu (369,000 speakers). These people may have the right skills for employment but lack the linguistic abilities to perform and deliver in the workplace, be it within an SME or larger business. Training these employees in Business English will allow organisations to tap into a new resource while providing their employees with the skills they need to function in their working and domestic lives. The global workforce is increasingly mobile as workers travel to pursue employment opportunities abroad and companies may have good reasons for taking on employees who are not skilled in the language of their adopted home. One of Speexx’s customers, a fast-growing manufacturer with over 2,000 employees worldwide had a clear need to introduce a common business language for employees to work together effectively. The company has employees worldwide, including Germany, Slovakia, China and India. These engineers typically stay on building sites for two to three week shifts at a time before moving on. For work to be done on time and in the right way, staff need to communicate with each other in a common language, English in this case. Due to their frequent travels, they also require a flexible learning solution. This need is met by providing more than half of the company’s employees with a cloud-based language training solution to improve their business English skills. Even training employees in some basic skills in a common language has sped up processes, reduced mistakes and helped to make the customer more successful and agile. The organisation extends its communication efforts beyond simple language skills too, acknowledging the cultural differences of employees from different countries, such as by celebrating the Chinese New Year on its website. Read more via Ingenious Britain. Learn more about Speexx on LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.

The recovering global economy now offers increased career mobility to a larger number of employees. At the same time, with the changing generational dynamics of the workforce and the retirement of the baby boom generation, vacancies may arise in parts of the business that need to be addressed promptly in order to maintain continuity. A number of strategies can be put in place to create greater staff mobility and support succession management as well as address potential skills shortages. A key strategy is to tap into the global workforce. Employees with the skills the business needs may well be available within the organisation already, working in overseas offices. Collaboration across borders Companies and their employees have a greater opportunity to work across borders now thanks to technologies such as cloud-based collaboration tools and free VoIP communications. Technology has broken down borders, enabling a truly global workplace, but in many cases the language barrier remains an obstacle to skills-based succession planning and employee mobility. A thorough succession management strategy includes foreign language and communication skills training for all staff, across the board. Organisations need to identify the availability of language skills and knowledge first, before planning how to make the most of staff talent and where to place people within the company. Building a global talent pool Once communication barriers have been broken down, skilled staff can be identified easily within the global talent pool and moved into different areas of the organisation. This also enables greater career mobility for highly skilled staff. An employee working for a German company with specialist IT skills might be transferred to fill a vacancy in the company’s Italian subsidiary, for example. The Speexx Exchange 2013-14 Survey, a global study involving more than 250 global HR directors, L&D professionals and C-level executives, revealed five main issues that were hampering cross-border communications: lack of foreign language skills among employees (39%); Intercultural differences (28%); dispersed subsidiaries (16%); and lack of management support (10%). Only 6% of interviewees cited the lack of technology as a barrier to better communications and in fact the evidence shows that the latest cloud-based learning technology is boosting communication skills training. The 2013 Towards Maturity Benchmark Survey revealed that over 43% of organisations are now e-enabling foreign language skills training - a staggering 350% more than two years earlier. The uptake in organisations using language learning technology comes as a direct result of a global shift towards more international business and the need to improve workforce communication across borders. Mobility through communications HR directors, CXO and L&D senior managers who contributed to the Speexx Exchange Survey all acknowledged that there were substantial gains from having a strong communications strategy and cited five specific areas that directly improved mobility through better communications. The highest percentage of respondents (43%) cited increased collaboration across borders as a key gain with 41% noting quicker time-to-decision across borders. Improved competitive advantage in global projects was also key to over a third of respondents (39%) and a similar number (38%) noted a corresponding increase in the quality of customer care that resulted in an agile workforce able to respond to customers across borders and time zones. 33% of respondents also reported a reduction in internal conflict arising as a result of improved communication. Difficulties caused by the language barrier and cultural variations in communication can lead to frustration, mistakes and delays, hampering the agility of a global mobile workforce. Almost a quarter (23%) of organisations also reported that they had achieved cost savings through their efforts to improve workforce communications. Significant cost savings might arise from identifying and using appropriate internal resources for cross-border projects, rather than hiring expensive contractors. Organisations can also make substantial savings on the costs of recruitment and training and development to address succession planning, if enhanced communications skills enable global employee mobility. Retaining versus recruiting Of course there are benefits that may be less easy to quantify. Employee retention is likely to see improvement if staff are offered the opportunity of global deployment, overseas travel or postings and the chance to grow and apply their skills within a larger enterprise pool. Research suggests that the recruitment cost of replacing employees can be as high as 60% of an employee’s annual salary, with total costs associated with the impact on company turnover adding up to 200% of salary. Increasingly, HR, learning and development professionals and IT departments are recognising the challenge and working closely together to implement a reliable, technology-driven learning strategy that is delivering communications training efficiently to employees who are dispersed all over a multinational organisation. This may include incorporating everyday business communication tools such as phone, email, video conferencing, and social networking into the training process and making sure that learning materials are integrated into employees’ everyday workflow, enabling them to learn on the job as and when they need to. Read more at HR Review.

We have just secured the German eLearning Journal Award 2014! The award goes our Speexx Live solution, which was implemented for a leading biopharmaceutical company. The official award ceremony will take place on 29th March 2014 at the didacta in Stuttgart, Germany, the largest international trade fair for education and training. Now in its fourth year, the eLearning Award 2014 selects outstanding state-of-the-art e-learning and educational projects and showcases them as best practice examples. The eLearning Award judging panel assesses projects in terms of their user-friendliness, technology, learning content and overall value for the customer. This year, more than 100 e-learning providers and their partners submitted applications from all over Europe for the eLearning Award. The judging panel consisted of renowned experts from the e-learning and educational industries. Speexx was chosen as the winner of the Language Training category for its Speexx Live solution, which has been helping its customer boost staff business communication skills since 2010. Speexx allows employees from different departments to focus on their job-specific language needs, while helping HR managers to monitor their workforce’s learning progress. Speexx Live combines self-paced e-learning tools with live communication skills training in the virtual classroom, as well as ongoing support and motivation by personal coaches. Several hundred students at the pharmaceutical company’s worldwide offices currently use Speexx to improve their foreign language and business communication skills. "We are very proud to receive such a highly acclaimed award", says Armin Hopp, Founder and President of Speexx. "Winning the ‘Language Training’ category shows that we are setting the standard in delivering excellent foreign language and communication skills training to organisations worldwide. On behalf of Speexx, I would like to thank our partner for trusting in our solution and of course, the entire eLearning Award 2014 judging panel for selecting our project as a winner." A full list of the awards won by Speexx is available here. To view and download the press release on the Speexx website, please click here. To learn more, connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.

At Speexx, we love languages and we believe in the power of learning and communicating online. Our solutions help millions of people in large businesses and organizations around the world understand each other better every day. And the teams building our online language learning solutions - developers, product managers and marketing experts - are our heroes. Come join our dynamic team in the heart of Munich as Web Developer. Get a glimpse of what it’s like to work in our Munich office: What you’ll be doing as a Web Developer Work in our Munich office developing web-based applications in a fast-paced team of talented developers and designers. Help develop our cutting edge iOS und Android mobile projects. Drive innovation by coming up with new ideas for our products and processes. Ideally, you already have Solid software development experience. A thorough understanding of object-oriented programming and computing fundamentals. A passion for web-based applications and technology (Java, JavaScript , XML, HTML5, CSS3, JPA, REST). A good knowledge of SQL databases, Git, Maven. What we offer Global offices with brilliant people from over 17 different countries who help us make Speexx the world’s best online language learning experience. We hate cubicle farms. Our offices are open, with huge personal desks and tons of natural light. Ergonomic workstations, Mac or PC, your choice of OS. You decide how you want to work. We offer a competitive salary, flexible working hours, friendly coworkers and the best coffee in town. Now, if you have a proven track record in developing some of your own projects and are up for working in a dynamic and international team, send across your resume to careers@speexx.com today. Ideally with desired salary and starting date. See you soon! Check out http://www.speexx.com/careers for more opportunities. Speexx Human Resources Tumblinger Straße 32 80337 Munich (Germany) careers@speexx.com About Speexx More than 7 million users in 1,500 organizations - including Ericsson, ArcelorMittal, UNHCR and Credit Suisse - use Speexx to learn a language smarter and deliver results on time. Speexx is easy to use and scales to the needs of users and training managers in organizations of any size. The Speexx branded Perfect Blend integrates online business communication skills training, mobile and social learning, expert coaches located throughout the world and personalized live online activities into one fully standardized, globally consistent learning experience. Speexx was founded in 1994 and is based in Munich, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Sao Paulo and Shanghai.

With English as the dominant world business language, it is easy for English-speaking companies to assume that they do not need to learn another language. But having bilingual staff can have huge benefits for a business. If a manufacturing company from the UK was to meet a supplier from China and a partner from Germany, the common language would most probably be English - the German and Chinese staff are sure to have learned English in school and probably speak it regularly in their working lives. By contrast, the chances of the UK company’s employees speaking German or Chinese are much lower. There is no sign of this situation changing. In 2013, the number of students taking up a foreign language at UK universities was said to have dropped sharply. The Guardian reported that over the past 15 years, one-third of universities have given up offering specialist modern European language degrees. The number of universities offering degrees in the worst affected subject, German, has halved in that time. Once these generations enter the business world, there will be even less time and encouragement to study a foreign language and the UK workforce may continue to rely on their foreign peers to be able to communicate in English. Language barrier English-speaking businesses in the UK and the US that do not have employees able to communicate in foreign languages are missing a huge opportunity. For example, there are 420 million native speakers of Spanish in the world. Spanish is the official language in 20 countries and it has become an increasingly important language for US businesses because of their proximity to Latin America. Furthermore, there are 220 million native speakers of Portuguese, which is spoken in Brazil - an important emerging market and the world’s seventh largest economy. With an annual GDP growth rate of 5%, Brazil represents lots of potential business for enterprises that can speak Portuguese. Better communications deliver workforce performance Good communication skills are more than just about grammar and vocabulary. Sector-specific business communication skills are just as vital and communication also encompasses cultural considerations, such as how to greet one another, when and how to exchange business cards, how to show gratitude, and gestures or comments to avoid. The Speexx Exchange Survey - a global study that looked at the attitudes of more than 250 global HR directors, learning and development professionals and C-level executives - found that the main benefits of a strong communications strategy were better collaboration across borders (43%) and improved competitive advantage in global projects (39%). A similar number (38%) noted a corresponding increase in the quality of customer care that resulted from an agile workforce able to respond to customers across borders and in different languages. One-third of respondents also reported a reduction in internal conflict arising as a result of improved communication. Difficulties caused by the language barrier and cultural variations in communication can lead to frustration, mistakes and delays, hampering the agility of a mobile, global workforce. Read the full article via Personnel Today.