Boston Scientific: Bridging Cultural and Language Barriers at Work Through Mentoring

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / October 17, 2023 / Ilonkis Lum first joined the Hispanic Organization for Leadership & Achievement (HOLA) employee resource group (ERG) to meet people outside of her team at Boston Scientific, where she's a Senior Product Owner in the Product Information Management group. But Lum has gotten more than that out of her membership: She's also learning how to communicate better with her colleagues, making her a stronger performer at work.

"English is not my native language," says Lum. "When I get nervous, my accent may come out and I often speak faster in meetings. It makes it challenging for people to understand what I'm saying."

With the support of her ERG, though, she's picked up tips for sidestepping such language barriers. "We focus on slowing down during public speaking," she says. "Taking a moment to reset can really help you to facilitate a meeting better and to articulate things in a better way."

Through two recent initiatives in particular, HOLA is working to ensure that all employees at Boston Scientific have the resources they need to feel they belong, and can succeed, at the company.

Breaking down language barriers

The HOLA Coaching program was launched two years ago to help employees improve their language skills through six sessions a year with Laura Mathis, an executive communications coach. Discussion topics include speaking persuasively and how to be more concise.

The program fulfills a pressing need in the Boston Scientific community: The company has many employees who do not speak English as their first language, not only at its many sites around the world, but also in the United States.

"When English is not your first language, there can be a lot to learn about pronunciation," says Lorena Trujillo Castillo, a packaging graphics specialist based in Heredia, Costa Rica. "Through this program, I've improved my presentation skills. I've learned that I should speak a little louder and not be afraid to show my personality in meetings."

Each hour-long "Learning Café" held by Mathis is recorded and made available to all Boston Scientific employees. The opportunity to make a difference at the company worldwide inspired Castillo to get involved with the program beyond simply participating: In 2023, she ran the Coaching program.

"I wanted to help others whose first language is not English - not just the Latin community, but also people in regions across the globe," she explains.

Being empowered to learn and grow