Twitter Interviews – #CKinterview

Today’s Cross-Cultural Interview is with Leo Salazar. Leo is the person behind the Twitter handle @srleosalazar . Leo is a consultant and trainer helping people who work in international environments. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and has lived and worked in Europe for over 20 years.

He tells more about himself in below and he’ll share some cross-cultural and international business tips during a live Twitter interview in a few hours. The transcript of this live Twitter interview will be published below.

This is a 2 part interview:

• Part 1 – The Blog Interview
• Part 2 – The Twitter Interview for 10 Cross-Cultural & International Questions today at 4pm GMT

Leo Salazar – Part 1

Hi Leo, for those who don’t know you, can you please tell us something about yourself?

Leo Salazar : Hello Cindy. First of all, thank you very much for inviting me to be a guest for this interview. I’m honored, and humbled, to be included in the company of the experts I’ve seen on your site. I hope I can fulfill your expectations.

I was born and raised in Southern California in the US, in 1957. In fact, I was born 4 days after the Russians launched Sputnik – a true child of the Space Age. Near my birthplace in San Bernardino was Norton Air Force Base, which was one of the Strategic Air Command bases of the US Air Force. So if you consider that I was literally born in the shadow of the Cold War, with hot nuclear warhead loaded B-52 Stratofortress bombers circling above our heads day and night, I was aware from a very early age of the influence of other cultures on our daily existence.

In addition, as I grew older I came to learn the history of our family and the Hispanic influence that played a very large role. I say often that our father gave us our Spanish blood and lineage, but our mother gave us the culture. Even though born and raised in a white, middle-class environment, she studied at the University of Mexico City after her father up and moved the entire family to live in Cuernavaca, Mexcio, when she was a teenager. She is fluent in Spanish, and has a clear affinity for Latino cultures. After a career as a bilingual teacher in Riverside, California, for grade school children, she continues today at age 73 to play a strong bridging role between Latino and Anglo cultures in California.

More recently, however, I married into a culturally adventurous life. My first wife was a helicopter pilot in the US Army, and we moved frequently between Europe and various locations in the US. I lived and worked for American Express Community Bank in Mannheim Germany starting in 1984, and came to the Netherlands in 1992. I first studied, then worked as a member of staff for TSM Business School at the University of Twente, and most recently for De Baak, which is the premier management training institute of the Netherlands. My wife is Dutch and we live in a medium-sized town in the east of the country, but I work primarily in Amsterdam. My three children all live in California, literally down the street from my mother and brothers.

How did you pick up your cross-cultural skills?

Leo Salazar : My cross-cultural skills were developed primarily through experience, later by study. First as a child, hearing Spanish around me on a frequent basis. Later through my experiences in living in Germany and the Netherlands. Additionally, living in different parts of the US is about as cross-cultural as one can get. I remember visiting my children who were living with their mother in Hawaii at the time. My daughter said to me, sotto voce “Dad!!! Slow down! Take it easy. You’re scaring the locals.” I realized that for all my “cross-cultural expertise,” I still had a lot to learn about the application of the skills I was teaching.

I worked for a time at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, which was established by the Dutch in 1910 as the “Colonial Institute.” It was set up to establish a repository for cultural artifacts from the colonies (primarily Indonesia) as well as to build knowledge of cultures. I worked there as a trainer in helping outgoing expats to prepare for their new assignment countries. This experience acquainted me with the standard, off-the-shelf “cultural dimension” approach of cultural training.

Concurrently, I was running my own business development company in which I was helping American businesses to gain a foothold in European markets. It was very instructive in helping US businessmen who had, in most cases, never even been out of the US before to navigate the business landscape in Europe.

These various experiences (living situation, outgoing cultural skills, incoming commercial skills) gave me a unique and well-rounded perspective on how to apply cultural learning techniques to business.

How do you use your cross-cultural skills in your job?

Leo Salazar : For me the value of giving attention to “cross-cultural” attributes is in the interface between people. It’s about recognizing and respecting value, giving credence to a different perspective, and working together to create new and unique value. My motto is, “Learning & Development in an Intercultural context. Learning from each other, doing better business.”

Even though I deal with issues on a daily basis that could be described with any number of labels (diversity, inclusiveness, multicultural skills), I try to avoid these labels for a simple reason: they lead to pre-conceptions and stereotypes. I want my clients to focus on the value that is created in the interface, to view the interface from their own perspective, and to strive towards building on that interaction to create new value.

Can you tell us about your blog?

Leo Salazar : I first started “blogging” in 1978, when I first moved away from home. I was living in Virginia, on the east coast of the US in the “South,” and sitting behind a student typewriter I wrote a weekly missive home to my family on the west coast, whom I missed terribly. I would include interesting anecdotes, local newspaper clippings, and other pieces of curiosa that would hopefully shed light on my life there in the “foreign culture” of that part of the country. These letters gave way to weekly emails and printed letters from my first PC, purchased in 1989 – basically the same medium, but modestly facilitated by IT. The first step towards a real blog, as it is known today, was in 2000, through Xanga. I went through a pretty much predictable pattern after that, always following the most popular social medium: Xanga, My Space, Facebook, Blogger, WordPress – all with the same goal in mind: to stay in touch with my children and family.

It wasn’t until just a few months ago that I finally discovered a new use for these social media: to learn and brand myself in my profession. The real stimulus for this change was re-discovering Twitter. I first picked up on Twitter about a year and a half ago, but I was very much in the “turkey sandwich” mode (as in “OMG – I’m eating a turkey sandwich!!!!” – for a funny perspective on this and other Twitter uses, check out Oatmeal’s contribution “How Addicted to Twitter Are You?”). But more recently I had an epiphany through the discovery of #lrnchat, which is a community of learning professionals that meets on Twitter every Thursday to discuss learning topics. This led to my current routine, which is to plant the seed of the idea through Twitter, and cultivate the growth of that idea through my blog. I try to focus on topics that are relevant to my specialty, effectiveness in doing intercultural business. I realize that each tweet, and each blog entry, is a value proposition for current and potential future clients. I feel I have an obligation to reward their attention with something of value: a new insight, a unique perspective, a learning point.

Since re-discovering Twitter and being active on my blog, I’ve been amazed at the world that’s opened up for me. Even though I’ve been long active in online communities (first discovering them through my Compuserve account in 1991), I hadn’t really taken a proactive stance. Most of my online presence was as a lurker. This new use of a familiar tool has led to learning insights that I hadn’t experienced in quite awhile.

I have a couple of lists I’m building here on this blog, and wonder if you have anything you would like to share.

Have you come across any cultural stereotypes that bother you, or you find inappropriate?

Leo Salazar : Every culture is open to misunderstanding from those outside it. Of course there are many stereotypes and practices, even in my own culture, that I find anathematic. See an early blog post of mine (on a blog now dormant, in which I was far more critical of cultural practices than I am now).

But I also realize that the only way to change is from the inside, by members of the culture itself. And if change occurs, it does so slowly, usually by using positive reinforcement and motivators that are defined by those who are inside the change process. The best we can do, as outsiders, is to facilitate this process, if so allowed.

For example, when I first moved to the Netherlands, I was shocked at what I interpreted at the time as being blatantly racist attitudes. I was judging the Dutch people from an entirely American perspective. But since living in this culture for nearly 20 years now and being open to learning why the people think the way they do, I have come to understand their attitudes. Note that I don’t say I accept them, but it’s not for me to openly criticize or to demand change. The best I can do is to focus on similarities, build on the positive aspects of the society, and hope that others are able to have their own similar learning and growing experience by being open to new perspectives. 

Do you have a favorite movie that could help people understand cultural issues?

Leo Salazar : There are a few films that spring to mind when you say “cultural issues.” One is “Babel, from which I felt a wrenching tension as the values by colliding cultures, each from their own perspective, were brought into conflict. Another is “American History X,” with an outstanding and moving performance by Edward Norton. But I’m loath to recommend these as movies for people to watch to better understand culture and its implications. Why not? Because everyone interprets artistic stimulus in different ways, based on their own experience, norms, values, etc. Certainly I experienced both of these films from my own frame of reference as films with dramatic cultural implications. And my interpretation of the films reflects this. But I’m not sure that anyone else would do the same, and both of these are outstanding creations even ignoring cultural issues. I would much rather that I recommend these as outstanding films and allow people to draw their own interpretations and conclusions.

Do you have a book you could recommend to help others improve their cultural insights?

Leo Salazar : Ach! It’s been so long since I’ve read and enjoyed fiction, I wouldn’t know where to begin. And the vast majority of non-fiction business books with “culture” as their topic I find utter hogwash.

What I do enjoy, however, very much are popular works that explore the historical development of a society. Books that give historical insight into why things are the way they are. Russel Shorto’s “The Island at the Center of the World,” for example, which explores the original Dutch founding of the island of Manhattan. Dr. Jared Diamond’s books as well, “Guns, Germs & Steel,” for example, or “Collapse,” which look at the reasons why societies rise and fall. And looking more specifically at Dutch society, I find Simon Schama’s The Embarrassment of Riches an outstanding read. In fact, it was this last book that I credit with my evolved understanding of my Dutch colleagues at work and family at home.

And finally…

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Leo Salazar : It’s been a pleasure using this forum to reflect on my own development. Thank you for the opportunity.

Leo, thank you for sharing so much with us in this portion of the interview already. I’m looking forward to hearing your answers to the 10 Cross-Cultural Questions on Twitter with you later today.

Leo Salazar – Part 2 – The Twitter Interview

More Twitter Interviews

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.

• Cate Brubaker – @CateBrubaker
• David Comp – @DavidComp
• Sean Oliver – @SeanJamesOliver
• Martin Lindeskog – @lyceum
• Rajeev Edmonds – @mintblogger
• Rossitza Ohridska-Olson – @culturalrealms
• 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
• Deborah Swallow – @DeborahSwallow
• Steve Roesler – @steveroesler
• Matthew Bennett – @matthewbennett

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Twitter Interview With Leo Salazar

Cross-Cultural Twitter Interviews

If you are interested in international business and network on Twitter then you probably follow a number of people with international profiles. Some international people on Twitter share some great insights in their Twitter feed. I ask the cross-cultural people on my Twitter interviews to share the international people they like to follow on Twitter. Here are some of their replies.

21 International People to Follow on Twitter

1. @CCTheLowdown it’s a publishing company that Tweets all sorts of interesting things – sometimes international - @deborahswallow
2. @PennOlson I like those guys take on marketing but there are many others! – @ohh_la_la
3. Try @AmiExpat for her blog – @HoeferleConsult
4. I follow and read people like @RichardBranson interesting perspectives on business and the universal great thinker @SethGodin – @dkiernan
5. Christina Geyer @AmiExpat an American, expatriate, half-Asian living in Germany, and tweeting about cross-cultural differences & German cuisine – @transdomo
6. I’d say @StephenFry because he does so much travelling – @culturematters
7. @RickCogley, an American business consultant living in Japan. @vgr an Indian innovator living in the US – @tdebaillon
8. I like your list of international people to follow on Twitter. – @DR4Ward
9. My absolute favorite @queenrania – @XCulture
10. Hmmm … @johnniemoore is someone I have followed since the first year I was on Twitter (2007). – @jackyan
11. I really enjoy tweets from @ShellTerrell @kalinagoenglish @MissShonah @familyonbikes @KirstenWinkler – @CotterHUE
12. Adrian Monck ( @amonck ) an ex journo & current prof & head of comm. at World Economic Forum in Geneva … I answered as such because Adrian is international to me… and a Canadian perspective may be international to you, for example, and others; so for those interested in Canadian perspective, I would recommend Irshad Manji ( @reformingislam), @whoweareca, and @mathewi (Canadian journalist heavily involved in social media) – @DoreenatDMS
13. @globetrotteri is a friendly and international Tweeter: Canadian writer / photographer / teacher living in Taiwan – @pocketcultures
14. @volunteerabroad b/c I would like to travel by sharing my skills and competencies whilst learning – @psitutor
15. @glcuccureddu, @GotSagaLatino, @Marilyn_Res, @PatriciaVance, @hungaryguy, @PierrePaperon, @maxbehar, @mikebutcher – @culturalrealms
16. Couldn’t resist myself to give these 3 names – @guykawasaki @wchingya and @shellykramer (Possess great networking skills) – @mintblogger
17. @dragosroua Quote: “Think happiness is a process, not a goal.” Inspired by Aristotle? He is on your int’l s.m. list. – @lyceum
18. I would follow @talk2brazil. He tweets about Brazil’s economy, BizDev, etc. Brazil is going to be huge market in the future. – @SeanJamesOliver
19. If you have interest in international educational exchange/mobility research & literature then I recommend following @IDPDRIE – @DavidComp
20. I like @HoeferleConsult because his tweets make me feel connected to Germany, where I used to live – @CateBrubaker
21. One of my favorite international business profiles on Twitter is @finikiotis – @CindyKing

Who are your favorite international people on Twitter?

• Do you have a favorite international person on Twitter?
• Where do you get the best international insights on Twitter?
• What do you like most about the international people you follow?

As usual, please share your comments below.

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

21 International People to Follow on Twitter

Cross-Cultural Twitter Interviews

Moving abroad for the first time can be daunting. And yet many international business professionals are faced with this option at some stage in their career.

The thought of living in a different culture raises a number of questions. And it’s natural to turn to others for advice. Here are some tips from twitter on what to do to make your move abroad an easy one.

21 Tips On Living Abroad

1. Know what your doing. Compare prices of movers. Haggle. Decide: Rent or Buy? Visit your destination prior 2 moving – @HoeferleConsult
2. Visit the country & talk to people who lived there, discard your expectations you have through books, movies or vacations – learning the language is essential but not enough …don’t underestimate cultural differences! If starting a company get cross-cultural advise. It’s disheartening to see, that so many companies from abroad fail in the US by not getting expert advise in cross cultural matters – Walmart in Germany could have been successful if they would have followed intercultural advisers - @transdomo
3. Expect the unexpected & to be challenged, be open-minded and flexible, learn the language… and finally…move out of yr comfort zone and the expat community – @culturematters
4. Study the language first. It will give u invaluable clues about socialization. Talk with people who lived where u go – @tdebaillon
5. A tip to people moving abroad is learn polite terms & greetings in host country & don’t be afraid to use them. – @DR4Ward
6. Listen 2 music by country’s most famous composer. Its spirit is part of personality of people u’ll have 2 work with – @XCulture
7. Really get in to your new culture and embrace it. You begin to value your own a lot more. – @jackyan
8. Don’t assume that your approach or solution, which may be common practice back home… is the default/preferred method. Culture affects how people look at problems and brainstorm solutions. In short, what may have worked back home may not work elsewhere!  Can I add one more comment on the last question?  Read, read, read! This will help you acclimatize. It will also help you lessen culture shock. – @CotterHUE
9. Engage with people before you go, build friends – @wisequeen
10. A tip for those moving abroad? Familiarize yourself with food, music, art; history can be gr8 icebreaker, equalizer to interact – @DoreenatDMS
11. Learn as much as you can of the language before you arrive. Helps you feel more comfortable in the first days and go with an open mind – expect things to be different – @pocketcultures
12. Be open to pushing your boundaries to “walk in their shoes”; e.g.,mostly I am vegetarian,except when I travel – @psitutor
13. Learn the language, visit the country beforehand & do some business with local people, before deciding to move there. – @culturalrealms
14. Before you move abroad, study the country and its history, read books, and talk with people living there. – @lyceum
15. Give yourself at least a month before you start working, and try to make friends pre-arrival, via web/Twitter. – @SeanJamesOliver
16. Attempt to learn the language & appreciate the way of life of the community you find yourself living. Also, have fun & explore! – @DavidComp
17. Embrace the experience you have, let go of unrealistic expectations. And get lots of sleep. Living in another country means going off cultural autopilot and that can be tiring! - @CateBrubaker
18. People moving abroad should take it seriously (even as permanent resident) and consider all parameters, exactly as investors do. – @MATCOM
19. Visit the place first – @JinanAlrawi
20. Make sure you check your assumptions! Behaviours may be different, and should be interpreted carefully. – @IENsinMB
21. Learn as much as you can before the move, but realize that you won’t learn everything about this new culture even after a year of living there.  Enjoy the experience and have fun. – @CindyKing

What Is Your Tip For Living Abroad?

Which tip do you like most?

• Do you have a favorite?
• Does one stand out and resonate with you?
• Do you have another one to add?

Share your tips on living abroad below.

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

21 Tips On Living Abroad

Twitter Interviews – #CKinterview

Today’s Cross-Cultural Interview is with Cate Brubaker . Cate is the person behind the Twitter handle @CateBrubaker.

Cate Brubaker specializes in intercultural education. By day, Cate is a Cross-cultural Program Development Manager for an international education organization. By night, she’s a blogger, author, and consultant. Cate is also co-founder and President of SIETAR-NC and Marketing Co-chair for the 2010 SIETAR-USA conference. She is based in the U.S. but has lived in Germany and traveled throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

This is a 2 part interview:

• Part 1 – The Blog Interview
• Part 2 – The Twitter Interview for 10 Cross-Cultural & International Questions

Cate Brubaker – Part 1

Hi Cate, for those who don’t know you, can you please tell us something about yourself?

Cate Brubaker : Hi everyone! I grew up among the evergreen trees of Oregon and now live in the land of barbecue and sweet tea, otherwise known as North Carolina. I’ve also lived in Germany and the Midwestern U.S. – places where winter lasts entirely too long.

I’m married, and although my husband and I would like to live abroad again, we’re enjoying getting to know the “the South.”

My career path so far: candy store, catering, English teacher, German teacher, grad student, study abroad, intercultural trainer…

I’m trying to figure out how to be a professional round-the-world backpacker.

How did you pick up your cross-cultural skills?

Cate Brubaker : Experience. Study. Mistakes. Lots and lots of each.

As a kid I was drawn to anyone who wasn’t from “around here.” I remember being really, really curious about the rest of the world. I wanted to explore and understand other countries on their terms and turf.

At 16, I got my chance, thanks to the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program. The year I spent living in Germany – my first time traveling outside the U.S. – was difficult, exhilarating, and the reason I’ve worked cross-culturally ever since.

I studied German in college and grad school, spent a couple more years in Germany, and traveled whenever I could. I spent a lot of time trying to understand my (sometimes negative) reactions and interpretations…but I often felt stuck, and sometimes I just couldn’t understand or even explain the cultural rifts I encountered.

When I was teaching, and especially when I worked for a study abroad program in Germany, I noticed that many of my students had similar difficulties. I wanted to learn how to guide my students (and myself) into deeper cross-cultural learning. One thing led to another, and I discovered the field of intercultural communication. I felt like a whole new world had opened up to me. I dove into studying everything I could get my hands on.

Nowadays I strive to maintain a balance of keeping up with theory and putting myself in cross-cultural situations that stretch me. Developing cross-cultural skills is a life-long endeavor.

How do you use your cross-cultural skills in your job?

Cate Brubaker : My job requires me to walk my cross-cultural talk every day. Some days I’m more successful than others!

In my day job, I not only have colleagues from around the world, I also facilitate workshops for intercultural audiences. My job sometimes takes me outside the U.S. (I’ve worked with educators in Europe, the Caribbean, and Central and South America).

One thing I’ve learned in my current job is that my cross-cultural skills aren’t only applicable in situations where I’m working with people from other countries – they’re also useful when working with my U.S. colleagues who sometimes have very different communication styles, backgrounds, and perspectives than I do.

One example: early on in my current job I was moved into a department I really didn’t want to work in. One I didn’t think I belonged in. I remember feeling like I’d moved to another country because everything seemed so foreign. Then it hit me: I could put my cross-cultural skills to work, even though everyone on my team was the same nationality as me.

During the year I spent in that department I strove to understand my new department’s perspectives, communication styles, and values. Was it a difficult year? Yes. But I’m so grateful for the experience because I gained a deeper understanding – and respect – for the work my colleagues do.

Can you tell us about your blog?

Cate Brubaker:

Isn’t it interesting that we all grow up learning a culture? And even more interesting, that school is one of the places where we learn it?

We at CulturallyTeaching are fascinated by this connection between education and culture. A favorite elementary school teacher, a student’s interaction with her host mother, even a photo of a school lunch – these stories communicate culture.

Our mission is simple: document stories about education across cultures.

CulturallyTeaching is run by a team of 3: me – from the U.S., Anamaria, who is originally from Romania but lives in the U.S., and Pamela, a teacher who just returned home to Argentina after 3 years in the U.S.

Here are a couple CulturallyTeaching posts your readers might enjoy:

43 cross-cultural quotes for the classroom
Sleeping in school – a cultural thing?
I’ve ‘turned on my Romanian’

Our goal is to create a community of educulturalists – people interested in the intersection between education and culture. We’re always looking for people to share their experiences with CulturallyTeaching, so if any of your readers are interested, please contact us. Don’t be shy, we’ll make it as easy as possible for you to share your story. We believe everyone has a story to tell.

I have a couple of lists I’m building here on this blog, and wonder if you have anything you would like to share.

Do you have a favorite movie that could help people understand cultural issues?

Cate Brubaker: A few of my favorites: L’auberge Espagnole (captures some universal elements of studying abroad), Good Bye Lennon (humorous take on the fall of the Berlin wall), 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (drama set in 1980′s Romania)

Do you have a book you could recommend to help others improve their cultural insights?

Cate Brubaker: Lost in Translation: Life in a New Language by Eva Hoffman – a powerful book that’s also a delight to read.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Cate Brubaker: What I love about blogging and being on Twitter and Facebook is connecting with people all over the world. Even though I’d love to spend a year traveling the world and documenting people’s stories about education and culture in person, I really enjoy engaging with and learning from people online.

I’d especially love to connect with people from parts of the world I don’t have as much experience with as I’d like – Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Oceania.
Thanks for interviewing me, Cindy. I’ve enjoyed reading the other interviews you’ve done, and I’m thrilled to be part of the series.

Cate, thank you for sharing so much with us in this portion of the interview already. I’m looking forward to hearing your answers to the 10 Cross-Cultural Questions on Twitter with you later today.

Cate Brubaker – 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

• Martin Lindeskog – @lyceum
• Rajeev Edmonds – @mintblogger
• Rossitza Ohridska-Olson – @culturalrealms
• 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
• Deborah Swallow – @DeborahSwallow
• Steve Roesler – @steveroesler
• Matthew Bennett – @matthewbennett

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Twitter Interview With Cate Brubaker

Twitter Interviews – #CKinterview

Today’s Cross-Cultural Interview is with David Comp. David is the person behind the Twitter handle @DavidComp.

David currently works as the Senior Adviser for International Initiatives in The College at The University of Chicago. He has also consulted on several international education related projects for a variety of institutions and organizations in higher education. He currently serves on the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Studies in International Education (JSIE) and edits and maintains International Higher Education Consulting Blog.

Additionally, he has co-authored several book chapters and reports on international education topics. His research focuses on the use of international education for soft power and public diplomacy efforts; methodology of data collection on global student and scholar mobility and on the history of international education exchanges.

He currently serves on the Committee on Outcomes Assessment of the Forum on Education Abroad and has served on multiple task forces and committees for NAFSA: Association of International Educators including his current role as special adviser to the Research and Scholarship Subcommittee.

He received his B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, his M.S. in Family Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is currently at the dissertation proposal stage in Comparative and International Education at Loyola University Chicago.

This is a 2 part interview:

• Part 1 – The Blog Interview
• Part 2 – The Twitter Interview for 10 Cross-Cultural & International Questions

David Comp – Part 1

Hi David, for those who don’t know you, can you please tell us something about yourself?

David Comp: I’m originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and currently in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. I’m a husband and father of three young children (Gabriela at 8 years, Andres at 4 years and Lucas at 15 months).

In my day job I work in the Dean of Students Office at the University of Chicago as the Senior Adviser for International Initiatives. In my spare time I find myself thinking about my dissertation proposal in Comparative and International Education at Loyola University Chicago.

When I was 15 years old I was afforded the opportunity to be an exchange student in Rosenheim, Germany through my high school. I enjoyed that experience so much that I participated in the same exchange program again the summer after I graduate from high school.

I majored in Spanish as an undergraduate student and studied in Valladolid, Spain for a semester during my junior year in college. Unfortunately, my Spanish language skills are not what they once were but I can understand when spoken to, for the most part. I have always identified myself as being from Milwaukee with predominately German and Polish heritage.

How did you pick up your cross-cultural skills?

David Comp: My time as an exchange student in Germany and studying in Spain certainly started me on my path to understanding and respecting cross-cultural differences but I think it’s been my continued exposure to and my interest in different cultures that has helped develop my cross-cultural skills.

I, like most people I imagine, continue to hit bumps along the way but I work hard to continue to develop these skills and, most importantly, to instill these skills in my children. For example, my daughter is taking Classical Indian dance at her school and she loves. Her participation in Classical Indian danced impressed the people working the Indian booth at the Milwaukee International Holiday Folk Fair so much that they spent extra time showing her how to write her name in Hindi.

How do you use your cross-cultural skills in your job?

David Comp: I use my cross-cultural skills every day in my job. I work with undergraduate students from all over the globe who come to the University of Chicago to study. Additionally, I work with both domestic and international faculty and staff and my interactions with these colleagues add another level to the cross-cultural skills I must use in my job.

Can you tell us about your blog?

David Comp:

I started International Higher Education Consulting Blog (IHEC Blog for short) in February 2007.  To be honest, I can’t remember my exact motivation for doing so but in many ways it simply serves as an archive for the types of posts/messages I had been sending to the international education community, via a few key listservs, since I entered the field in 2000.  IHEC Blog has given me a place to share and archive ideas I have or items that I find of interest.  A side benefit of IHEC Blog (which led to me joining the Twitter movement back in February 2009 and the Facebook movement back in October) is all of the wonderful contacts I’ve made, both in the field of international education and outside of the field, that I most likely would not have made otherwise.

My favorite IHEC Blog post was “List of Movies/Television Programs where the Characters go Abroad” from August of this year.  Not only was this blog post my most trafficked and commented post ever, it allowed for me to connect with many people.  This blog post is really a continuation of an earlier post from April entitled “Portrayal of Exchange Students in Movies and on TV in the U.S.”  My perception is that exchange students/or young sojourners are often times portrayed in movies and television in a negative light.  My motivation for these posts was to engage my audience in a discussion on this topic and to compile a list of movies and television that can be used in training to demonstrate both positive and negative cross-cultural interactions.

My latest project was the creation of an IHEC Blog YouTube Channel which is really a clearinghouse of sorts for any and all international education related YouTube channels.  It was very easy to set up and has been received really well so far.  The best place to connect with me online is to search my Google Profile at: http://www.google.com/profiles/international.ed.consulting. My next project is to set up a much better and vibrant website that integrates IHEC Blog and my other online activities but due to time and three little mouths to feed that project has been tabled for the moment.

I have a couple of lists I’m building here on this blog, and wonder if you have anything you would like to share.

Have you come across any cultural stereotypes that bother you, or you find inappropriate?

David Comp: Probably the most troubling cultural stereotypes that I have witnessed have been directed towards the Muslim community (both here in the United States and abroad) which has substantially increased since September 11th and the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Do you have a favorite movie that could help people understand cultural issues?

David Comp: With three little kids in the house I haven’t seen a movie in such a long time.  Occasionally, we do let the kids watch television and I have found the children’s television show “Toot & Puddle” to be a great show for my kids.  If I was posting to Twitter about Toot & Puddle it would go something like this “A kids TV show w/ 2 pigs who travel the globe where they learn about different ways of life and points of view”.

Do you have a book you could recommend to help others improve their cultural insights?

David Comp: Oh, there are too many out there to pick one to recommend and most of my current reading is in academic journals.  I must say I find my spending much time at the Intercultural Press booth at every NAFSA conference!

And finally…

Is there anything else you would like to share?

David Comp: The year 2010 marks the 40th birthday for my wife and me as well as our 15th wedding anniversary so we are trying to plan a major family vacation to an international destination. Any recommendations? The destination has to be little kid friendly!

I’m looking forward to retirement with the goal of living for an extended period of time outside of the United States…

David, thank you for sharing so much with us in this portion of the interview already. I’m looking forward to hearing your answers to the 10 Cross-Cultural Questions on Twitter with you later today.

David Comp – 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

• Martin Lindeskog – @lyceum
• Rajeev Edmonds – @mintblogger
• Rossitza Ohridska-Olson – @culturalrealms
• 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
• Deborah Swallow – @DeborahSwallow
• Steve Roesler – @steveroesler
• Matthew Bennett – @matthewbennett

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Twitter Interview With David Comp

How To Develop Your Cross-Cultural Skills

E arlier this week I tried to help someone on a forum, but I ran into some communication hurdles. Now, there is only so much you can do in writing and there is only so much time I can spend on a forum. So, when after a few attempts I realized that this person had some “baggage” creating barriers to our conversation, I decided to drop it. This was not the time and place to go any further. We really needed a face to face discussion to have a meaningful conversation.

This incident reminded me of the importance of getting acquainted with your own cultural baggage.

The Interference Of Baggage

In the case above, this person lived with a painful disease and she had created ways of dealing with this pain that impacted her communication in general. In addition, her baggage came in the way of others wanting to interact with her.

You know what I’m talking about right? If you pay attention, you will occasionally notice people with “baggage”.  You may know of people who have gone through a lot and who have not yet finished the healing process.  And there might not be challenging life experiences behind this baggage. Some people carry baggage that impacts their communication because they consider themselves too short, too tall, too skinny, too fat. It can be anything really.  But the point is that communication is not easy because this person has baggage that gets in the way.

Now that you have an idea of what I’m referring to with regards to “baggage”, let’s move on and look closer at cultural baggage.

What Is Cultural Baggage?

Of course we all have cultural baggage that comes with our own culture.  Although this can lead to some interesting observations, let’s look at cultural baggage as it impacts cross-cultural communication. Along the lines of what I outlined above.

The main problem with our culture baggage is that we tend to make wrong assumptions. We have assumptions about ourselves, our family, friends and the world around us.  These assumptions are based on our own experience. And we tend to think this is the only way of doing things. We rarely question our assumptions because they seem so natural to us.  These assumptions relate to what we find polite, kind, respectful, friendly… you get the picture.  And they also relate to our own life experiences, as I mentioned above.

Because these assumptions are based on our cultural background, heritage and environment, they can quickly become unnecessary baggage and get in the way of cross-cultural communication.

You have two options to deal with these assumptions.

1. First Develop Awareness For Your Own Cultural Baggage

The first step is to realize and acknowledge the cultural baggage you carry around with you and to identify the specific pieces of baggage you hang onto that impact your cross-cultural communication.

The cultural baggage you carry with you impacts:

• How others perceive you
• The quality of your communication
• The success of your international business relationships

So you need to be aware of how you come across to others. And this means developing a keen awareness of the the cultural baggage you carry with you. This will help you to see when others have cultural baggage that interferes with your communication.  This knowledge will help you to understand other cultures and also to find the suitable path for effective communication.

2. Learn When To Unload Your Cultural Baggage

It’s natural to assume that you must get rid of all of the excess cultural baggage interfering with your cross-cultural communication.  But this is not the solution.

You don’t need to give up who you are in order to be good at cross-cultural communication.

Knowing your personal boundaries. With practice you will learn to identify your personal boundaries for what feels comfortable to you.  There are no rules except good cross-cultural communicators know their boundaries well and learn how to avoid getting so close to these boundaries to stir up negative feelings.  This might be feelings of aggression, dislike and not accepting to be associated with someone.

Placing your cultural baggage aside. Curiosity is often a good way to forget your own cultural baggage.  As you focus on the other person it is often easy to keep your own cultural baggage within.  But in some cases you may need to temporarily set a cumbersome piece of baggage down for a moment or two.  All you need is a few minutes.  Enough time to find the right path of mutual understanding and direct your communication into easier areas.

Sometimes your cultural baggage can be helpful to you. This is usually the case when you have let the communication go beyond the boundaries you are comfortable with. Although you can find comfort in holding onto your cultural baggage in these circumstances, this does not help you to improve your cultural skills.

To improve your cross-cultural skills you need to make the effort of learning more about your boundaries and how to put aside the most cumbersome pieces of baggage for just a moment.

And you can also progressively learn to carry less baggage with you.

Lighten The Load

Cross-cultural communication is not always easy in business.  You have little choice in who you have to deal with.  For some people the path towards developing the right mindset to build strong international relationships is a long one.  And it can be tiring in a profession where you have to constantly adapt to different cultures.

The good news is that the more international experience you have, the more you’ll understand different cultures. And this understanding helps you to learn more about yourself and your own cultural baggage.

If you encounter the same or similar communication problems, spend some quiet time thinking about the baggage you bring to the encounter and how this impacts your cross-cultural communication.  As you progressively acquire more self-knowledge you can lighten the baggage you carry with you little by little.

Once you learn to recognize cultural baggage you’ll also notice how the people with strong cultural skills master their own cultural baggage very well so that it does not impact their cross-cultural encounters.

What do you think?

• Have you ever had a conversation turn sour because the other person had too much baggage?
• How familiar are you with your own cultural baggage?
• Do you know if your cultural baggage is raising unnecessary hurdles in your cross-cultural communication?

More On How To Develop Your Cross-Cultural Skills:

• Getting Beyond Visible Cultural Differences
• International Exposure To Develop Cross-Cultural Skills
• How An Open Mindset Increases Confidence
• International Exposure To Develop Cross-Cultural Skills
• Morphing Into A Foreign Culture
• Prejudice – A Cross-Cultural Business Barrier

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

• Connect With Your International Markets
• Culture Customized Content
• Cultural Web Tools

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Getting Acquainted With Your Cultural Baggage

Twitter Interviews – #CKinterview

Today’s Cross-Cultural Interview is with Martin Lindeskog . Martin is the person behind the Twitter handle @lyceum.

Martin Lindeskog is a “trader in matter & spirit” and a small business entrepreneur in Gothenburg, Sweden. He is a board member of the Swedish National Association of Purchasing and Logistics (Silf, Western Region). He has started a new series of interviews for his podcasting show on the Solid Vox network.

This is a 2 part interview:

• Part 1 – The Blog Interview
• Part 2 – The Twitter Interview for 10 Cross-Cultural & International Questions

Martin Lindeskog – Part 1

Here is the first part of the interview with Martin.

Hi Martin, for those who don’t know you, can you please tell us something about yourself?

Martin Lindeskog: I come from the west coast of Sweden. I live close to the second biggest city called Gothenburg (Göteborg in Swedish). I studied Business Administration at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA, between 1997 – 2000. After my studies I worked as a cost analyst at a manufacturer of welding products in Troy, Ohio. I went back to Sweden in 2002.

I am an American in spirit, so I am happy that I have I received material regarding the Diversity Immigrant Visa program for the year 2010. I am planning to return to the Land of Opportunity – USA. Please feel free to give me suggestions on great cross-cultural and international places in the Melting Pot.

I speak Swedish and English (my second language). I understand and read German (I had it for six years in school), but I haven’t used it for a long time, so I don’t speak it fluently. I want to learn Interlingua at some point in the future. My wild guess is that Hungarian is one of the most difficult languages. I learned only a few words and phrases during my school project (international project coordinator) at a windshield (windscreen) manufacturer in Sopron, Hungary.

If you want learn some more things about me, please read my post, Seven Things About Me.

How did you pick up your cross-cultural skills?

Martin Lindeskog: I picked up my cross-cultural skills at an early age. I have been interested in fundamental ideas, history and philosophy for all long time. In my teens, I started to read foreign literature in English, subscribing to magazines, e.g., The Economist. I have a special bond to the Anglosphere and I have visited London several times. (Did you know that Gothenburg has a nickname: “Little London”.) I am a member of Vasa Order of America. It is a Swedish-American fraternal, cultural and educational organization. I celebrated Independence Day (Fourth of July) with my fellow members of Vasa.

Do you use your cross-cultural skills in your job?

Martin Lindeskog: As an experienced purchaser of raw materials from different parts of the world and an international project coordinator, I have been interested in international business for 20+ years. I started a hobby business in the end of the 80′s, importing computer stuff and teas from Asia. I visited Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Thailand in 1992.

Can you tell us about your blog?

Martin Lindeskog: I had read blogs for some time and heard how the interest for this new type of journaling had grown in America, especially after September 11, 2001.  On May 7, 2002, I stumbled upon Blogger.com and created my first blog, EGO. Ego is I (am) in Latin and has its foundation in the description of the blog by the following keywords: Reason – Egoism – Laissez-Faire Capitalism.

Anita Campbell (Small Business Trends) wrote a PowerBlog Review of EGO blog in 2004.

I haven’t had time to update my blog for a couple of weeks, but I will do as Stephen P. Smith and take some time to reflect on my blogging and publish a new post in the near future. I have started a new blog carnival, but the first edition is delayed. I will kick-off 2010 with a new series of podcast interviews, when the producer of Solid Vox has fixed the recording studio and other technical issues.

In the meantime, please read my annual report VII and my post on guest blogging.

You could find me on several social media places. I have listed them at KnowEm and Card.ly.

I must thank you Cindy for adding my Twitter profile to your International Social Media list. I am honored to belong to this fine group of individuals. As an example, I see that Charlene Li is included in this list. I think that Charlene Li’s & Josh Bernoff’s book, Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, is a very important book on social media.

I have a couple of lists I’m building here on this blog, and wonder if you have anything you would like to share.

Have you come across any cultural stereotypes that bother you, or you find inappropriate?

Martin Lindeskog: Here in Sweden you could find an ugly version of anti-Americanism. I started a blog in Swedish, covering this issue, but I got so fed up with the negativity so I have put it on hiatus. I am fighting hard to “bring back the smiley face to America.”

Do you have a favorite movie that could help people understand cultural issues?

Martin Lindeskog: I am not a movie buff, but I would recommend you to watch Lost in Translation. I want to visit Japan and attend a tea ceremony someday…

Do you have a book you could recommend to help others improve their cultural insights?

Martin Lindeskog: I read Cross-Cultural Business Behavior: Marketing, Negotiating, Sourcing and Managing Across Cultures by Richard R. Gesteland during my studies in international project management.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Martin Lindeskog: I want to do a wine trip to Hungary and a tour around the United States of America in order to find a good place to set up a business.

Martin, thank you for sharing so much with us in this portion of the interview. I’m looking forward to hearing your answers to the 10 Cross-Cultural Questions on Twitter with you later today.

Martin Lindeskog- 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

• Rajeev Edmonds – @mintblogger
• Rossitza Ohridska-Olson – @culturalrealms
• 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
• Deborah Swallow – @DeborahSwallow
• Steve Roesler – @steveroesler
• Matthew Bennett – @matthewbennett

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Twitter Interview With Martin Lindeskog

Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge – Personal Development

This is Day 4 of the 30-day challenge to focus on your personal development in cross-cultural communication. Each day there is one short topic to reflect on.

Day 4 – Communication Skills for Cross-Cultural Competence

We previously talked about:

• How your own mindset and where you begin your cross-cultural communication is important
• How curiosity is the key to beginning cross-cultural communication
• How empathy is the foundation of all cultural skills

And before we go any further we must look at the subject of cross-cultural competence right in the face.  You need to have good communication skills for cross-cultural competence.  The stronger your communication skills the more competent you will become in international business.  You own communication skills are the tools you use for communicating effectively across cultures.

Communication To Connect Across Cultures

There is no universal ideal way to communicate.  Our communication style depends on may different factors: our culture, education, personality to name a few. We can all become good at cross-cultural communication.  The key to do this is be aware of:

• The different levels of communication

In cross-cultural communication we tend to focus on the language, but don’t forget that communication is much more than just language.  Becoming competent in cross-cultural skills involves becoming proficient in listening, reading and communicating on all of the different levels of communication.  This is why communication skills are so important.  Because there are many different communication skills.

Steps Towards Developing Good Cross-Cultural Communication Skills

Here are some practical steps to take to improve your communication skills.

First, remember that although you do not feel “weird” in any way, you will appear “different” to other cultures.  So pay attention to your own communication and  pay special attention to:

• Clarity in what you communicate
• Consistency in what you communicate

Next, begin slowly by paying attention to different aspects of the communication:

• Body language
• What is said
• What is not said
• How things are said
• When things are said
• Who says what

Learning how to filter all of this information at once and make sense of it takes experience. Learning exactly what to pay attention to also takes experience.  The main takeaway here is to know that you need to look for communication on many different levels.

Good Communication Skills

There are many great benefits for people who take the time to improve their communication skills.  Good communication impacts just about all aspects of our lives.  For us here it:

• Improves all aspects of international business
• Improves cross-cultural communication
• Avoids cross-cultural blunders

Main Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

For beginners the main challenges to improve your cross-cultural communication skills are when you:

• Are unaware of obvious communication difficulties
• Assume others understand you perfectly.. and continue
• Make wrong assumptions
• Do not take the time to open your ears and listen – hint curiosity helps you here too

Always Verify Understanding

There is a simple trick to help you as you become more skilled in cross-cultural communication

• Regularly verify mutual understanding

Now sometimes people get over zealous with this.  You don’t want to appear too fearful and raise any doubts about anyone’s communication abililties.  There is a skill in making this seem natural.  If you listen well enough you will know when it is wise to double check everyone has the same understanding.

And remember the same words spoken by two people does not mean they have the same understanding.

Your Actions Today

Here are a few tips to start with:

• Take things slowly – find the right sequence for your communication
• Ask questions
• Ask questions when something seem slightly odd
• Summarize your understanding at regular intervals and ask if this is right.

Where To Get Your CCCC Tips Every Day:

• Here on this blog: Four Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges In 2009
• Follow me on Twitter in March, June, September and December

Need Cross-Cultural Business Coaching?

Do you need help in navigating the cross-cultural minefields of international business? Sign up for confidential one-on-one coaching sessions.  Email me and ask to set up a call.

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Personal Development In Cross-Cultural Communication – Day 4