Effective Workplace Communication At
Thomson Reuters
Talaera’s Personalized English Programs - A Valuable Employee Benefit with High ROI
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Average score reported
by learners
9/10
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Flexibility
One of participants’
favorite features
92%
Reduced their language
barriers
Thomson Reuters
Industry: Mass media, information services
Headquarters: Toronto, Canada
Company size: 25,000 employees
As the world’s leading provider of news and business information tools, Thomson Reuters helps professionals find the solutions they need in complex areas such as tax, law, compliance, and media. In today’s disruptive digital environment, being agile and communicating effectively are a must, but for an information organization, even more so. With over 25,000 employees located in hundreds of locations worldwide, Thomson Reuters needs confident speakers who are able to seamlessly communicate with teams and customers across cultures.
“Now, participants won't stop talking about their experience with Talaera, and that not only helped us communicate better internally but also gave our L&D team great confidence to implement Talaera at a global level.” - Sr. Learning Consultant
The Challenge
Thomson Reuters employs excellent professionals, but they soon realized that it takes more than that to keep an international business running smoothly. Managers in the Philippines and India identified how some of their employees lacked the confidence to speak up in front of groups, which was hindering their ability to thrive as a team.
Not only that, much of their communication happens over emails, and their English writing skills were not sharp enough either to move swiftly in such a fast-paced environment. Their sentences were not specific enough and their lack of conciseness made understanding difficult. There was a lot of time wasted asking for clarification and details, and it was damaging the business.
The company’s Learning and Development team looked for different business English training providers, but they found that most solutions felt restricted in what learners could do. “Employee needs weren’t really considered, and the lessons and the platforms felt restricted,” says Anna Graziella, Senior Learning Specialist at Thomson Reuters.
PARTICIPANT'S FEEDBACK
“My sincere advice to people who would take this session next to just go for it. You will never regret it. This is a great opportunity you would not want to miss!”
Steffy Diana F
The Solution
The first step they took was to identify exactly what challenges they were facing and what would help them achieve their goals. They conducted focused group discussions, collected feedback from employees and managers, and listed the specific skills they needed to improve.
Why Talaera?
Thomson Reuters' L&D team found two language providers that could potentially fit their needs –one long-established vendor and Talaera. They went through the courses they both offered, the platform capabilities, and the needs of their employees.
They needed a learner-centric approach, with flexible lessons and scheduling. They knew that a one-size-fits-all approach would not work for their organization. Instead, they liked that, with Talaera, employees could choose what to work on based on their goals, role, and level.
“As soon as we put ourselves in the learners’ shoes, we immediately knew we would choose Talaera.”
- Sr. Learning Consultant
Talaera studied their specific needs and found the right instructor for each individual. Each employee was allocated 10 one-on-one sessions and had a tailor-made program to help them improve their communication skills.
When asked about the highlights of working with Talaera, the L&D team and managers agreed: “It is so easy to work with Talaera. Everything I need is provided to me and, often, even more”. We made sure that the training was a perfect fit for everyone involved.
Talaera offered Thomson Reuters a personalized solution that got learners excited about their training and made managers’ lives easier. They received reports and updates that allowed them to keep track of engagement and progress, and we worked closely with their teams to ensure each individual was getting exactly what they needed.
PARTICIPANT'S FEEDBACK
“The personalized 1:1 sessions are what I liked most about this program. I also appreciate the flexibility my teacher gave in scheduling the sessions.”
Shashi Ainapur
The Results
The organization conducted surveys, retrospective sessions, and focus groups to collect feedback from both learners and managers. The learners felt they made significant progress in 10 sessions, and they all thoroughly enjoyed their time with their teachers.
Feedback from Managers
Managers also played a key role in determining the effectiveness of this program. Their feedback included the following highlights:
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Participants have clearly improved both spoken and written communication.
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They are now able to communicate more clearly via email.
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Participants became more assertive and confident to communicate with people outside their group, such as developers or business consultants.
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We observe more proactive communication within the team, as employees feel the confidence to speak more eloquently.
PARTICIPANT'S FEEDBACK
“The Communication Skills program helped me in upskilling business vocabulary and communication strategies for weekly calls, meetings, and other business contexts. Improved my pronunciation and knowledge of English Grammar.”
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Srihari Kolguri
Next Steps
The participants spoke well of the program and its effectiveness. Thomson Reuters is now looking for wider implementation, where employees from different departments and locations can also benefit from the Talaera English programs.
Participants' Feedback
VIDEO TESTIMONIAL
“My instructor truly listened to my needs and adapted the sessions accordingly.”
- Neeraja, Learning Specialist
PARTICIPANT'S FEEDBACK
“This is indeed a great program for anyone who wants to improve their communication skills. The only advice is that before enrolling, list down the top 3-5 areas in which you want to improve your communication skills.”
Shashi Ainapur
VIDEO TESTIMONIAL
- Harini, Lead Business Analyst
PARTICIPANT'S FEEDBACK
“My first trainer at Talaera was very pleasant to work with. She was very friendly and welcoming. She is very talented and very good at explaining all topics in detail.”
Steffy Diana F