Language Across the Curriculum Vitae

Language: The Common Element

All successful human activities have common skills and attributes, foremost among these are communication skills.

Communications skills involve active listening, speaking, writing, and non-verbal language.

All sectors of society require individuals who have:

• vision
• a sense of history
• the ability to express and convey critical ideas, concepts, meaning, and practical strategies.

The Ability To Use Language Well

The effective use of language is the pivotal skill in any successful organization and the fundamental human skill that can be transferred from project to project. For example, teaching skills are useful not only in a classroom but also in any venue where people need instruction.

The effective use of language is also a portable and transferrable skill. Employees who are adept at language use will incorporate that skill into their day to day work no matter where they are or what they are doing. Attention to precise and correct use of language is important in most tasks especially those that require communication with co-workers.

The language specialist is a central member of any employment team. In education, for example, we know the importance of "language across the curriculum." This is equally true in places of employment.

A progressive society is a literate society, and this involves literacy in all its forms. Emphasis in the workplace on the effective use of language leads to high standards of reading and writing, visual-media literacy, consumer awareness, political and cultural awareness, productive interpersonal communication skills, and the effective use of information technology. These skills increase the productivity and cohesion of the workplace.

A Renewed Emphasis on the Role of the Generalist In the Workplace

We live in a world in which skills are of necessity transferrable. Not all teachers are in classrooms. Not all health care workers are in doctors' offices, hospitals, or clinics. Not all writers and language specialists work for magazines and newspapers.

Although in many ways we have become a society of specialization, it is the generalist, the person with comprehensive abilities and effective language skills, who is the real leader in any organization.