Learn to Communicate Successfully With Your Latino Workforce

Jennifer Zurko

Claudio Carlos Pasian, Associate Professor, Emeritus at The Ohio State University, is teaching a new grower online training course called “Success with your Latino Workforce.” One of the key concepts that will be covered in this course is effective communication. As a Latino working in horticulture, Claudio said he’s had personal experience of cultural differences in his own career, and has also observed misunderstandings between Latino and non-Latino employees. This course will help you to effectively bridge this gap.

Many cultural experts say that 65% of communication is non-verbal, whereas only 35% is verbal. The bottom line is that most communication is non-verbal. We can communicate with body language, eye language, space language, touch language, time language, etc., so there’s much more to communicating with your Latino workforce than words.

The online course will run from October 14 to November 8, 2024, and is designed for people already working in horticulture, with two lessons per week that can be accessed at any time of day, and interactive discussions to reinforce your skills.

“It is important to keep in mind that there is no ‘silver bullet’ solution that will take care of all situations an employer will face when dealing with a Latino workforce,” said Claudio. “However, taking a course like this, plus having an open mind and being a constant observer of worker reactions, can turn challenges from having a multicultural workforce into a positive and enriching experience for you and your team.”

To see the curriculum and register, go to hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training. GT