Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life1 “Managing more effectively in a foreign environment”

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 2 Expectations of participants, needs assessment, objectives The objective of this training is to support all of these areas: the performance, the adjustment and the development. Each participant should gain the ability to form positive, mutual respectful, trust relations with local nationals and people of diverse backgrounds in the country of assignment.

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 3 What is culture? “Culture hides more than it reveals and strangely enough what it hides, it hides most effectively from it’s own participants. Years of study have convinced me that the real job is not to understand foreign culture but to understand our own.” (Edward T. Hall)

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 4 Benefits of Cultural awareness / of cross-cultural adaptability  1.Increase self awareness  2. Build cross cultural understanding  3. Adapt skills

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 5 Differences in cultural values Orientation to time Orientation to activities Orientation to relationships

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 6 The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity Denial Defense Minimization Acceptance Adaptation Integration ”Another person becomes fully human to the extent that we are able to let the other be different from ourselves”

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 7 Ecotonos/ a role play to teach teambuilding, to improve the productivity, to gain a better understanding of the impact of different cultures, to train alternative problem solving methods

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 8 Levels of Competence  Unconscious Incompetence  Conscious Incompetence  Conscious Competence  Unconscious Competence

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 9 Artos Awareness Resilience Tolerance of Ambiguity Openness Self Assurance

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 10 Communication styles “ How do you say something ? Style refers to how one speaks not what one says!" Low context - High context Direct - Indirect - Storytelling Faster pace - Slower pace Formal - Informal Rational - Emotive – Intuitive

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 11 Learning styles Concrete Experience  Learning from feeling Reflective Observation  Learning by watching and listening Abstract Conceptualisation  Learning by thinking Active Experimentation  Learning by doing

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 12 Most Common Stereotypes of Americans Held by Foreigners The goal is to increase the awareness of how the Americans are perceived by foreigners Even if these stereotypes are untrue, unjustified, or if you personally are not guilty, you will be blamed for them

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 13 The German Ways Politeness Communication Punctuality Presentation

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 14 Listening is a Key Skill Believing that listening to people is important and worth taking the time Being “Other Person” focused Believing feelings are as important as facts Believing that people are capable of solving their own problems Believing that empathy is important Believing everybody has something valuable to say

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 15 Expats Success Factors The ability to communicate respect The ability to be non-judgemental The ability to accept the relativity of one’s own knowledge and perspective The ability to display empathy The ability to be flexible Understanding the protocols of discussion Understanding and tolerance of ambiguity

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 16 Seven Habits of Global Executives: “Exemplar global leaders are constantly curious, they seek for new information, investigate the world and challenge what other people take for granted.”

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 17 Conclusion, expectations reached? Evaluation of program: “Old habits can’t be thrown out the upstairs window. They have to be coaxed down the stairs one step at a time.” (Mark Twain)

Januar 2003 Sabine Wagner Communication is life 18 Closing “ I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I have ended, where I intended to be!”