Twitter Interviews – #CKinterview
Today’s Cross-Cultural Interview is with Silvia Cambié. You can also find her on Twitter: @XCulture.
The transcript of the Cross-Cultural Twitter Interview with Silvia @XCulture is below
Silvia Cambié is a cross-cultural communication practitioner and a journalist. Her background includes reporting from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union for major British and German publications (The European, Euromoney, Handelsblatt, Süddeutsche Zeitung) well as managing communications and public affairs for Brussels-based international trade associations.
Silvia is based in London where she runs Chanda Communications. She serves on the boards of two organisations with global outreach, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and The International Alliance for Women (TIAW). Silvia blogs about the cross-cultural communication challenges facing the business world at X-Culture and is read by an audience of 10,000 each month. She is the author – together with Yang-May Ooi – of “International Communications Strategy – Developments in Cross-Cultural Communication, PR and Social Media” to be published by Kogan Page and nominated for the Financial Times Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award.
This is a 2 part interview:
- Part 1 – The Blog Interview to get to know Bill
- Part 2 – The Twitter Interview where Bill answers 10 Cross-Cultural & International Questions
Silvia Cambié – Part 1
Here is the first part of the interview with Silvia.
Silvia, For those who don’t know you, can you please tell us something about yourself?
Silvia Cambié: I was raised in Italy, educated in Austria and spent my entire career working in an international environment. I speak five languages and have lived in Czechoslovakia, Germany and Belgium. I am now based in London where I run Chanda Communications and advise clients on stakeholder relations, cross-cultural communication and social media.
How did you pick up your cross-cultural skills?
Silvia Cambié: When I was a little girl growing up in Italy, I was fascinated by everything foreign. I even made up my own foreign language that I would speak to myself when nobody was around. In school I then learned German and English and that opened the door to an entire new universe. I discovered that I could see things from another point of view. When I spoke German or English, it was as if I had grown up in a different place and I had had a parallel life. That’s how the adventure began. But it wasn’t until I moved to Czechoslovakia right after the fall of the Berlin Wall to work as a journalist that I understood how important it is to be able to put your cultural background to the side in order to tune into a different one.
How do you use your cross-cultural skills in your job?
Silvia Cambié: The fact that I have lived in different places and understand the way in which different people think is of enormous help in my job. I work a lot with international organisations helping them with different aspects of their communication strategies. My multi-cultural background enables me to decipher behaviours and read between the lines.
Can you tell us about your blog?
Silvia Cambié: It was my co-author Yang-May Ooi to come up with the name XCulture for my blog. I had wanted to start a blog for a long time. Yang-May convinced me to launch XCulture two years ago. It has been a fascinating journey. I am a former financial journalist and was used to hide my feelings behind charts and figures. XCulture has helped me to find my voice. I blog about issues that come up in my work and topics I feel passionate about, like the economic empowerment of women and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Have you come across any cultural stereotypes that bother you?
Silvia Cambié: The stereotypes that annoy me most are those concerning the role of women in the Middle East. If one bothers to look at the facts, reality looks quite different. The World Bank estimates that 13% of all firms in the Middle East are owned by women. And women make up 4.29 million of Saudi Arabia’s 6.5 million internet users!
And do you have a favourite show that could help people understand cultural issues?
Silvia Cambié: I love Russell Peters, the Indo-Canadian stand-up comedian (http://www.facebook.com/RussellPeters). His show Red, White and Brown is a must!
Do you have a book you could recommend to help others improve their cultural insights?
Silvia Cambié: I like “The Opposable Mind” by Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Martin believes that people have the ability to hold two diametrically opposing ideas in their heads at the same time. The result is what he calls “integrative thinking”, which applied to communications translates into the ability to consider two different cultural models without choosing sides.
Silvia Cambié – Part 2 – The Twitter Interview
@CindyKing: Hi Silvia, I wonder if you could share some tips & golden nuggets of advice…
@CindyKing: First… What is your definition of culture in 120 characters? So… “Culture is…”
@XCulture: Culture is the tapestry of our world. It contains our main points of reference and ways of relating to other people.
@CindyKing: I LOVE the image of a tapestry when talking about culture – different textures, colors, interwoven – cool
@CindyKing: OK, now let’s make it harder – “Culture is…” in one word
@XCulture: Culture is awareness
@CindyKing: “Culture is awareness” – This definition has the right movement to it, doesn’t it?
@CindyKing: Along the same lines… Can you finish the sentence “International business is…”
@XCulture: International biz is engaging with emerging markets. These days that’s where capital & real purchasing power are
@CindyKing: Silvia, what is the one tip you would give people to improve their cross-cultural skills?
@XCulture: Develop ability 2 appreciate historical backgrounds Honor experiences that might contradict ur way of looking @ life
@CindyKing: I appreciate this tip to improve cross-cultural skills because it can really add depth of understanding
@CindyKing: And, what one bit of advice would you give people interested in international business?
@XCulture: Develop cultural proficiency: knowing when to listen, when to ask for help and when to speak
@CindyKing: With your experience what tip would you give to people moving abroad?
@XCulture: Listen 2 music by country’s most famous composer. Its spirit is part of personality of people u’ll have 2 work with
@CindyKing: Oh this is a wonderful tip for people moving abroad – and soooo true! Each culture has its own music & story
@CindyKing: OK Silvia, 4 more questions before I let you go…
@CindyKing: What is your favorite website for international or cross-cultural inspiration? …anything at all.
@XCulture: I like Public Affairs Asia Great resource if you are doing comms & public affairs work in Asia
@CindyKing: Public Affairs Asia website – thanks for the link, will check it out
@CindyKing: Can you suggest one other cross-cultural person to follow on Twitter?
@XCulture: I like @ChinaBlogTweets; @ExpMyCulture; @christinelu and of course my co-author Yang-MayOoi @fusionview
@CindyKing: Great – thanks for sharing those 4 cross-cultural tweeters @ChinaBlogTweets @ExpMyCulture @christinelu @fusionview
@CindyKing: After the cross-cultural person, can you suggest one other international person to follow on Twitter?
@XCulture: Yes, my absolute favorite @queenrania
@CindyKing: @queenrania – that is so fitting isn’t it, with all the work you do for women in business
@CindyKing: Finally, are there any categories of international or cross-cultural people you would like to meet?
@XCulture: Communicators and PR practitioners from China, India and Brazil. Would love to write about their work on my blog
@CindyKing: Will help you put the word out
@CindyKing: That wraps it up for this Cross-Cultural Twitter Interview – Thanks so much for your time Silvia and…
@CindyKing: I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did and invite everyone to read the full interview
@XCulture: Many thanks, Cindy. It was great talking to you
More Twitter Interviews
- Charmayne Paul – @psitutor
- Lucy Chatburn – @pocketcultures
- Doreen Iannuzzi – @DoreenatDMS
- Donna Jackson – @wisequeen
- Chris Cotter – @CotterHUE
- Jack Yan – @jackyan
- 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
She is who I turn to when I have questions and you should too"
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