http://www.HansenCommLab.com<br />http://www.SpeakGlobalEnglish.org<br /><br />Speak Global English Video Series<br />Part 18:<br />Idiotic Idioms<br /><br />Every language has idioms -- fixed expressions whose meaning is not immediately obvious from looking at the words used. <br /><br />Idioms have become so common in business communication that we often don't even know that we're using them. <br /><br />Some great examples are:<br />Get the ball rolling<br />a fish out of water<br />take a rain check<br />Bang for the buck and<br />the home stretch<br /><br />Some of these might be familiar to you -- others, maybe not.<br /><br />Idioms rarely cross languages, and quite often don't even cross cultures. English is spoken in the US and the UK, but there are idioms on each side of the Atlantic that are not used on the other side, or the same idioms can mean very different things in each culture.<br /><br />This is why I say that idioms are idiotic. If you want to communicate in international environments, try to eliminate idioms from your speech. It's harder than you think, but your listeners will thank you for it.<br /><br />If you'd like to improve the way people in your company speak Global English, visit http://www.HansenCommLab.com for information on training opportunities. Or, come join the revolution at http://www.SpeakGlobalEnglish.org.
