Speak proper

UrgentJensen · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 11:13 pm Post subject: Speak proper

I'm thinking about bringing in elocution lessons for some service desk staff. They are not unintelligent, just poorly spoken. I am not after the Queens English but I just want them to sound clear and vaguely intelligent.

Oh, and this has nothing to do with their nationality/xenophobia as they're all English.

What do you think?

UJ
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mnsmith · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 11:26 pm Post subject:

The Service Desk is the link between all of the ITIL processes and the users. Therefore good communication skills has to be a must for any Service Desk operative, irrespectively of the language, nationality or technical ability of the user.
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UrgentJensen · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:12 am Post subject:

True, but the question is really: Will it be seen as 'undignifying' and will I have some of these numpties going to HR and raising a grievance?

Personally I'd probably be a bit annoyed if it were me, but in reality I'm well educated and don't like thick/lazy people.

UJ
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kinger · Itiler Joined: May 08, 2008 Posts: 39 Location: South West

If you do decide to go ahead with this UJ, you couldn't teach most of the English population while you're at it could you?

asrilrm · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:40 am Post subject:

Hi,

I think your SD staff would need like John Robert Powers or kind of Service Excellence course

mnsmith · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:44 am Post subject:

If your staff have been training in the ways of ITIL, they should already be fully aware that their role requires good communication skills. Therefore, as long as you bring up the topic of elocution carefully, there shouldn't be any need for them to raise a greivance.

Also you need to look into is why have you employed staff with communication issues, when communication is a key part of the role? You'll then be able to stop this happening again and again.

You get me.
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UrgentJensen · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 1:03 am Post subject:

Yes, I think I get you, thanks. I was hoping to introduce a 'dunces cap' for when they get things wrong. Especially if they use 'well' as an adjective. They must learn the hard way.
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kinger · Itiler Joined: May 08, 2008 Posts: 39 Location: South West

Diarmid · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 2:58 am Post subject:

UJ,

Ed · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 5:05 pm Post subject:

More to the point - No-One who comes from North of Watford has any idea as to what 'Real English' is!!! After all ' Hello my darling' is the best greeting anyone can get. Us Londoners speak proper not like some geezer in a skirt.
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Ed

Diarmid · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 5:11 pm Post subject:

Surely middle English is spoken in the Midlands and "What's up duck?" just has to be quintessential.
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UrgentJensen · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 7:48 pm Post subject:

I'm based in London, and have lived in many parts of the UK before, including oop nurth, so I'm qualified enough to know that it doesn't matter where you're from, you probably can't find a team of people that all speak in an intelligible accent.

'Daan saaf', well 'saaf east' anyway, everyone's got that disgusting esturine twang and the youngsters are speaking in that thickie accent that's supposed to be hard 'from da street init?'.

For this reason alone I wanted to bring in the dunce hat. If they're going to speak 'fick' and 'chew da breeze blud' with my customers then they're going to have to have intensive communications training. They have good qualifications (well, from old Polys) and come from decent families yet they conspire to destroy their chances of being taken seriously.

Having said that, the best analyst I've had was a Scouser and had an amazing work ethic. Trouble is... no one had a clue what he was saying, it was just a shower of phlegm punctuated by the word, sorry, sound "Emmmm'. After a couple of beers I couldn't even pick that out.

Diarmid - No, I'm not Scottish and do ever plan to be so! I just thought 'Glasgow Tan' was a well known expression.
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Diarmid · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 9:14 pm Post subject:

UrgentJensen · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 9:42 pm Post subject:

Oh. That should be:

No, I'm not Scottish and DON'T ever plan to be so!

Good grief, maybe it was a freudian slip and I really do yearn to be Scottish... nah!

News just in - I've devised something called a tongue clamp to fix speech. I will be selling it through my consultancy website and er, selected adult shops in Soho.
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Skinnera · Senior Itiler Joined: May 07, 2005 Posts: 121 Location: UK

I'd only employ SD staff who sounded like Brian Sewell.

Not for clarity of communication, just for the cabaret value.
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