Twitter Interview With Chris Cotter

Twitter Interviews – #CKinterview

Today’s Cross-Cultural Interview is with Chris Cotter. You can also find him on Twitter: @CotterHUE.

The transcript of the Cross-Cultural Twitter Interview with @CotterHUE is now below.

This is a 2 part interview:

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

Chris Cotter – Part 1

Here is the first part of the interview with Chris.

Chris, For those who don’t know you, can you please tell us something about yourself?

Chris Cotter: Hello everyone. My name is Chris Cotter. I’m originally from Chicago, but currently live in Japan. I’ve been here for twelve years, primarily in the language industry. At present, I develop curriculum and courses with a private language company for adult Japanese students, which requires marketing research to provide the greatest impact in learning and student satisfaction. I also institute improved service programs for students based on their needs, such as one-to-one feedback sessions, new courses, and . And like many people in the language industry, I hold a variety of part-time teaching positions that keep me in the classroom.

And then, there are a few websites that I run:

• Heads Up English for real, relevant materials based on current events.
• The Flashcard Hub for flashcards and vocabulary.

In short, I’m quite busy. However, the assistance I provide to adult learners is very rewarding. It’s a good busy.

How did you pick up your cross-cultural skills?

Chris Cotter: I picked up my cross-cultural skills through a lot of trial and error. I initially lived in a rural part of Japan, which required me to observe and understand other approaches to communication. A direct, American approach just didn’t work there, nor elsewhere in Japan.

In addition, I read quite a lot about the country’s culture and history before I came here. And although a lot of the information was over-simplified or outdated, it still provided a good foundation to make sense of daily life here.

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

Chris Cotter: I work in middle management, which means funneling a lot of information from Japanese upper-management to others. Japanese management continues to take a top-down approach. In addition, managers continue to incorrectly believe that they must be experts in their fields, always possessing the correct answer. Of course, this isn’t true at all companies, yet it remains the prevailing practice.

As a result, I must use my cross-cultural skills at my company to (sometimes) creatively work in ideas from others, as well as deliver company-wide practices in a palatable and effective form. A lot of egos must be considered, both above and below my position.

Can you tell us about your websites?

Chris Cotter: I began the two websites primarily because there were so many ideas that just simply couldn’t be worked into the curriculum. The sites served as another outlet for my creativity. At present there are more than 500 pages of material, all providing a variety of methods for language acquisition. The sites continue to grow each month, in terms of visitors and content, so that’s another positive.

I recently completed work on a teacher’s manual too, which I released as an ebook. It’s called Better Language Teaching. It contains the methodology I’ve used for successful classes and courses, from major corporations like Starbucks to individual, one-on-one lessons. I’m putting a site together for the book at the moment.

I’m building up a few resources here on this blog, and wonder if you have any insights to help me add to them.

Have you come across any cultural stereotypes that bother you?

Chris Cotter: Japan is a much more closed society. A significant number of people, even in Tokyo, have had little to no contact with non-Japanese people. Many others have only had superficial contact. All of this means that the average person has far too many stereotypical views. It takes patience and, for lack of a better word, education each time any American, Brit, or other person enters into a new business relationship or make friends.

On the other side, though, many non-Japanese who live here fail to become close friends with Japanese people. They don’t make the cross-cultural leap required. This is a problem equal to the Japanese one, because cultural understanding takes effort from both sides in any relationship.

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

Chris Cotter: Although the move is a bit old now, Mr. Baseball still remains very true of life here from a Westerner’s perspective. Tom Selleck plays a baseball player shipped to Japan, and he must learn all the customs and manners to eventually succeed here. However, the Japanese characters in the movie must also learn that alternatives exist to the Japanese way.

Lost in Translation is another good movie that shows the loneliness that quite a few people feel, although the message transcends Tokyo and can be applied to any large, foreign city in which one finds him/herself.

And finally… Is there anything else you would like to share?

Chris Cotter: As a final comment, it’s important to realize that the initial ideas and beliefs gained from your childhood in your home country continue to form the foundation of your thoughts. You may know the host country’s culture very well, it may heavily influence you, but those initial reactions and opinions remain. This means that there will be bouts of culture shock. There will be times when you simply cannot understand a decision or reaction. Yet this is all part of living abroad.

Chris, I really enjoy following your tweets for their cross-cultural insights. I can’t wait to see what answers you will give us when I put you on the hot seat for the 10 Cross-Cultural Questions on Twitter later today.

Chris Cotter – 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
• 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

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