SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO/HISPANIC CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

Spanish Cultural Proficiency Forum Mexican Puerto Rican Colombian Ecuadorian Cuban Nicaraguan Honduran El Salvadorian Argentinean Costa Rican Dominican Uruguayan Venezuelan Chilean Panamanian Peruvian Bolivian Paraguayan Guatemalan Belizean SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE Spanish

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

One goal…many voices The innovation comes alive in valuing the continuum of experience and multiple perspectives that a group made of native speakers and non-native speakers embodies. SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

Spanish Cultural Proficiency Forum SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO/HISPANIC CUSTOMER BASE  Spanish speaking professionals across disciplines meet monthly.  Groups at each location gather for a face to face meeting and are linked together through a conference call.

 Develop cultural ambassadors  Augment linguistic abilities of employees  Implement the Noah principle  Create a resource network made up of employees  Consult and develop innovative strategies PROJECT GOALS SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

Cultural brokers- “the act of bridging, linking or mediating between groups or persons of differing cultural backgrounds for the purpose of reducing conflict or producing change” (Jezewski, 2001). DEVELOP CULTURAL AMBASSADORS SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

Panama Uruguay Honduras Cuba Bolivia Nicaragua Venezuela EcuadorGuatemala Chile Belize Spain Puerto Rico Dominican Republic Mexico Paraguay Costa Rica Argentina El Salvador Peru Colombia DEVELOP CULTURAL AMBASSADORS E “Ambassador- A diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country to another.” (Webster, 2006) Uses cultural ambassadors to lead and nurture employees with less experience.

Cultural calendar- highlights events of particular cultural importance to the population. DEVELOP CULTURAL AMBASSADORS SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

 Presentations highlighting traditions and customs  Interactive activities to increase intercultural learning DEVELOP CULTURAL AMBASSADORS SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

 Games  Music  Multimedia interactive presentations These promote cultural attunement and provide a more relaxed environment that appeals to various learning styles. AUGMENT LINGUISTIC ABILITIES SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

 Poetry- read aloud to emphasize pronunciation and language nuances including metaphors.  Dramas/Role-plays- Practice conversations typical to work environment AUGMENT LINGUISTIC ABILITIES SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

 Vocabulary corner- review and introduce new vocabulary, particularly related to work setting. AUGMENT LINGUISTIC ABILITIES SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

“Collaboration, camaraderie, acceptance, appreciation, and respect are necessary to retain diverse employees” (as adapted from Hall 1997) Noah principle- two or more employees of color should be hired at a time (as adapted from Hall 1990) IMPLEMENT THE NOAH PRINCIPLE SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

Diverse hiring alone is insufficient, opportunities for interaction and influence need to be created and sustained. IMPLEMENT THE NOAH PRINCIPLE SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE  Discussions supporting bilingual professionals  Spanish speaking meeting celebrates the Spanish language.

 Illuminates success stories  Identifies challenge areas  Provides an arena to collaborate with mentor program IMPLEMENT THE NOAH PRINCIPLE SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

Information sharing across disciplines within the company. Enriching quality of service. Creating a seamless experience for customers. RESOURCE NETWORK OF EMPLOYEES SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

 Consulting group provides brainstorming and pragmatic solutions to unique challenges encountered working with Latinos/Spanish speaking customers. CONSULTING & INNOVATIVE STRATEGIZING SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

Creating a cultural forum is a way to invest in the diversity of employees and draw from an already rich resource. It is an opportunity to improve services to Latino customers in novel ways. By using an already existing resource (cultural ambassadors working within your organization), possibilities are endless! SUMMARY SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

Contact me SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE  It would be my privilege to meet with anyone who would like to share ideas on this topic at the conference.  Please do not hesitate to contact me at: or

REFERENCES Ambassador. (2006). Webster’s on-line dictionary. Princeton University. Retrieved September 15, 2010, from Hall, C. C. (1997) Cultural Malpractice: The Growing Obsolescence of Psychology With the Changing U.S. Population. American Psychologist, 52: SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

REFERENCES Hall, C. C. (1990) “Qualified” minorities are encouraged to apply: The recruitment of ethnic minority and female psychologists. In G. Stricker, E. Davis-Russell, E. Bourg, E. Duran, W.R. Hammond, J. McHolland, K., Polite, & B.E. Vaughn (eds.), Toward ethnic diversification in psychology education and training. (pp ). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE

REFERENCES Jezewski, M.A., & Sotnik, P. (2001). The rehabilitation service provider as culture broker: Providing culturally competent services to foreign born persons. Buffalo, NY: Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange. “CIGNA” and the “Tree of Life” logo are registered service marks of CIGNA Intellectual Property, Inc., licensed for use by CIGNA Corporation and its operating subsidiaries. All products and services are provided by such operating subsidiaries and not by CIGNA Corporation. SPANISH CULTURAL PROFICIENCY FORUM: IMPROVING SERVICE TO OUR LATINO CUSTOMER BASE TORI ZENGEL MORA, LMFT, PH.D CANDIDATE