Cross-Cultural Twitter Interview With Deborah Swallow

Twitter Interviews – #CKinterview

Today’s Twitter Interview with Deborah Swallow, @DeborahSwallow, is a little bit different. We are going to start off here, and continue on Twitter later today with #CKinterview.  Both parts of this interview are below.

Deborah Swallow is a cross-cultural speaker based in the UK. Deborah’s blog is a great resource on cross-cultural communication.

Cindy King: Hi Deborah, for those who don’t know you, can you please tell us something about yourself

Deborah Swallow: Hi Cindy – great to talk to you and ‘Hello’ to everyone else out there joining in.

I’m a professional business speaker and consultant on topic of cross-cultural communication in widest sense.

Cindy King: Where do you come from, and where do you live now? What you do in life?

Deborah Swallow: SE England & still live same area – on the East Coast about an hour from London. Married, Kids, Garden and no time!

Cindy King: Have you ever lived abroad? And if so, where and for how long?

Deborah Swallow: Lived in Spain, first job was an interpreter for Ford in Valencia. Worked one week a month in Finland for around 7 years

Cindy King: Do you speak any foreign languages? Do you feel close to any particular cultures?

Deborah Swallow: French & Spanish – smattering of German, Italian & Portuguese – but all so long ago now. Very rusty at them

Cultures I feel in tune with are Spain & Finland. Cultures I’ve grown to appreciate, through learning, are Middle East & Japan

Cindy King: So how much of your cross-cultural experience is related to your professional experience?

Deborah Swallow: Almost all! We travelled around Europe for holidays when I was a kid – that gave me the enthusiasm and want to travel

so I studied languages at school so I could do a job travelling. But years later I’ve ended up interested in intercultural stuff

Cindy King: Is there a story behind your interest in international business?

Deborah Swallow: Found in Finland all my notions of business got ‘seasick’ – it was cultural difference. My professor suggested I studied it

Cindy King: How did you pick up your cross-cultural skills?

Deborah Swallow: The hard way: some real-life experience but changed my doctorate to cross-culture because of my experiences in Finland

I studied how you transfer knowledge and skills in business across multi-cultural teams

given me a really solid foundation to analyse cultures & to compare & contrast them. Some really useful tools

Cindy King: Is there anything else about your international background that you’d like to share?

Deborah Swallow: My favourite chant: there’s no right nor wrong – just different!

Cindy King: Let’s talk about your blog because that is where I first noticed you online, through tweets of your articles on cross-cultural business…

Deborah Swallow: Yes – have only managed to start this summer

Cindy King: How did you come to blog?

Deborah Swallow: It’s been a real challenge because the time involved – I’m often travelling/working away. Even now I can only do it in fits and starts.

Everything for my clients is so tailor-made I spend most of my time doing/researching for them

Cindy King: Is there a story behind your blog?

Deborah Swallow: Yes. Wanted quick way to respond to misunderstandings I heard on BBC Radio 4 ‘Today’ program: early morning news program

Often heard things and thought the answer lay in cross-cultural communication – or lack of it

Takes me ages to blog ‘cos I really research the stuff I write about – I want to include unusual things that are difficult to find.

Cindy King: What sort of people do you meet through your blog? Businesses? International?

Deborah Swallow: I’ve met some really interesting individuals – but they are all business related – but from all sorts of industries & around the world

Cindy King: Can you share one of your favorite blog posts with us?

Deborah Swallow: Japan: everything you need to know about business card ‘meishi’ etiquette

Cindy King: What do you like about this blog post in particular?

Deborah Swallow: There’s stuff that is common knowledge, but I managed to find some really different material to include – even comedy off YouTube. I hope it portrays my ‘brand’: useful, practical and different resource for international business people.

Cindy King: Have you noticed any current trends in the conversations you have through your blog?

Deborah Swallow: In the background there’s a lot of talk going on about Global Leadership and what that should be. A new Philosophy

People expect a NEW ATTITUTDE to business – no longer the Jack Welch way

Sustainable, Green, Organic, Diverse, Tolerant, Carbon Footprint, embracing Global Cultural Diversity – all that sort of stuff

Cindy King: How have you found social media helps to connect with an international audience?

Deborah Swallow: Definitely – that’s how we’ve manage to hook up

Cindy King: What other online activities to do you do besides blogging?

Deborah Swallow: Twitter, Linked-in, Plaxo for Business. Facebook for the family. Some groups for the Speaking Industry

Transcription Of Part 2 – The Twitter Interview

This is an interview series of the people I recommend you follow on Twitter for the cross-cultural and international business insights in their tweets.

More Twitter Interviews

• Charmayne Paul – @psitutor
• Lucy Chatburn – @pocketcultures
• Doreen Iannuzzi – @DoreenatDMS
• Donna Jackson – @wisequeen
• Chris Cotter – @CotterHUE
• Jack Yan – @jackyan
• Silvia Cambié – @XCulture
• Bill Ward – @DR4WARD
• Thierry De Baillon – @t_de_baillon
• Seshu – @PicSeshu
• Neil Urquhart – @culturematters
• Klaus & Flavia Westerwelle – @transdomo
• Donagh Kiernan – @dkiernan
• Christian Hoeferle – @hoeferleconsult
• Caroline – @ohh_la_la
• Steve Roesler – @steveroesler
• Matthew Bennett – @matthewbennett

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