This year I'm focusing less on marketing to a specific country or working with a specific accent and more on making services more widely avaiable and also branching into cross-cultural communication. There is such an overlap!
I'm working with a colleague in strategic communication, and I plan to "bone up" on intercultural communication, a subject I enjoyed a great deal in my linguistic-study days but have paid admittedly less attention to in the last 10 years since graduating from the master's program.
In the meantime, new material has immerged. In addition, it's interesting to note how much focus there is in current cultural training on understanding various cultures and "bridging the gap" as opposed to focusing on communication in general with the intercultural parameters in mind (like polychronic vs. monochronic time, directness vs. indirectness of approach, etc.) and how these factors affect communication (as well as what we can do/say differently with these insights in mind). There is a wide variety of information available and I'm sorting through it with a focus on "communication" and tailoring the content to the audience - a corporate cross-cultural focus.
In November, I'm co-presenting with an Indian cultural expert to an HR group(about 1500 members). She'll be covering the cultural components, and I'll be providing insights to an HR focused audience on communications issues related to attracting and working with Indian talent in the Silicon Valley.
I'm also offering a couple of all day short courses through the community college Foothill/DeAnza. Short Course Registration The course description is listed in the Communications/Psychology section - course 037.
One of my most interesting clients is a Catholic seminary. I'm working with aspiring Catholic priests from all over the world, helping them to speak American English with clarity and confidence. Priests are largely recruited from other countries these days, like Vietnam, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Poland.
It promises to be another thought provoking and eye opening year of cross-cultural experiences!
Rebecca Linquist
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Hi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested in hearing about how you approached and became connected with the Seminarian students. I have several priests in my church that are esl speakers that I'd love to work with but am not sure how to approach them except as a volunteer.
Thanks,
Ruth
I would recommend going through the diocese and letting them know you are interested in this type of work and give them your qualifications. It's usually best to go through the proper channels with religious organizations. You might volunteer in the beginning and then find out if paid positions are available.
ReplyDeleteHi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI am an accent trainer out of Portland Oregon. I was curious if you have any recommendations for reading material on cross-cultural communications. I'd love to learn more. Best of luck in your growing business!
Hi Annie,
ReplyDeleteThe best source I have found is the Intercultural Press. http://www.interculturalpress.com/store/pc/home.asp
They have a variety of books on intercultural dialoging, cross-cultural coaching best practices, a selection of books by Storti, and a good collection of specific cultures compared/contrasted to the US as well. The classic "Riding the Waves of Culture" Fons/Trompenaars is a comprehensive guide as well. The think Amazon has it.