Spoken English Performance: Turn Your Biggest Hidden Revenue Risk into a Driver of Workforce Productivity
22 Apr 2026
Rome HR Tech Talks Theatre
Tech Talk
Miscommunication isn’t a minor workplace issue. It’s a real business risk, costing businesses an estimated $2 trillion each year. The challenge isn’t grammar or vocabulary. It’s the moment of hesitation or the wrong phrase in a client meeting, pitch, or negotiation. That’s where deals are lost and trust breaks down.
As AI takes over routine work, human communication matters more than ever. Skills like persuasion, clarity, and confidence can’t be automated. But most organisations still rely on traditional language training that doesn’t prepare employees for real conversations.
In this session, Will Polese, VP of Revenue at ELSA, explores why spoken English performance is becoming a key driver of growth. He shares insights from research and real companies, showing where traditional training falls short and how AI coaching helps employees build confidence before it matters most.
As AI takes over routine work, human communication matters more than ever. Skills like persuasion, clarity, and confidence can’t be automated. But most organisations still rely on traditional language training that doesn’t prepare employees for real conversations.
In this session, Will Polese, VP of Revenue at ELSA, explores why spoken English performance is becoming a key driver of growth. He shares insights from research and real companies, showing where traditional training falls short and how AI coaching helps employees build confidence before it matters most.
Topic
AI Automation & Agentic Systems
Learning Objective 1:
Quantify the business impact of poor communication by identifying where it drives revenue loss and why it should be treated as an operational priority—not a soft skill.
Learning Objective 2:
Diagnose the root cause of communication breakdowns by distinguishing between language proficiency gaps and the lack of scalable, real-world practice environments.
Learning Objective 3:
Evaluate how improving communication confidence—through AI-enabled practice—can directly impact key business metrics such as sales performance, CSAT, and speed of global expansion.