The primary focus of activity within a workplace is towards getting things done. One of the factors contributing to success in this area is the use of language to coordinate action between employees.
We tread a dangerous path when we fail to understand how ‘sloppy requests’ and ‘slippery promises’ negatively effect the efficiency of a workplace. This is a material issue and lies at the heart of people understanding one another.
This short presentation I did in 2004 is a brief, yet practical, introduction to the importance of language in the workplace.