Would this be a micro aggression?

[SupermarketMum]

I manage someone at work who struggles with communication. One issue is that he just says whatever is on his mind, even in a room full of people, he doesn’t structure updates well etc.

The other issue though, is that he speaks very very quickly (and with a strong accent) and jumbles words. I struggle to understand him sometimes, and I wanted to provide some feedback that he should slow down when he speaks and speak more clearly. However, I am worried this would be a micro aggression, as his fast speaking is likely linked to his background / ethnicity.

what do I do? The fast speaking is an issue and I think will definitely hold him back, and possibly cause issues for projects etc.

I would focus on just the speed and not the clarity, as I think there’s more room for negative interpretation on clarity. Speed however is more objective.

Another safer option would be for him to rehearse using the PowerPoint automatic feedback - it’s great and that gives you a target speed

If you do decide to give him feedback, perhaps phrase it in a way that makes it your problem, rather than his? Please could you slow down a bit? I'm finding it really hard to catch everything that you are saying. I need a brief pause between points in your presentation, to give me time to digest what you have said. A lot of people speak too quickly and need to learn to slow down, especially when they are nervous. It's not unreasonable or unkind to feed this back to them. I agree that you would be on shaky ground saying anything about his accent (and it's not really something he can, or even should, fix)

Focus on the speed and give him the pointer that he should check the understanding of the audience before carrying on.

It’s not your problem if his fast speaking holds him back. So he doesn’t get promoted… it’s no skin off your nose. Say nothing. It’s not worth the hassle of being accused of aggression or racism.

Give constructive feedback. You can do this without any reference to his accent, as it's the speed that's the issue, not his accent.

For example, I've noticed that when you give a presentation, whilst the content is good, sometimes you speak through each slide a little too quickly for the information to be absorbed by those you're presenting to.

Next presentation, give thought to your delivery. Use notes to deliver your message and take time to expand upon each slide. Use power point's own tools to practice beforehand. Always happy to go through it with you before delivery and to give you any pointers and tips. We can also meet up afterwards to go through how it went.

Make sure you're really clear with him and what he's doing well is discussed too. Tell him that you're there to support him and that you're keen for him to succeed and can see his potential.

Just to echo I agree with the speed being the focal point, especially because it's quite normal for people to speak too fast when they are nervous or are situations like an interview or a presentation.