I'm giving a presentation to an Asian audience at a conference
next week. I've been doing presentations for years in the USA and
I have a very confident style. Do you have any tips to help me get
my message across?
Presentation styles vary greatly between cultures. What is acceptable in one
culture is frowned upon in another. For example, the Chinese perceive exaggerated
body language as acting and insincere. Conversely, reading from notes indicates
sincerity rather than a lack of preparation. You may want to tone down your
delivery style with these cultural differences in mind.
What advantages are there with
elearning? Isn't it better to have my employees attend a face-to-face
cultural diversity seminar?
Yes, there is no denying that a face-to-face workshop will provide excellent
interaction and opportunities for enhanced learning. However, elearning
is much more economical, because employees do not have to travel to attend
seminars, and there is minimal downtime. Also, if a webinar is archived
on the company website, participants are free to revisit the content at
their leisure.
Cultural Synergies is currently pioneering a webinar about increasing
cultural awareness. Please contact
us for further information.
I'm a senior executive based in Europe. I'm looking forward
to my overseas assignment in Asia. Why would I need coaching? I'm
excellent at my job and I'm sure they speak English over there.
Whilst many Asian countries can and do speak English when doing business,
there are significant cultural differences between Europe and Asia. Different
work ethics, managerial styles and ways of giving feedback can make or break
your chances of success. You would greatly benefit from some cross cultural
training to ease your transition and maximise your success on your overseas
assignment. Is doing business really that different all over the world?
'Doing business’ is a complex combination of negotiation, communication,
relationships and timelines. Different cultures can have completely different
approaches to each facet of ‘doing business’.
Problems arise when organisations and individuals assume that how they
work is the same everywhere in the world.
Ultimately, everyone wants to reach a profitable and mutually beneficial
outcome to all business dealings. To this end, it makes good business sense
to learn about your own and other cultures. Awareness, flexibility and adaptability
is key.
I'm finding it a real challenge to
manage my team. They are not only from different countries, but
are based in different locations. We've tried videoconferencing,
teleconferencing and of course we stay in touch by email. However,
we're just not getting things done. How can you help us?
Virtual teams tend to be either the most or the least effective in an organisation,
depending on how diversity is handled. When well managed, diversity becomes
an asset and a productive resource for the team. When ignored, diversity
causes countless problems that affect productivity.
We can help you by providing tailored training to help team members understand
why people from other cultures think, feel, and act they way they do. You
will be given solid strategies to build trust, enhance communication and
maintain focus amongst your team.
All our workshops are highly interactive and encourage active participation.
We find that this is the best way to maximise learning.
Will your workshops provide me with
a list of 'do's' and 'don'ts' for specific countries?
While it can be useful to know whether to bow or shake hands, whether to
use chopsticks or a knife and fork, or whether it is rude to blow one’s
nose in public when overseas, it is just as important to understand the
‘hidden’ dimensions of other cultures.
One example is how people relate to one another based on gender, age, and
level of seniority. It is just as important to be aware of and understand
differing attitudes to time and deadlines as it is to know the protocol
with regard to things like cutlery.
Our training focuses not only on enhancing knowledge and behavioural change,
but the development of practical skills and strategies as well.
