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Research

Our team of researchers has analysed the data recorded at workplaces included in our study, to identify distinctive features of workplace talk. Our research has shown again and again that there is no one simple definition of effective workplace communication. Skilled communicators use a variety of strategies depending on who they are talking to and what they are talking about.  For example, the most direct way of getting a message across is not necessarily the most effective. Repetition, small talk and humour play an important part in communication. Areas we have focused on to date include:

Applied Linguistics
What are the practical implications of research on workplace language for speakers of English as a second language? How can the findings be used in literacy and supported employment programmes?

Cultural Identity
Do people from different cultural backgrounds have different styles of interaction? If so, what implications does this have for communication in multicultural workplaces? How do people's personal characteristics contribute to their professional identity?

Directives
How do managers get their team members to do things in the workplace? What different strategies do they use? How do skilled communicators vary their strategies depending on who they're talking to and the kind of context they are working in?

Email
How is the use of email changing workplace communication? What changes, if any, are we seeing in conversational norms as a result of email? Is email accepted and used equally by all levels of staff in organisations? How does email style relate to workplace culture through the use of language?

Gender
Is it true that men and women speak a different language? Do female managers necessarily act differently from their male counterparts?

Humour
Is there a place for humour in the workplace? What kind of humour occurs in different workplaces and why do people use it? When and where is humour most likely to occur?

Investigating Māori Leadership
What is Māori Leadership and what does it mean for a business? What patterns appear among Māori Leaders that contrast to Pākehā?

Management
What discourse strategies do managers use to keep team members on target and encourage a productive environment? What does the language of negotiation sound like?

Meetings
How are different kinds of workplace meetings structured? What discourse skills are involved in running an effective meeting? What is the most effective method of problem-solving in a meeting context? What is the chair's role in managing meeting talk?

Mentoring
How is the identity of mentor enacted in New Zealand workplace settings? Does mentoring interaction in the New Zealand context conform to the default American 'sponsorship' model, or is a different model more appropriate to the ways New Zealand mentors use language in formal mentoring meetings?

Miscommunication
What causes miscommunication in the workplace? How can we analyse instances of miscommunication to help prevent them happening again? How do people prevent/repair misunderstanding?

Nursing
How do the speech interactions between nurses and patients defins the nature of their roles as care providers? How can we analyse these interactions?

Skilled Migrants in the Workplace
How does working with socio-pragmatics aid skilled migrants in their ability to communicate effectively in New Zealand workplaces?

Small Talk
Does small talk have any part to play in effective workplace communication? When is it used and why? Is it different in different workplaces?

Workplace Culture
Do workers create the culture of their workplace? If so, how? How does this affect the way they work? Do all workers play an equal part in creating the community of the workplace? Should they? The study of a 'communities of practice' within the workplace environment is an important new area of sociolinguistic research in this field.

Research Involving Wider Team Members
We are constantly expanding our areas of interest. Find out about areas of research and research applications that we have investigated.