10 Tips for Training an International Audience
by Ron Kaufman
Training a worldwide audience can be a minefield of potential errors,
missteps and disasters. Whether your group size is thirty or three
hundred, it is likely that you will face men and women, old and
young, company veterans and brand-new hires, locals and expatriates,
married, single and recently divorced, and every possible mix of
ethnic, religious and sexual persuasion. With a mix like this, you
can offend without intention, insult without meaning to, and alienate
without even trying.
Avoid painful mistakes! Follow these "10 Tips" when you
work with participants from around the world and you will find yourself
with an attentive, involved and harmonious learning group.
Tip #1: Don't assume. Ask!
Don't assume everyone is the room is just like you, or like anyone
else! Acknowledge the diversity in the room. Highlight the rich
range of life and business experiences this group can represent.
Ask participants to share about themselves in small groups. Start
out with easy questions: business experience, educational background,
and places they have lived or worked. As conversation warms up,
move to current business issues: ask their opinions on trends in
the industry, entry of new competitors, products, technologies or
government regulations. Then get right to the training topic at
hand: have participants discuss expectations of the course, problems
they need to solve, and solutions they intend to acquire.
Finally, when groups are well lubricated with dialogue and rapport,
ask participants to share a bit about their personal lives - family,
hobbies, vacation plans or other special interests.
Tip #2: Speak very clearly.
Your native tongue may not be the first language of all your audience
members. Adjust your presentation style so everyone can easily follow.
I recently spoke for a large international audience in Australia.
Eleven countries were represented with seven different languages.
Simultaneous translation was provided for non-native English speakers.
Energized by the crowd, I launched into a presentation of humorous
stories, anecdotes, case studies and key learning points. Throughout
the speech, I was pleased to hear the Japanese contingent laughing
at all of my jokes.
Or so it seemed. After the presentation, one Japanese participant
set me straight: I was speaking so quickly, the interpreter was
unable to follow. Instead of translating my presentation, he gave
up and spent most of the time talking in Japanese about how funny
it was to see this American fellow rushing about in a big hurry
on stage! I laughed when I heard this report, but I certainly learned
the lesson: with an international audience, slow down, and speak
very clearly.
Tip #3: Bridge the communication gap.
Some of your group may participate in a language that is not their
native tongue. If their vocabulary or pronunciation is difficult
for others to understand, you can bridge the gap by clearly repeating
their comments and contributions.
Go beyond the spoken word to encourage understanding: use charts,
pictures, icons, video, physical examples, role-plays and other
non-verbal techniques to get your points across.
Tip #4: Encourage all participation.
New-comers bring fresh perspective. Old-timers have experience and
wisdom. Locals understand "what's happening on the ground".
Expatriates have a "global" point of view.
Be liberal with your compliments and praise. "That's a very
good question!" let's everyone know it's safe to ask the next
one. "Thank you for your answer!" tells the whole room
it's safe to venture a new reply.
Tip #5: Be experienced, not exceptional.
Trainers are often widely experienced and well-traveled. The can
bring good value to the group, but don't highlight your differences
too much. You want respect, not distance. When "connecting"
with an international group, a little humility goes a long way.
Tip #6: Speak the local language.
If possible, use local language, customs and examples in your presentation.
This may require some preparation on your part, but it can make
a very big impact on your group.
Towards the end of the Cold War, comedian Billy Crystal began a
stand-up routine in Moscow by conducting the first five minutes
entirely in Russian. But Billy Crystal does not speak Russian. He
had memorized his entire opening act! The Russian audience howled
their approval, and continued laughing as he delivered the rest
of his show in English.
Tip #7: Avoid phrases that do not translate well.
What is "clear as a bell" to you may be "thick as
mud" in every other language. Avoid phrases that do not translate
well. "Six to one, half dozen the other", "by the
skin of your teeth", "right as rain" and "chicken
with your head cut off" may translate nicely in your home town,
but can bring real confusion and frustration overseas. Do you "catch
my drift"?
Tip #8: If in doubt, leave it out.
Exercise great caution with your comments on politics, religion,
sexuality, ethnic issues and humor. What is funny to one group may
be downright offensive to another. There are plenty of things to
laugh about in this world without poking fun at any one group. Make
one mistake here, and people may remember it forever.
Tip #9: Triple check all translations.
If your presentation, workbook and handouts are translated to another
language, check the choice of words and phrases many times. Use
a professional translator who is familiar with your field of word.
Then check again with actual participants in your group.
At the Service Quality Centre in Singapore, we use the phrase "Never
Settle" to mean "strive for continuous improvement".
But when we first took this phrase overseas, it was translated into
Mandarin like this: "Never agree in a negotiation". And
in Indonesia, the phrase became "Don't sit down!"
Tip #10: Mix the group to increase participation.
Sharing experiences is one of the best aspects of international
training. But don't count on participants to do it by themselves.
Give the process a boost by mixing the group in various ways. Suppose
you have 32 participants. You can combine them at various times
into smaller teams of 2, 4, 6, 8 or even 16.
Do a random split by having them "count off" around the
room in numbers. Or have a bit more fun! I often divide my groups
by date of birth, number of siblings, seniority with the company,
first letter of their family name, length of hair, color of socks,
you name it!
Tip #11: Assure talk time for all.
Some nationalities are naturally more outspoken than others. Be
sure everyone gets a chance to speak up by structuring the sequence
of participation. Once everyone is in small groups, have the most
senior member of group speak first, or the most junior. Ask the
women to speak up first, or those who have traveled from farthest
away.
Acknowledge outspoken participants, but don't them overwhelm the
conversation. I often do this by having small groups nominate a
spokesperson, then having that person nominate someone else in the
group.
Tip #12: Bring them "back together" at the end.
Mixing everyone up is great for sharing new ideas. But bring them
"back together" at the end to prioritize key points and
generate new action steps. Have real work groups (by function, country,
customer or project) explain the relevance of their learning to
the job and state their plans for improvement and implementation.
Whether you have a training to teach, a session to present or an
important meeting to facilitate, these time-tested techniques will
help bring out the best in your participants, and in you.
International training is one of the great benefits of being in
our field. Good luck!
Ron Kaufman, based in Singapore, is an international innovator
and motivator for partnerships and quality service. He is the author
of the best-selling "UP Your Service!" books and the monthly
newsletter, "The Best of Active Learning!" Get more information
and his newsletter at www.ronkaufman.com.
Copyright, Ron Kaufman. All rights reserved.
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