5 Pain Points When Communicating in English in Thailand

Business English Training, Workshops

February 5, 2025

Overcome communication problems with Business English training.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is about pain points when communicating in English in Thailand. For example, there is a tendency for some Thai professionals to write long, overly detailed emails (which can be confusing and annoying to customers). The way to relieve that is with Business English training that instills confidence and how to write with “brevity.”

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Does your company have an English training program in place? Is it designed to solve problems?

The reason we ask is because almost every company in Thailand deals with foreign clients and partners, and many of them employ foreigners themselves.

Yet, most companies experience some problems when it comes to workplace English. Over the years, I’ve worked with various Thai companies and have observed several specific examples.

Let’s see if your company experiences any of these pain points, and look at how the right corporate language training can relieve them.

Pain Point #1: Long, Overly Detailed Emails in English

Among professionals, one of the most common pain points when communicating in English in Thailand is when non-native English speakers write long reply emails. This occurs for two reasons: lack of confidence and overcompensation.

In an attempt to be thorough and clear, they include unnecessary details and repeat information to ensure nothing is missed or misunderstood. This makes communication inefficient, with emails becoming a challenge to read and understand for recipients.

How Communication Training Can Help: In an era where everyone has so much content to consume, email writing in English needs to be concise and clear. Training programs that focus on business English, particularly email “brevity,” can help employees understand the structure of a well-written email, avoid over-explaining, and develop the confidence to communicate in fewer, more impactful words.

The training would also include drafting concise emails, using appropriate tone, and proofreading, helping employees to streamline their communication.

Pain Point #2: Delayed Responses on Slack and Other Apps

Messaging platforms like Slack are essential for quick, real-time collaboration. However, many employees in Bangkok companies take a long time to reply to messages in English, often because they’re overthinking their responses.

Just like with emails, they may fear making mistakes and therefore spend excessive time checking grammar or looking up words – or even consulting ChatGPT or Claude to write their entire response – which slows down workflow.

How Communication Training Can Help: English training for business professionals in Bangkok that focuses on instant messaging can build employees’ confidence in responding quickly and accurately. Practicing Slack-based conversations in a way that native-English speakers communicate can help them get comfortable with informal, and imperfect exchanges.

By improving their speed and accuracy in these platforms, they’ll reduce delays and contribute more efficiently to the team.

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Do your employees need help communicating in English more professionally?

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Pain Point #3: Anxiety Before Giving Presentations in English

Another significant pain point for Thai professionals when it comes to using English at work is intense nervousness when giving presentations in front of a group of people.

Many Thai employees are competent presenters in their native language, but the thought of presenting in English can leave them feeling exposed and insecure. As a result, they lose track of what to say and how to say it, and fail to showcase their subject-matter expertise.

How Communication Training Can Help: Public speaking is a skill that can be developed with practice, especially when the focus is on speaking confidently in English. Professional English workshops in Bangkok can cover not only the language skills that are needed to present effectively, but also body language, tone, and how to stay calm!

With frequent practice in a safe environment, employees can become more comfortable speaking in front of others, even in English, which will benefit them and their audiences.

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We can help you relieve your employees’ English pain points!

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Pain Point #4: Relying Too Much on ChatGPT for Everyday Tasks

I’ll freely admit to using LLMs like ChatGPT. It is a helpful tool in many ways. However, it is pretty clear that many professionals in Thailand are overly dependent on these tools.

I have heard the observations of business leaders who are confident and proficient English speakers. They are amazed at how long and formal their employees’ emails are becoming – and how loaded with fancy vocabulary they are.

But they also point out that many of those email senders can’t engage in meaningful, real-time discussions about the emails they just sent.

The point is that an over-reliance on AI can prevent employees from developing their own English skills and may lead to generic, robotic responses which come across as impersonal.

How Communication Training Can Help: When employees learn English at their company, they should be encouraged to use tools like ChatGPT, but as a supplement not a crutch.

Through English training at ECSC Thailand, your employees can learn to compose their own messages first and then use AI tools to enhance them. We do offer workshops focused on AI/LLM Prompts in English which helps employees use these tools much more efficiently, and in a way that helps them learn English.

Pain Point #5: Sharing Opinions After Meetings Instead of During

In meetings, it’s common for employees to hold back their opinions when English is spoken, only to share their thoughts afterward in a private setting. This reluctance to contribute during the actual meeting often leads to missed opportunities for discussion and delays in decision making.

I can’t tell you how many times my Slack has blown up with questions from my team immediately after a meeting has ended! 🙂

How Communication Training Can Help: English training that emphasizes participation in meetings and group discussions can make a significant difference. We believe strongly in interactive “Business Meetings in English” workshops to let employees practice expressing their ideas clearly and confidently in group settings – and with all the appropriate vocabulary to do it.

Conclusion

Pain points when communicating in English in Thailand arise from a lack of confidence or proficiency. They can have negative effects on productivity, customer satisfaction, and business growth.

However, these challenges can be overcome. With the right kind of corporate language training, employees can improve their English skills, communicate more efficiently, and gain the confidence they need to contribute fully in the workplace.

Investing in English training is not just about improving language skills — it’s about empowering employees to perform their best in a global business environment.

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Visit our Contact Us page to inquire about English training for business professionals in Bangkok. Or, schedule a discovery call with ECSC’s founder, Don Gorr.

Don Gorr

Founder & Managing Director of ECSC Thailand. We are Thailand's premier English Communication Skills Center: Enhancing Confidence, Strengthening Communication.