NCE 2011 Activities to help learners communicate more effectively across cultures

1. NCE 2011Activities to help learners communicate more effectively across cultures Adrian Pilbeam LTS training and consulting Bath, UK

2. Some background about me Founder and director of LTS Training and Consulting in Bath, UK 35 years’ experience of language and intercultural training Author of many business English books, most recently Working Across Cultures (Pearson Longman 2010) Worked extensively througout Europe, as well as the US and Asia Lived in Portugal, Belgium, Spain and France LTS Training & Consulting

3. Aims for today What is the aim of intercultural training? What are the characteristics of good intercultural training activities? Some intercultural activities you can use with your students A brief overview of Working Across Cultures LTS Training & Consulting

4. What is the aim of intercultural training? ‘To give people the knowledge, attitudes and skills to communicate effectively with cultures other than their own’ Robert Kohls LTS Training & Consulting

5. Good intercultural training activities…. raise awareness give new insights help people shift perspectives engage with peoples’ emotions give people an ‘Aha moment’ help develop new skills are instructive and fun LTS Training & Consulting

6. Activity 1 – Hello activity 1. What are some of the positive aspects of communicating with people from other cultures? • What are some of the challenges of this kind of communication? 3. Think of some situations and contexts in which people need to communicate across cultures?

7. Some positive aspects • Learning/reflecting on own culture, norms, values • Learning about yourself – likes / dislikes • Accept difference, enjoy it • Gives different points of view / perspectives • Strengthens own identity • Learning from each other • Challenges your views • Different ways to approach the same tasks • Practical benefits – languages, customs

8. Some challenges • Language and communication problems • Different mind sets, customs, ways of working • Different sets of rules • Different ways of perceiving and being perceived • Different understanding of the same tasks • Communicating at a distance / in different time zones

9. Contexts for communicating across cultures • Living, working or studying in a multicultural environment • Visiting other countries on holiday • Going on educational exchanges abroad • Living, working or studying abroad • Working internationally • Doing business in specific countries

10. Activity 2 - What is culture? • Language, non-verbal communication, behaviour • Food, dress, buildings, material things • Traditions, history, customs, religion • Attitudes, norms, beliefs, values, assumptions

11. Iceberg of culture

12. Surface and deep culture - the iceberg of culture Visible Material things Behaviour Words Norms Beliefs Assumptions VALUES Invisible

13. Activity 3 - What do you see?

14. What do you see?

15. What do you see?

16. When communicating with other cultures • initial impressions can be misleading • behaviour can be interpreted differently • different rules often apply “What is normal to us may not be normal in other cultures”

17. Activity 4 - What is normal? • What are some examples of ‘normal’ behaviour in Dutch culture? • What examples have you found of ‘normal’ behaviour in other cultures, but which you considered strange or very different?

18. Activity 5 – typical behaviour Describe to each other a typical kind of behaviour in Dutch culture or in a different culture where you have lived or which you know well. Explain why this behaviour is important, and what the reaction would be if a foreigner behaves differently, e.g. ways of greeting (shake hands, kiss, hug, etc.), ways of requesting things

21. Activity 6 – cultural artefacts Think of an artefact – an everyday object, big or small – from Dutch or another culture that you know well. Say how it illustrates some aspect of the culture of the country – its values, traditions, beliefs, customs, etc.

22. Activity 7 – sayings and proverbs Think of some common sayings or proverbs which tell us something about the culture (values, attitudes, expected behaviour) of a country.

23. Let’s play it by ear It’ll be alright on the night We’ll just have to wing it As a general rule of thumb … Some British sayings LTS Training & Consulting

24. Some German sayings • Dafür bin ich nicht zuständig • Dienst ist Dienst und Schnaps ist Schnaps • Erst die Arbeit, dann das Vergnügen • Ohne Fleiss kein Preis

25. Activity 8 – A stereotype is …. A belief or idea (often unfair or untrue) of what a particular type of person or thing is like LTS Training & Consulting

26. Stereotypes Do you agree or disagree with the following statements about stereotypes? • National stereotypes are dangerous because they may provoke prejudice • Stereotypes contain a certain amount of truth and are therefore useful • There is no such thing as national character so the idea of national stereotypes is wrong • Stereotypes are simply harmless sorts of jokes we tell about other nationalities

27. European stereotypes Cooks, engineers, lovers, organisers, police Heaven is a place where the _____ are British, the ____ French, the ____ are German, the _____ are Swiss and the _____ are Italian. And Hell is where the ____ are British, the ____ are French, the _____ are German, the ____ are Swiss and the _____ are Italian.

28. Activity 9 – two verb activity Work in pairs or threes. Tell each other how you travelled to Ede, what you did yesterday evening, what you will be doing this weekend, etc. Each time you use a verb you have to use a second verb or verb phrase immediately, with a similar meaning, e.g. Yesterday I drove / went by car to Bristol airport. Then I took a plane / flew to Schiphol

29. Working across cultures- Six main sections, 18 units Working across cultures Doing business in foreign markets International mergers Living and working in a foreign country Working in international teams Training and development LTS Training & Consulting

30. Some discussion topics from Working across cultures What are some of the problems that might arise when advertising products in different countries? Can you think of some examples of products that have not transferred well to foreign markets? What personal skills and qualities are important to worksuccessfully with people from other cultures? What cultural characteristics of Dutch managers do youthink make them particularly suitable to help make aninternational merger successful? LTS Training & Consulting

31. Market Leader Specialist Titles Accounting and Finance Business law Human Resources Logistics management Marketing Working Across Cultures

32. To find out more • www.dialogin.com • www.sietar.nl • Attend the five-day course Developing intercultural training skills at LTS in Bath with Comenius or Grundtvig funding www.lts-training.com/ICTTcourse.htm