May 18

Presenting to an International Audience: Adapting your Style for Maximum Impact

Cross Cultural Training, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector 2 Comments »

Have you ever asked a question during a presentation you were delivering to an international audience and no one responded? Or perhaps you’ve made a joke when delivering a presentation that no one laughed at? Many people don’t realise how important it is to adapt the way you deliver presentations to people from international backgrounds. Presenting to an international audience effectively requires a unique set of presentation skills and cultural understanding.

Happy meeting Neustockimages i Presenting to an International Audience: Adapting your Style for Maximum Impact

© istockphoto.com/Neustockimages

Cross-cultural communication skills training programmes like Presenting to an International Audience can be a tremendous help to anyone preparing a presentation for a global group. Training can help you to understand the cultural characteristics which may impact audience expectations when presenting to an international audience, while it will also help you to adapt your style effectively to have the most impact.

Whether following tips on what to avoid during a presentation or increasing your understanding of how to most effectively structure your delivery, it’s important you have the right cultural awareness and international presentation skills for any global delivery.

Using Humour

Humour is one part of cross-cultural communication that can have a really positive effect on a presentation, but it can also go seriously wrong if not used appropriately when presenting to an international audience. In Germany and Japan, for example, people don’t tend to appreciate jokes in presentations as much as they do in the US. In France the style and appearance of the presenter itself are very important and humour does not really play a role in French presentations. In the UK people tend to prefer traditional rather than modern PowerPoint slides and a bit of humour in your presentation can be appreciated.

Choosing your Communication Style

Countries like Germany, Sweden and Switzerland tend to be low context cultures in which people are rule, detail and task oriented so presentations tend to have a clear structure and include lots of information. In high context cultures like Brazil and Italy, communication tends to be less verbally explicit and individuals place a high emphasis on personal face-to-face interactions. When presenting to a high context culture, you should therefore try to use fewer words in your slides and select them carefully.

Managing Different Perceptions of Time

According to Edward T. Hall it is important to establish whether you are going to present in a culture which tends to be more monochronic or polychronic. People in monochronic cultures tend to appreciate punctuality and schedules, and time is considered a scarce resource. When presenting to audiences from monochronic cultures, make sure you start your presentation on time, stick to the structure you have outlined and finish as planned as ’time is money’. Conversely, individuals in polychronic cultures put more emphasis on relationships rather than schedules and they will often make last minute changes or interruptions. Don’t be offended if people ask questions or make remarks during a presentation to a polychronic audience as this is quite normal behaviour.

Anyone delivering presentations to an international audience can greatly benefit from considering the cultural characteristics of the audience they are presenting to. International businesses can also profit immensely from developing the presentation skills of its employees, especially when cross-cultural components of the delivery are taken into consideration. By helping employees to increase their understanding of their international audience, they can more successfully harness the cultural differences in each and every context and have the most impact.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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Oct 28

2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi – Indian Culture Under the Microscope

Cross Cultural Training, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources No Comments »

Although there was much speculation about whether the Commonwealth Games would run this year, they took place in October for two weeks. After several delays and corruption New Delhi finally managed to get ready for the games. The Commonwealth Games were an excellent opportunity for India to establish itself as an emerging global power, but the path to delivering them wasn’t an easy one.

Track Running Race Sven Hoppe i1 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi Indian Culture Under the Microscope

© istockphoto.com/ Sven Hoppe

The Commonwealth Games are held by the Commonwealth, an association of independent states from all over the world. Its members represent about 30% of the world’s population. The Commonwealth Games feature many different sports and take place every four years in a different country. Often called “The Friendly Games”, the Commonwealth Games are a great opportunity to improve society and general well-being of the members of the Commonwealth. To ensure their success, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) focuses on three core values: humanity, equality and destiny.

For the first time since its existence the Commonwealth Games took place in India. The Delhi Games Village was located in the centre of the city and had a capacity for 8,500 athletes and officials. Sports like aquatics, badminton, and table tennis are just some of the sports that were played in existing and newly built stadiums.

Despite careful planning, the games in New Delhi had several setbacks. Experts were prevented from going from the venues to work because too many passes had been issued. In the meantime, a significant number of tickets for the opening ceremony went missing and many other passes had been issued without performing the required security checks. Is this reflective of a casual attitude towards deadlines from Indian officials or are they just stereotypes?

Some people think that CGF Chief Executive Mike Hooper is partly to blame. Others believe that Indians are generally not very time conscious and therefore have the tendency to miss deadlines and be late with projects. India is traditionally known as a polychronic culture. In other words, people in India tend to prefer to do many tasks at the same time and will often re-prioritise tasks based on what else is happening. Instead of sticking to fixed deadlines, Indians stress the importance of establishing relationships with their business counterparts.

Indians also tend to have a high context communication style and will be more indirect and implicit. Anyone working with Indians should therefore pay special attention to what is not said in conversations. Naturally, this can lead to misunderstandings and confusion and is perhaps another reason why there were so many delays and challenges leading up to the start of the Commonwealth Games.

The success of the Commonwealth Games relied not only on the ability of the Indian government and organisations involved to deliver the required facilities and services on time, but it required successful working with Swiss Timing, a company that deals with sporting events and advertising management systems. Based in Switzerland, Swiss Timing won the tender to ensure that all required systems were in place for a successful event.

The significant differences in the way that Indians and the Swiss work and approach projects made preparing the Commonwealth Games successfully all the more challenging. For one, their attitudes to the concept of time are significantly different. While India tends to be high context, the Swiss are much more traditional in their approach and appreciate a low-context communication style. They are also very monochromic, the opposite of polychronic, and have a fairly strict attitude to deadlines and time.

Although the Swiss are very good at managing time and meeting deadlines, there were some serious problems working with the Indians on the Games. Throughout the delays, problems with facilities and issues with tickets, India risked losing face in front of the entire world. With face being one of the key Indian values and a prominent part of daily interactions, this was a huge concern for the whole country. In the end, the games turned out to be successful despite all of the problems. The head of the organisation, Thomas Fennel, said that the world got a very positive image of India.

The challenges the Swiss and Indians faced in working with each other are just one example of where cross-cultural difference can play a huge role in hindering projects and creating conflict. Different perceptions of time and approaches to completing a task can create serious problems.

Anyone doing business globally should consider cross-cultural differences like these in order to anticipate misunderstandings and ensure successful working. Participating in a cultural awareness training programme like Doing Business in Indiais just one way to prepare yourself for cultural differences and idiosyncrasies like these. By going through a tailored intercultural training course on the country or countries you work in, you can be more confident that you will be able to avoid cultural clash and conflict which can lead to loss of money, time and credibility.

Craig Hunter, Team England Chef de Mission, said ‘It is like an Indian wedding, we are in Dehli and it will come together at the last minute’. Luckily, he has proven to be right and the games were a success. Showing the world that India is capable of hosting an event of this size and impact was a great opportunity to defend its position as one of the fastest growing economies in the world and will be remembered.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Sep 28

Cultural Profile: Clifford Geertz

Cross Cultural Training, Culture No Comments »

Name: Clifford Geertz
Nationality: US American
Date of birth: 23 August 1926 in San Francisco

Known for: Symbolic Anthropology

Key Publications:

  • The Religion of Java (1960). Chicago, IL: University Chicago Press
  • The Interpretation of Cultures (1973). New York: Basic Books
  • Negara: The Theatre State in 19th Century Bali (1980). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
  • After the Fact: Two Countries, Four Decades, One Anthropologist (1995). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
  • Available Light: Anthropological Reflections on Philosophical Topics (2000). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press

After his service in the Second World War, Clifford Geertz completed his B.A. in Philosophy in 1950 at Antioch College in Yellow Springs and then his Ph.D. at Harvard University in 1956 on social anthropology.

Clifford Geertz was a renowned scholar within the field of symbolic anthropology. Drawing upon the work of linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, symbolic anthropology studies the ways in which signs govern cultural life. Geertz, in particular, focused on the ways in which symbols operate within a culture. Most of his studies were conducted in South Asia and North Africa.

Clifford Geertz is also famous for his Theory of Religion where he describes a religious cult as a cultural system that controls the social system which itself controls individuals. He defended the Thick Description theory which implies that human behaviour must be analysed within a context to be fully understood. This is one reason why all cross cultural awareness training programmes now underline the importance of studying all aspects of culture in order to have a full understanding of its key values and cultural practices and their impact on life in the target country.

Clifford Geertz’s ideas influenced anthropology throughout the 20th century as well as other fields of research like History and Political Sciences. His work can be summarised by this quote from Professor Daniel Pals: “His critics are few, his admirers are legion”.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Sep 24

Positive and Challenging Aspects of Coming Back Home – The Double Edge of Reverse Culture Shock

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector 1 Comment »

In a recent article published in the Telegraph, Annabel Kantaria, a British expat living in Dubai, talked about the delight of coming back home from an international assignment. From the reassurance of being on streets with more disciplined drivers to the joy of seeing the milkman delivering milk bottles every day, Annabel’s joy of being back in the UK is genuine.

Coming back home will often bring with it the joys of comforting things like Annabel’s examples but there are many challenges as well that returning expatriates need to overcome. Re-adapting to their home country after being away for a year or more can be difficult and confusing for former international assignees.

Dubai shao weiwei i1 Positive and Challenging Aspects of Coming Back Home – The Double Edge of Reverse Culture Shock

© istockphoto.com/ Shao Weiwei

Catching up with friends, rediscovering familiar places and enjoying things such as food or weather can be a true joy for international assignees that have been away from home for a while. However, this feeling of joy can be dampened by challenges which often surface after this initial period of uninterrupted bliss.

Developing cultural skills and knowledge before an international assignment is increasingly recognised as a necessity in order to effectively deal with the cultural differences. After an international assignment, however, most people don’t think about the changes or cultural differences they will find on their return home and therefore they don’t do anything to prepare themselves for them.

In fact, most expatriates returning from long term assignments find that the environment they were so familiar with has changed while they’ve been away. This often results in feelings of confusion or frustration when they see that they have missed things during the years of their international assignment.

Simple things like not seeing friends who have moved away or being unable to go to a favourite pub because it no longer exists can have a major impact on returning expatriates. Re-adapting to the cultural habits, traditions and even values in the home country after experiencing a different culture on their assignment can also be challenging and make them feel like a stranger in their own country.

Many returning expatriates also face challenges getting back into their professional life. Former international assignees sometimes find it hard to get recognition for the success they have achieved abroad. Often the skills they have developed by working with other cultures are also underestimated and unappreciated by their manager. The lack of recognition and under appreciation can lead to frustration and hinder the re-adaptation process.

How can returning expatriates cope with these challenges of re-adjusting to their home country after being away for so long? Staying in touch with their friends, families and former colleagues through virtual communication can be a good start to ensure that they are not forgotten. Too often the expression ‘out of sight, out of mind’ holds true for international assignees on an expatriation. Returning home once in a while is another good way to avoid a challenging reverse culture shock.

Professionally, returning expatriates can also assess their skills and discuss the experience they have gained with their manager on a regular basis so they see how they are developing throughout the assignment and are ready to welcome them home and harness their new skills and knowledge.

Communicaid’s cross cultural repatriation training programmes can also help returning expatriates to cope with reverse culture shock and the process of readjusting to their personal and professional life in their home country. Repatriation trainingwill help former expatriates and their family members discover the hidden challenges of coming back home and any aspects of the culture which may have changed since they lived there. Cross cultural training provides excellent opportunities to discuss any specific concerns about coming home and provides a full update on any changes to the home country since leaving.

Staying in touch, returning for home visits and cross cultural repatriation training courses are just some of the key things returning expatriates can do to reduce the impact of reverse culture shock and ensure their experience of coming home is filled with more joyous things like seeing the milkman every morning.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Jul 30

BP has a New CEO: Did Culture Play a Role?

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector 1 Comment »

BP recently announced the appointment of a new CEO: Robert Dudley, an American citizen who will take the helm of the oil company. Dudley will replace British national Tony Hayward who had been in charge of one of the world’s largest organisations for the last three years.

This decision did not come as a big surprise. Hayward is paying for the Mexican Gulf disaster which is considered one of the worst ecological disasters ever seen. Hayward’s very public role as CEO combined with several PR gaffes in the days that followed the platform incident have all played a role in him being replaced.

Most US journalists and communication specialists have pointed out a lack of commitment, concern and apologies from BP’s CEO during the oil spill. Hayward was also described as distant and not really interested in the events occurring in the Mexican Gulf.

Oil Platform Nick Cook i1 BP has a New CEO: Did Culture Play a Role?

© istockphoto.com/ Nick Cook

 

These accusations seem somewhat strange, however, if we look at the bigger picture. How could a CEO remain unconcerned when his company is responsible for a massive oil spill that will harm the brand’s image and potentially market value for decades? As emotions run high in the US and particularly in the Gulf of Mexico States it is easy for Americans to accuse the besieged BP Chief of being a callous polluter.

One of the key elements of this case is the nationality and culture of Hayward. As a British national, his communication style and core cultural values are different from those which you typically find in Americans. More precisely, Hayward is less likely to show his emotions openly. Brits are renowned for their reserve, straight face and lack of emotional display, even in tense and dire situations. Foreigners often perceive this to be quite cold and a sign of disinterest – hence the reaction from the American public.

Although much of Hayward’s communication style could be influenced by his national culture and values, much of his communication strategy was poor and things he said were inappropriate. This is where cultural awareness training can be really helpful. If he had known what kind of audience he was communicating to, what expectations they had of him and the style of communication they preferred, he could have adapted his approach to be more positively received.

A better understanding and awareness of US culture and communication styles could have helped Hayward to adapt and choose a better strategy to deal with this crisis. Americans are known to be more open and direct and tend to expect their leaders, businesspeople and celebrities to openly apologise in public when they have done wrong. Recent American history is full of incidents where famous “wrongdoers” have publicly apologised and been “rehabilitated” by the American public. After all, “To Err Is Human, to Forgive Divine” (Alexander Pope).

BP will have a new CEO in October. His primary objective will be to mend the image of the company around the world but particularly in the US. The fact that he his American will probably help him to find the right tone and style to accomplish this difficult task. Hopefully, his previous experience in other countries will also help him to adapt to other cultures as BP continues to work and expand in other international markets over the next few years.

Cross cultural awareness training programmessuch as Communicaid’s Doing Business in the US or Managing International Mergers and Acquisitions can help organisations to deal with such cultural differences and react more effectively to crisis such as this one. Understanding the key differences in communication styles as well as cross cultural perceptions and business practices is essential for any organisation working in the international arena.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Jul 08

Intercultural Communication in Action – UNESCO’S ‘International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures’

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

UNESCO is the United Nations’ organisation charged with the task of building ‘the defences of peace in the minds of men’ by developing international cooperation in its fields of competence such as education, sciences, culture and communication. It is fitting, therefore, that UNESCO has been asked to lead the initiative of the United Nations’ ‘International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures’ during 2010.

Globe Kasia i1 Intercultural Communication in Action UNESCO’S ‘International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures’

© istockphoto.com/ Kasia

 

The goal of this International Year is to increase the extent to which the rapprochement of cultures is involved in policy-making at local, national, regional and international levels and to involve as many stakeholders in this as possible. Their policy document explains that this will ‘involve integrating the principles of dialogue and mutual knowledge in all policies, particularly education, science, culture and communication policies, in the hope of correcting flawed cultural representations, values and stereotypes.’

When launching the International Year programme, Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, emphasised how essential intercultural dialogue and understanding are for a peaceful world and for international development. This point was reinforced by Irina Bokova, UNESCO’s Director-General who said ‘No culture can afford to live in isolation. It is through dialogue and creativity in all its forms, through exploring new opportunities for creating connections between people, that we can prove that diversity is our strength.’

In response to this, hundreds of international activities are planned throughout 2010. These include a Euro-Arab Dialogue Task Force, a Round Table to involve publishing and new technologies in the programme and regional meetings in Central Asia and the Asia-Pacific regions.

While UNESCO is planning many activities throughout 2010, they are also inviting individuals and organisations to contribute in their own ways. Many companies now have a global reach and an international, multicultural staff. ‘Correcting flawed cultural representations, values and stereotypes’, as Ban Ki-moon expressed it, can help companies with a multicultural workforce to improve intercultural communication and enable colleagues to work more successfully with each other and with clients.

Undertaking cultural awareness training courses such as Communicaid’s Working Effectively across Cultures or Managing International Teams programmes is one way organisations can bring together employees from different cultures and improve their cross-cultural communication skills. Intercultural training has proven to be an effective way of increasinge understanding between employees from different cultures by dispelling cultural stereotypes and enabling people involved to create valuable connections.

Offering these intercultural training opportunities to your employees can increase the ability of your organisation to benefit from the cultural differences within it and, as Irina Bokova, Secretary General of UNESCO said, make diversity your strength.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Apr 06

Becoming a Cultural Chameleon: Adaptability Skills Essential for Cross Cultural Success

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources No Comments »

Have you ever noticed how, in the many conversations you have with different people throughout a typical day, the topics of your conversations and your style of conversation change depending on who you’re speaking to?

If you were to pick a random topic, such as the weather or a recent film you have seen, and you discussed it casually with a few different people, you will most likely notice that even if your conversation covers the same topic, your style will vary depending on the other person’s position (your boss or work colleague), profession (lawyer, shopkeeper), relationship to you (relative, friend, someone you have just met on a street), age (a child, an older person) or culture (national, religious etc).

We tend to speak in different ways to different people, our work colleagues, family, friends or just strangers we meet on a street or in a supermarket. Our speech adapts and changes depending on our interlocutors. We may adapt our choice of language like the vocabulary or jargon we use, or our accent, dialect or intonation. At times you may find yourself imitating someone else’s accent or use of vocabulary to get closer to them and gain sympathy, especially when working across cultures. This is the central tenet of Communication Accommodation Theory, which was developed by professor of communication Howard Giles of the University of California Santa Barbara.

Definition Language kdow i1 Becoming a Cultural Chameleon: Adaptability Skills Essential for Cross Cultural Success

© istockphoto.com/kdow

 

Practical examples of this are when, for instance, we speak slowly when communicating across cultures so that our international counterparts can understand us, or how we use grammatically simple language with children (baby talk). In the same way, you can strategically choose to speak with a certain accent or use certain expressions in order to emphasise your membership of a group, or conversely, distance yourself from another.

The principle also covers non-verbal aspects of communication, such as posture and eye contact, which are especially important aspects of cultural awareness. For example, when two people speak one may seek eye contact while the other may wish to avoid it. In that instant, almost unconscious negotiation takes place as one has to adapt to the style of the other.

Most of these verbal and non-verbal adjustments are psychologically motivated and common among all people around the world. What differs is how we accommodate our language and behaviour to communicate with others across cultures more effectively and gain their appreciation, trust or acceptance.

Adapting to another person can come naturally and often imperceptibly in a mono-cultural environment, but if the interaction spans different cultures a certain degree of uncertainty comes into play, as the parties involved will very likely have different expectations of how communication should unfold. Cultural awareness training can help reduce this element of uncertainty and ensure you have the right level of cross cultural skills to communicate effectively across cultures.

Understanding varying levels of eye contact is just one example of this theory in action. Broadly speaking, western individuals associate a lack of eye contact with insecurity and even untrustworthiness at times. When a German manager meets a new member of his team, he will look him straight in the eye, accommodation assures his gaze in turn will be met. All of his German counterparts know this shows both mutual respect and that the new team member is confident and ready to meet the challenges of the new assignment.

Things are different when doing business in Japan, where respect for your superiors should be shown by not meeting their gaze. Accommodation means that a Japanese junior member of staff will not look his boss in the eye when he or she talks to him, and know that by doing this all expectations are met.

What happens when business relations bring the German junior team member into contact with the Japanese manager? Who, if at all, will accommodate their communication style when doing business with the other? What are the consequences of this not happening?

One way to eliminate any uncertainty that arises from this scenario is through cultural awareness training. By providing insight into your own culture and communication style, as well as those of the host country you are doing business in, it is possible to develop a level of cross cultural awareness that will help you to make the necessary cultural adjustments that come so naturally when communicating with someone from your own culture.

Confidence, awareness of what to expect and skills to react appropriately, all developed through cultural awareness training, can eliminate at least part of the uncertainty inherent in international business relations and lead to more economic success.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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