In a recent episode of the WRKdefined podcast "You Should Know," communications coach Peter Novak challenged the conventional wisdom that perfect grammar and expansive vocabulary are the keys to effective workplace communication. Instead, Novak, founder of Strictly Speaking Group and a former professor at the University of San Francisco, argued that clarity, confidence, and trust are far more critical, especially as global teams become increasingly distributed.
Novak, who holds a doctorate in dramaturgy and an MFA in acting, drew on his extensive coaching experience with executives at major corporations to illustrate how unconscious bias, including the well-documented like-me bias, shapes who gets promoted and believed. He emphasized that non-native English speakers often face subtle disadvantages, such as the confusion caused by phrasal verbs like "take off" or "take over," which can derail understanding. Novak recommended using AI prompts to swap these for stronger, clearer verbs.
A study from McGill University on foreign accents was cited to demonstrate how delivery affects trust and credibility. Novak noted that investor relations teams now run CEO earnings calls through AI to score language choice and tone of voice. He reframed inclusive communication as a bottom-line issue, stating, "The best way to position it is that this is a business issue, that you need your communication to be as clear as possible to everyone, not just to a select few."
Novak pushed back on the idea that non-native speakers must always adapt, invoking a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers analogy: "Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels." He argued that non-native colleagues are translating and vocabulary-hunting in real time while native speakers barrel ahead.
The conversation moved into concrete tactics, including building executive "voiceprints" by feeding hundreds of hours of transcripts into AI so leaders can deliver scripts that sound like them. Novak also shared a 20-question intake he uses to help executives communicate their preferences, from pre-reads to agenda formats. He referenced Yakov Smirnoff on the absurdity of English, contrasted Ernest Hemingway's accessibility with Oscar Wilde writing "for about 6 people," and noted that Latin American teams often operate trilingually until a monolingual American enters the room.
Novak's insights underscore that effective global communication is not about linguistic perfection but about adapting to diverse audiences and building trust. As businesses continue to expand across borders, his message that confidence and clarity drive success offers a practical roadmap for leaders navigating multilingual teams.
