A report has found business need to rethink their approach to presentations when communicating with global markets.

A study by English language providers GlobalEnglish has found the level of comprehension of business presentations around the world is quite low, and that many businesses could benefit from more sensitivity to varying levels of understanding.

“More and more companies are being thrust into the global market at the early stages of their strategic efforts to advance their [fluency] so they can reach business goals,” Alex Lowrie from GlobalEnglish says, suggesting a reason for a decline noted in grasp of the language among business leaders.

Recent related research by the London School of English (LSE) found that 98% of HR leaders would say their non-native English speaking staff communicate successfully, but the academics say most do not take into account the need for additional training in industry-specific jargon.

“It's surprising that HR directors are so confident in the abilities of non-native English speakers who, when working in specialist professions, often need training in the specific vocabulary, phrases and jargon used by [certain professions],” Hauke Tallon from LSE said. “The English language is full of complexities and nuance which can impact on understanding, particularly in professions which interact with the general public,” he added.

The experts say by not investing in cross-cultural language and communications training, organisations risk their international growth opportunities.