it’s the business, stupid! - icc-languages

It’s the business, stupid!ICC-Catapult conference April 17th 2021

Barry Tomalin MA

21/04/2021 (c) COPYRIGHT 2021 Barry Tomalin All Rights reserved 1

Forgive the title!

• ‘It’s the economy, stupid’, coined by Clinton adviser, James Carville, in 1992.

• Aim to draw attention to the US economic recession under George W Bush.

• Bill Clinton, US president from 1993-2001.


Once upon a time

• You provide the business knowledge.

• I provide the business language.


Now it’s changed.

. • AIM: Not just language but IMPROVE PERFORMANCE.

• FOCUS: Successful operations management internationally

• DELIVERY on spec, on time and on budget

• ASSESSMENT- YOU DON’T MARK THEM. THEY MARK YOU! Anna Gorizontova, Business Development Director, PeopleCert.


Operations management driverskey international issues

• How teams operate

- Team vs individual

- Organic vs mechanistic teamworking

• How leadership operates

- Top down vs delegation

- Implementation vs consultation

• How delivery is assured

• On spec (Specification) –

- Meeting ISOs

- Quality control issues

• On time

- Time tight vs time flexible

- Polychronic vs monochronic

• On budget


How does this affect language use?Focus on behaviour issues

Behaviour issues

PSQ(Pre seminar questionnaire)

5. Your position IT Key Account Manager

6. Countries you are or are likely to be dealing with within Europe and outside Europe

Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan

7. Brief description of your responsibilities

Business relationship management between IT and business areas - IT Service Management

7. List up to three issues you would like to see dealt with in the seminar.

1 How to lead by keeping people motivation

2 How to make people “grow” – constructive way of “correcting” behaviours, giving feedback

3 the perfect mix of giving space / freedom of action and control results in a team

• Motivate my team.

• Manage my manager.

• Resolve conflicts at work.

• Giving and receiving feedback

• How not to cause offence

FOCUS ON LANGUAGE PLUS BEHAVIOUR AT WORK.


How does this affect language?

• How do I access employment in international companies?

• How do I make an appointment?

• How do I answer questions in an interview?

• How do I ask questions at work?

• How do I ask people to explain what they have said if I don’t understand?

• How do I deal with client problems or complaints?

. How do I avoid causing offence?

• “How do people actually talk?”

Souleimane, Engineering project manager, Cote d’Ivoire

THINK FUNCTION FIRST.

What language do I use to:

• Get things done?

• Show and gain respect?

• Establish credibility?

AND THEN FORM and FUNCTION

How do I say it?

(grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation)


1. Find out about your studentsYou do business with people not countries.

Get to know Jo.• Understand the five dimensions.

- National

- Regional

- Professional

- Social

- Personal

• Avoid essentialism!

Questions

• Where are you from?

• What part? What’s it like?

• What did you do before this? How was it different?

• Where were you brought up? What was it like?

• Tell me something you like doing. Why?


2. Be sensitive- Active Listening‘ People listen to what you say but they don’t listen to

your feelings.’ (Moroccan student)• F.A.C.E- Focus- Acknowledge- Clarify- Empathise• PLAN:• In pairs • One chooses a topic. Talk about it

for a minute.• The other listens.• Change sides.


Task vs Relationship-orientation around the World

10(c) COPYRIGHT 2021 Barry Tomalin All Rights reserved

Source: Hofstede

The large majority of the world is relationship-oriented.

Relationships ~

Task ~

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RIO (Affective )

• R Respect

How to show respect

• I Interest

How to show interest and build good personal relations

• O Offence

How to avoid causing offence

- History – key moments

- Key interests – culture and the arts

- Science and invention

- Sport

- Heroes

- Social and personal taboos

4/21/2021 (c) COPYRIGHT Barry Tomalin 2020 All rights reserved 11

3. Think behaviourCollect critical Incidents

• Barbara was British, lived in France and was moving house. She went to the local supermarket and asked the assistant if she could have some empty cartons.

• The answer was, ‘Non’.

• Barbara was very angry and left.

• A friend persuaded her to go back, see customer relations and explain her problem.

• She did so, saying she was moving house.

• Customer relations replied, “Non” but explained, “We haven’t got any. But come tomorrow and we will have lots as we have a stock delivery.”


Use the MBI Process to resolve issues

• OBSERVE What are they doing?

• COMPARE What am I doing?

• EMPATHISE Why are they doing it?

• How am I perceived?

• ADAPT What can I change?

• REFLECT What have I learned?What will I do, say and THINK differently?

MBI (Mapping, Bridging, Integrating) model put forward by Maznevski and DiStefano (2000)


Map

Bridge

Integrate

What would you advisein this situation?

‘They take so long to make decisions’, complained the UK manager about their Spanish JV partner.

‘We have two or three levels of sign-off at the most.’

WHAT WOULD YOU ADVISE?

21/04/2021 (c) COPYRIGHT 2021 Barry Tomalin All Rights reserved

5. Think communication stylesObserve the Communication Drivers


• 1. What are you like?

• 2. What are they like?

• 3. How do you feel about the difference?

• 4. What’s your strategy?

(c) COPYRIGHT 2021 Barry Tomalin All Rights reserved 16

Questions to ask

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THE USE OF ENGLISH

• A-R-T-I-C-U-L-A-T-E

• PAUSE Leave a beat when you speak.

• JOKES Avoid jokes.

• IDIOMS Avoid colloquialisms.

• ACRONYMS Spell out acronyms and initials.

• KISS (Keep it short and simple.)

- One thought per sentence

- 15-25 word sentences

(c) COPYRIGHT 2021 Barry Tomalin All Rights reserved 1721/04/2021

THE USE OF ENGLISH -EMAILS

• Keep sentences short.

• One thought per sentence

• New thought, new paragraph

• Line space between paragraphs


Sign-on/Sign-offWhich should you use? When?

The new brutal• Barry• Bruce

The old courteous• Dear Barry (if I may),• Hi Barry• Yours sincerely, Bruce• Best wishes, Bruce• Kind regards, Bruce• Regards, Bruce• Best regards, Bruce• Best• Barry


6. Think multicultural managementMichael Byram – The INCA Project


The INCA ProjectSix qualities of a multicultural manager

• AVOID OTHERING – Be inclusive

• EXERCISE PATIENCE-tolerance of ambiguity

• BE FLEXIBLE – local solutions may be better.

• SHOW EMPATHY – put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

• SHOW INTEREST – show interest in your colleague’s client’s culture.

• LOCAL LANGUAGE – learn a few words


International LeadershipWhat are the qualities?

• INCA The six qualities of an international leader

1 Tolerance of ambiguity - patience

2 Behavioural flexibility - adaptability

3 Communicative awareness - Skills

4 Knowledge discovery – interest in people

5 Respect for otherness - inclusivity

6 Empathy towards other cultures and languages

- Empathy

(www.inca.com) Prof Michael Byram Uni. Durham


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The INCA project

• INCA – Intercultural Assessment

• EU project 2009 (Leonardo de Vinci programme)

• Included a framework and an assessor manual

• Directed by (www.inca.com) Prof Michael Byram Uni. Durham

• Assessed at three levels: basic competence, intermediate competence and full competence (See Framework).


http://www.inca.com/

INCA Achievements and challenges

• Which quality do you need to work on?

• In groups, think of problems you have overcome.

• Think of the challenges you have faced.

• Could INCA have helped you?


7. Learn a bit about business management Do your homework.

• Learn a few business theories.

• Use them as a basis for presenting language of teams, management and leadership and skills – presentations, meetings, negotiation and networking

• Teach the language that fits the

management principle.

Chia Suan Chong Successful International Communication Pavilion Books, UK


Principled NegotiationThe Six Rules


RULE 1 INTERESTS Look for interests not positions.

RULE 2 PEOPLE Separate the person from the problem.

Be hard on the problem but soft on the person.

RULE 3 OPTIONS Look for mutual gain

RULE 4 CRITERIA Insist on objective criteria.

RULE 5 WALK AWAY Know your walk-away point.

RULE 6 BATNA Always have an escape route.

(‘Getting to Yes’ Fisher & Ury 2003)

Erin Meyer The Culture Map

• Erin Meyer is an American professor teaching at INSEAD in Paris. In her book ‘The Culture Map’ she identified eight scales for mapping the world’s cultures.

• ‘Carte des Differences Culturelles’ 2016,editions Deteino


Erin Meyer8 SCALES

1. Communicating

1. Evaluating

1. Persuading

1. Leading

5. Deciding

6. Trusting

7. Disagreeing

8. Scheduling


Deciding


SummaryUse language functionally

1. Needs analysis

2. Find out about your students

3. Think language sensitivity

4. Think behaviour

5. Think communication styles

6. Think multicultural management

7. Learn a bit about business management

• Pre-seminar questionnaires

• Get to Know Jo

• Active listening

• Critical incidents and MBI

• RADAR Communication

• The INCA Project

• Business models – teams, negotiations etc.


References


Fisher R and Ury W. Getting to Yes.

Hurn B & Tomalin B (2013) Cross-cultural Communication, London, Palgrave Macmillan

Meyer E (2014) The Culture Map, New York, Public Affairs

Suan Chong Chia (2018) Successful International Communication,

UK, Pavilion Publications

Tomalin, B. Key Business Concepts, Collins ELT

Tomalin B & Nicks M (2014) World Business Cultures- a Handbook

London, Thorogood Publications

THANK YOU! ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

• Thank you for following this presentation.

• For more information, feel free to contact

• Barry Tomalin

• (E) [email protected]


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