Enhancing workplace communication: The new role of language assessments in business success

Andrew Khan
two business people sat together in a meeting both looking at a laptop
Reading time: 4 minutes

The integration of AI tools into workplaces around the world is starting to change the way people communicate professionally. Research suggests that the use of AI to help draft documents and emails is driven not only by convenience and efficiency but also by a desire to be clear and precise in language.

While potentially useful, tools to translate, generate, or ‘correct’ written text won’t help with the effectiveness of the verbal communication that powers business relationships.

Is your teams communication effective?
Privacy and cookies

By watching, you agree Pearson can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

The importance of effective communication

Whether it’s customer support calls, sales presentations, health and safety instructions or day-to-day engagement with colleagues, our personal and professional interactions in the workplace rely on our ability to understand and be understood.

Equally, clarity of communication is central to many of the ‘future skills’ that employers have identified as critical to sustained success – notably leadership, collaboration, critical thinking and empathy.

It can be challenging for people who have English as a first language to feel confident in these skills – and even more difficult for those who may use another language at home but are required to speak English at work.

Challenges faced by second-language English speakers

When designing assessments that measure English proficiency, we need to balance the convenience and duration that enable them to fit into a fast-paced hiring workflow with the coverage that gives businesses confidence in the results. This means focusing on the most essential elements of effective communication.

Introducing the Versant by Pearson English Speaking and Listening Test

With the new Versant by Pearson English Speaking and Listening Test, we take just seventeen minutes to give a comprehensive picture of communicative English competence. So where do we focus?

Get in touch to learn about our corporate solutions

Effective verbal communication: Balancing listening and speaking skills

As a starting point, the businesses that we heard from in our research were clear that listening is just as important a skill as speaking when it comes to making hiring decisions.

Anyone who has been through sales or customer support training in the past will likely be familiar with the phrase “you have one mouth but two ears,” meaning that, in a professional context, our ability to listen, actively and attentively, for detail and nuance, can be twice as valuable as speaking. A test that didn’t place equal weight on comprehension and productive speech when assessing communicative ability would be missing the mark.

Evolving expectations around speech

Our research also pointed to expectations around speech having shifted in recent years. The range of jobs where English is required at the point of hiring has increased in many countries – with professionals from taxi drivers to online tutors often asked to demonstrate communicative competence.

With this in mind, Pearson has introduced the Global Scale of English Job Profiles framework to help employers define appropriate English requirements for a variety of different positions.

Customer Support roles and communicative ability

Customer Support roles, historically the main use case for testing English in the workplace, are also evolving. Employers are placing a much greater emphasis on true communicative ability to help resolve complex problems rather than scripted or pre-prepared responses delivered with US-style accents.

Designing effective assessments

Taking this into account, we recognized a need to design a more effective way of testing both the manner of speaking and the content of that speech. Manner-of-speaking scores bring together the measurement of fluency or the fluidity and cohesion of a spoken response, pronunciation and intelligibility.

Pronunciation is different from accent – a test taker can have an Indian accent, a French accent or a Japanese accent and still pronounce English words in a way that first-language speakers will expect to hear them. Intelligibility reflects the reality that we all speak in different ways, with a voice authentic to ourselves, and looks to assess whether that voice can be easily understood by others.

Measuring communication skills

The most relevant measure of communication skills isn’t whether you sound like a fluent speaker but whether you can use your ability with language to convey meaning effectively. Our speech also needs to be relevant and appropriate, with suitable vocabulary and grammatical accuracy.

We’ve found the most successful way to measure speech content is to blend short questions with a limited set of potential responses with more open-ended items. This enables test takers to speak organically and really show what they can do with their language skills.

The value of fair and objective assessments

Whether used as a hiring tool, to diagnose employees' learning and development needs or to benchmark improvement over time, English assessments can be a great asset to businesses – but only if they’re fair, objective and laser-focused on the skills that underpin true communicative competence.

Join our webinar to learn more

Join us for an insightful webinar where we will delve deeper into the role of language assessments in enhancing workplace communication and driving business success. Sign up now to secure your spot and learn how the Versant by Pearson English Speaking and Listening Test can benefit your organization.

Watch the webinar here

References

More blogs from Pearson

  • University students sitting outside together smiling
    Which English test should I take? Pearson test comparison
    Di Abi Fordham
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Searching for the best English test can be challenging with so many options available. How do you choose the one that suits your needs?

    At Pearson, we provide a range of leading English tests, including PTE Academic and the Pearson English Express Test. Both tests are tailored for specific goals, supported by decades of experience, trusted by thousands of institutions worldwide, and designed to help you achieve success.

    Let’s break it down.

    PTE Academic: For global study and migration

    PTE Academic is a leading English proficiency test designed for students and professionals seeking to study or migrate internationally. Recognized by over 3,500 universities and government bodies worldwide, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK. It offers global acceptance.

    • Test center delivery: Conducted at official Pearson VUE centers for secure and reliable testing.
    • Comprehensive format: A 2-hour exam assessing all four language skills with 20 question types.
    • Global recognition: Perfect for applications related to study, work and migration in various countries.
    • Trusted reputation: Accepted by top universities such as Harvard and Yale, as well as governments worldwide.

    If you are applying to multiple countries or require a recognized English test for visa purposes, PTE Academic is the ideal choice.

    Pearson English Express Test: For fast, flexible US Study

    The Pearson English Express Test is a fast, reliable, and flexible online English proficiency test specifically designed for students applying to universities in the USA. Take the test securely from home, without the stress of travel arrangements or appointments.

    • 100% online: Conveniently complete the test from anywhere, at any time.
    • Quick results: Receive unofficial scores within minutes and official certified results in just 48 hours.
    • Affordable: Priced at a fixed $70 USD, regardless of your location.
    • Smart scoring: Utilizes AI technology and remote security review to ensure fairness and accuracy.
    • Student-focused: Measures real-world academic readiness in just one hour.

    This test is the ideal choice for students seeking a quick, secure and recognized English assessment for US university applications. 

    Why Pearson tests stand out

    Discover why Pearson tests are the top choice for English assessment:

    • Trusted expertise: With over 30 years of education leadership, Pearson is recognized worldwide for research, innovation and global partnerships.
    • Comprehensive support: Access clear score guides, preparation materials and a dedicated support team to help you succeed.
    • Reliable security: Pearson tests are designed with robust security measures, ensuring your results are accurate and trustworthy.

    Which English exam should you choose?

  • Young adult students sat at a desk with notes and papers studying with a teacher stood by them helping out
    5 academic skills to prepare your students for higher education
    Di Richard Cleeve
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Studying abroad in an English-speaking country is a fantastic opportunity for your students to use their language skills in real-world situations and give their confidence a boost. But how can we help prepare them for success, so that they can really benefit from their experience abroad?

    One way to do this is to develop their academic skills alongside their language skills.

    Why are academic skills important?

    Academic skills encourage students to become more efficient learners. They give students the confidence to participate fully in English-speaking courses and are invaluable outside of the classroom and after they graduate. These skills, which include critical thinking and note-taking, are also highly transferable and, therefore, vital for success in any career.

    Students are expected to have a number of these skills when they start in higher education. The Global Scale of English (GSE) Teacher Toolkit organizes them into five categories:

    1. Academic Discourse: skills for communicating effectively in debates, discussions and presentations
    2. Academic Text Strategies: skills for analyzing academic texts in greater detail
    3. Academic Strategies: skills for understanding and responding critically to lectures
    4. Composition: skills for effective academic writing
    5. Comprehension: skills for understanding academic texts and lectures

    Developing academic skills in the classroom

    Here are five ways to help you build the skills in each of those categories:

    1. Academic Discourse: responding to and asking questions

    Many teachers ask their students to practice presentations in class and this is a great skill to have. However, it’s very easy to overlook the students who aren’t speaking. By asking these students to prepare follow-up questions for the speakers, you can transform this activity into an active listening task. After the presentation has finished, conduct a student-led Q&A session, and provide feedback to the speakers on how they can better deal with difficult questions.

    Give your students extra motivation by offering a prize for the person that asks the most interesting question.

    2. Academic Text Strategies: looking for inferred meaning in texts

    Being able to make inferences is a very important academic reading skill. It not only helps students understand the text, but also encourages students to "read between the lines" and look for deeper meaning.

    How, then, can you strengthen this skill in the classroom? First, try developing this skill without a text. You can use short videos or pictures and ask your students to try and infer the meaning of the photo; the New York Times' "What’s Going On in This Picture?" series is a great source for this. Once students have practiced this several times, move on to short texts. Take the first paragraph of a short story, for example, and have students make inferences about the character, the plot and other aspects of the story using evidence from the text. Provide them with the rest of the story (or a summary if it’s too long) to have them find out whether their guesses were correct or not.

    3. Academic Strategies: writing effective notes

    How many of your students find it difficult to both listen and take notes at the same time when they are watching a video or lecture?

    Effective note-taking is an essential skill for your students to learn before they go on to further education. Using short videos, such as TED Talks, have students take notes while they watch. Then, in pairs or small groups, get your students to combine their notes to "recreate the video" in as much detail as possible. Further extension tasks can then include having the groups summarize their notes into a short social media post, or, if it’s a higher-level group, have them paraphrase their notes into their own words.

    4. Composition: developing a coherent argument

    When having class discussions, how effective are your students’ arguments? Producing coherent arguments is a vital skill for learners in higher education, and one that you can practice in the classroom. Find a model, written argument from the opinion section of a newspaper and cut it up into sections for your learners. Have them reorganize the text, and once correct, analyze the different components that make it coherent. Once students have discussed these, have them write their own coherent arguments on a range of topics that interest them. Then have them recite these arguments to their peers, and provide feedback on how logical their arguments are.

    5. Comprehension: identifying specific ideas in academic texts and lectures

    In the context of further education, it’s not just enough to say what you think the idea of a text is – students need to be able to provide evidence from the text itself. During class reading activities, have students get into the habit of underlining or highlighting parts of the text that they think support their answers, and discuss them during the feedback session after the activity. Encourage them not to highlight large parts of the text; instead, give them a word limit. By reducing the amount of underlined words, learners need to read the content carefully to identify the key words and phrases.

    Resources to help develop your students’ academic skills

    There are many resources that you can use to help prepare your students for university study.

  • A teacher with students working together on electronics
    How adaptive technology can boost student confidence and outcomes
    Di Charlotte Guest
    Reading time: 5 minutes

    Every day, teachers work hard to support diverse learners, juggling different needs and finding creative ways to bring out every student’s best. Adaptive technology is designed to stand alongside that dedication. In simple terms, it’s technology that responds to each learner in real time, adjusting tasks, feedback and pathways, so students get the right level of challenge at the right moment. In today’s classrooms, adaptive tools help teachers personalize instruction without sacrificing precious time, turning data into decisions that lift both confidence and achievement.

    What is adaptive technology in education?

    Adaptive technology uses student performance data to tailor the learning experience. Unlike traditional digital tools that deliver the same sequence for everyone, adaptive tools continuously adjust content, difficulty and pacing based on each learner’s responses and behavior.

    Examples you may already know:

    • Adaptive learning platforms that modify question difficulty and provide targeted practice
    • AI-driven quizzes that adjust based on correctness and confidence
    • Language-learning apps that adapt vocabulary and grammar tasks to proficiency
    • Math practice tools that identify prerequisite gaps and deliver just-in-time support

    Under the surface, adaptive systems gather data – such as correct/incorrect responses, time on task, patterns of misconceptions and even self-reported confidence – and use it to personalize the next step.