As a telecommuter, you need to be acutely aware of how you communicate with co-workers and clients. A linguistic misstep can get you in trouble quicker, when you communicate by phone or email, than when you communicate in person.

In person, you get immediate visual feedback when you say something wrong, or something you say is misinterpreted. Furrowed eyebrows or a slight twitch, signals you’d better try again to say what you mean. Over the phone, a too-long pause might alert you to a problem; but, you could just as easily interpret that as someone collecting his or her thoughts before responding. With email, you get no instant feedback as someone reads your message.

With all business communication, you should be extra careful to say what you mean and say it clearly.

•  KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. Short, simple, direct statements are less subject to misinterpretation than long rambling sentences full of comma-separated clauses.

• Don’t strive to impress. Just because you know 50-cent words, doesn’t mean you should use them.
• Clients and co-workers remain silent and ignorant. They won’t ask you to define a word they don’t know; it’s too embarrassing. They’ll either guess at its meaning, or ignore it. Either way, there’s a strong chance for miscommunication.
• Avoid jargon. Unless your client or colleague uses industry jargon, avoid it. Be especially careful with acronyms. KATN may mean one thing to you, and something totally different to your audience.
• It isn’t as funny as you think. Misinterpreted humor and sarcasm can get you in big trouble. Don’t assume your audience agrees with what you think is funny. Do assume that any sarcastic comments you make will be taken literally.

It’s difficult enough to communicate with someone who speaks your native language. It’s a major challenge to speak with someone who’s not a native speaker. If you’ve studied a second language, you know how easy it is to make a grammatical error, or accidentally choose the wrong word at the wrong time. You may also have experienced the challenges of translating, using a dictionary or online translation service. The results can be hilarious; but often, not helpful.

When communicating with someone who’s a student of your language rather than a native speaker, you’ve got to be extra careful to get your message across.

•  KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. It may sound awkward to you, but it’s easier to translate short, simple sentences.
•  Avoid slang. This is tricky, because you may not even be aware that words you commonly use are slang to a non-native speaker. For example, English speakers often say, “that was tough,” when they mean something was “difficult.” German speakers say, “that was heavy,” to mean “difficult.” If you both use “difficult,” the meaning is clear.
• Avoid humor. There are just too many cultural differences to chance humor when you communicate with a non-native speaker.
• Don’t parrot a native. You might think it’s cute or flattering to say G’day to an Aussie, or Bonjour to a Frenchman, or try to sprinkle their words into your conversation. More likely, your butchered pronunciation and inappropriately used words will grate on their ears. Instead of being flattered by your attempt to speak their language, they’ll think you’re making fun of them.

Good communication is essential to your success as a telecommuter, and you’re always working with a handicap when you can’t see the person you’re talking to. Be aware of the challenges you face, and deal with them before they become problems.