Spoken messages are one of the major communication methods used in companies to influence individual listeners in sales pitches, negotiations, and decision-making. An accent, which represents one’s manner of pronunciation, constitutes an important part of a speaker’s social identity and conveys a considerable amount of social information. It also serves as a cue that one is not a native speaker and that one does not wield the language fluently, regardless of one’s actual competence.

As organizations and corporations become more globalized, it is no surprise that the number of non-native English speakers entering the workforce is also increasing.   As such, there is a burgeoning of research that studies the effects of accents on decision-making, hiring processes, and promotions. Studies have shown that nonnative speakers of English are often viewed as less intelligent, less trustworthy and less competent, and they often experience discrimination. For example, non-native English speakers are less likely to be hired, especially in a high status position, less likely to be recommended for a middle-management position or be promoted and less likely to receive new-venture funding.

Such findings have implications for negotiators, mediators and other conflict resolution practitioners who use spoken language to influence, communicate and persuade. For example, a non-native accent may influence the perceived competence and efficacy of a negotiator or mediator, and the listener may make judgments based on the accent rather than actual competencies. Such stigma, however covert and subconscious it may seem, may then play a role in interpreting the efficacy of the negotiator or mediator and assessing their performance and outcome.

While these findings are disheartening, these negative consequences can be remedied if the non-native English speaker has time to build rapport and get to know the listener. Previous studies have shown that people make judgments based on what they see, such as ethnicity, gender, and age, if they do not have much information about the person. Thus, once relationships are formed, the negative effect of stigma can be mitigated.

In addition, the native “listeners” also need to be mindful of their own biases if they want to mitigate negative consequences of their biases, such as lost opportunities and under-estimating a negotiation partner.

In conclusion, in addition to paying attention to how our social identities, such as gender and race affect the way we are perceived in social and professional settings, we may want to also think about how accents influence the way we are perceived.