Language as a Bridge: The power of communication over perfection

The interview with Piotr Kruk about language as a tool for communication, conducted by Paweł Dudek, Change Manager, certified trainer Prosci® methodology.

Piotr, you speak seven languages. How did you do it?

I usually say “hold my beer” and then I tell a long story 🙂

The story is indeed a long one and it began nearly 25 years ago. At that time, I failed one of the two university entrance exams. In order to retake it, I decided to study German philology, just for a year, to improve my German, which by the way, I had already been studying for nearly a decade. A year later, I passed the exam, but unfortunately, I did not succeed in the second one. As a result, I remained in the German philology program with the intention of leveraging later my German language skills in my career. This path eventually led me to my first role in the industry.

In my second company I was quickly promoted (at just 27 years old) and became Sales Director for Central and Eastern Europe. My responsibilities included building the company’s operations from scratch in over 20 countries, participating in international trade fairs and negotiating contracts.

Soon I realized that in addition to improve my English, which was at the time truly indispensable at the time, I also need to learn Russian as quickly as possible. This was the last language I studied with a teacher and even though the process took less than two years. Learning subsequent languages became significantly faster, I could reach a level of comfortable in just a few weeks for each of one.

What truly accelerated my progress were the frequent opportunities to apply my skills and the conclusion that foreign languages are, in essence, tools for building relationships. The stronger the relationships I wanted to cultivate, the faster I needed to master a particular language. I fully immersed myself in each language and sought ways to enhance my productivity, tailoring the learning process to fit my daily routine and lifestyle. This approach proved to be a real game changer.

You worked with Robert Lewandowski and support managers in learning languages—what is the best proven method for achieving fluency in a foreign language?

There are a few important points to consider.

The first is adapting language learning methods to one’s lifestyle. The goal is to make the language a part of your day – from the moment you wake up until the evening. This way, even the busiest person, by using various methods and incorporating them into different activities throughout the day (breakfast time, commuting to work, working hours, walking the dog, or exercising), can steadily improve their speaking skills in a foreign language.

The second point is to identify your needs. To determine what exactly you want to talk about? In what situations will you use it? What will you ask about? What might someone might ask you? How you will respond? What you will say and how you will react? Clarifying these needs is a crucial step that significantly shortens the path to achieving fluency in the areas that matter most to you.

The third element is so-called language automation. This involves developing familiarity with certain phrases so that you no longer have to think about how to construct them. The goal is to speak naturally rather than trying to conjugate verbs or recall how something should be said. Therefore, instead of learning individual words, we should focus on learning ready-made phrases – short language blocks that already contain grammar and can be used to construct that sentences. It’s much easier to form a sentence using three phrases than ten individual words that interact with each other. By doing this, you can quickly begin to speak fluently and grammatically correctly.

Do you speak in front of large audiences in foreign languages? How do you prepare? What do you pay particular attention to?

The audience always comes first. Their attention and the value I can provide to them are my top priorities. Every minute is incredibly valuable, so I approach this responsibility with great seriousness.

I start by determining the goal of my presentation. What do I want the audience to take away from it? What do I want them to remember or understand? I prefer to use real examples and compelling stories. My goal is also to create an “AHA-” or “WOW-” moment, making the presentation insightful and engaging from start to finish. We must remember that today, people’s attention spans are extremely short and easily distracted. Therefore, the presentation needs a strong opening, three to five key points, and an inspiring call at the end.

How do you manage stress before a presentation?

Having many opportunities to speak, the stress I experience now has significantly diminished compared to the past and become largely positive. It reflects the significance of the moment rather than a fear of things going wrong. The key to success lies in thorough preparation, a deep understanding of the subject matter and a well-structured presentation that serves as a guide for both me and the audience. It ensures that each moment is valuable. When we prepare thoughtfully, we step onto the stage with the confidence that we’ve done everything possible. Then it becomes a matter of sharing valuable insights with the world.

From your numerous presentations, do you remember any funny or scary moments that particularly stand out in your memory?
Yes, during my first TEDx talk at SGH in November 2021. My presentation consisted of just seven slides, and halfway through, I forgot what I was supposed to say next. Fortunately, I recalled my thoughts after a moment, but the stress was immense. I left the stage feeling very disappointed in myself, despite having prepared extensively for the talk. To this day, – that presentation has been viewed nearly 300,000 times on YouTube and has inspired many people to take action. 

How do you handle audience reactions, or rather the lack of them? Have you ever found yourself speaking ‘to a wall,’ where you ask a question and hear silence in response?

I don’t recall encountering such a situation. Perhaps it’s because I’m usually very excited about what I want to talk about, always positively energized, and I try to start my presentation with an engaging story. I aim to captivate the audience from the very beginning and makes them eager to see what happens next. How a common problem will be solved? I love providing great value and sharing insights that the audience will want to take home with them. If we structure the entire presentation this way, there’s no chance of speaking “to a wall“.
The second important aspect is how we deliver it: engaging with the audience, moving around, varying the tone of voice and maintaining a dynamic pace. These elements help keep even the most tired attendees engaged. 

What I can refer readers to are three of the most popular sources we all use today, but few consider in the context of public speaking. LinkedIn, for instance, is invaluable when it comes to following the world’s best creators. These are not necessarily the CEOs of the largest companies, but rather those who consistently produce genuinely good content. It’s worth paying attention not only to the format of their posts but, most importantly, – to the hook they use. Many of these can serve as great examples for creating the best public speech ever.

Podcasts, on the other hand, offer excellent resource for improving not only voice modulation and speech tempo but, above all for building long-term audience engagement- despite the lack of visuals. By listening to the world’s best podcasters, we can certainly learn a lot.
Additionally, recording your own podcast provides even greater insight. Having my own podcast (“Poniedziałek Rano“), I have the opportunity to “perform” in front of several thousand listeners every Monday. This allows me to create new episode plans, constantly improve my presentation skills, and engage a large audience.

Similarly, YouTube channels are another great source. The best ones capture viewers’ attention from the first second and keep them coming back for more episodes. Watching them, offers a great opportunity to understand why certain techniques work. By analyzing the best of these sources, whether it’s on LinkedIn, YouTube or in podcasts, allows us to discover the best techniques for our own public speaking performances. Even those in a foreign language.

What gives you the greatest satisfaction from presenting in a foreign language?
Definitely the ability to reach those who do not speak Polish. Although it’s not always easy. In our native language we usually have a much richer vocabulary and are better at handling certain content. Public speaking in a foreign language is on the one hand quite limiting but on the other hand, it allows us to reach an audience from around the world. The only things that hold us back are courage and good preparation. Finding the same expressions we use in our native language and striving to replace them as much as possible with the foreign language.

What is particularly interesting – and what connects a foreign language with public speaking – is the potential this combination unlocks. We are not just talking about a public speech could involve persuading a foreign management team in a corporation to support our ideas, engaging colleagues in a specific issue or project, or training international business partners to effectively represent our business in their respective countries. The fusion of these two skills—foreign language proficiency and the ability to craft a compelling message, reach people’s minds and make it appealing—is a true game-changer today. In recent months, this combination has become one of the most sought-after skills, not only among directors and managers but also politicians, lawyers and top-class athletes.

And in your daily work—how do you overcome the resistance to speaking, especially when working with native speakers (British or American English)?
Using foreign languages in communication seems natural to me, regardless of proficiency at any given moment. After all, what is language, but a tool of communication? And here, we are always a party. Sometimes we are the stronger party, other times, we are at disadvantage – especially when speaking with to native speakers. Speaking many languages and having the opportunity to work in so many countries I have experienced the genuine joy of the locals due to my ability to communicate in their language. They always appreciated it, no matter what stage of my learning I am in. This fosters gratitude, trust and close relationships, sometimes even friendships. That’s why I have no hesitation in speaking a foreign language, even knowing I might make mistakes. We make errors even when speaking in our native tongue.
Last summer, I had the chance to spend nearly a month in the United States, where no one pays attention to the way you speak, your linguistic richness or grammatical structures. It was similar in Germany, where I had the chance to use German daily for over a dozen years in three different industries. In today’s globalized world, we rarely deal with a homogeneous societal structure anymore. People come from all over the world, bringing different accents and varying levels of language proficiency. I am convinced that the world needs individuals who are open to communication far more than perfectionists who spend years trying to move from B2 to C1 level. At the same time, a huge number of people still dream of simply being able to speak. And thanks to that, be effective in their business and private life, while also benefiting from the opportunities the world offers. 

Based on your experience, do you think that learning a new language, like any change, follows the ADKAR model—Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement?

100%. I’m a big fan of thinking that every language is a tool for achieving goals, and thus, being aware of its power in building relationships and creating a professional career. What’s crucial here is the desire, positive energy, and knowledge of how to master effectively the ability to communicate in a foreign language. All of this only strengthens us on every level – both professionally and personally. It aligns perfectly with the ADKAR model.