Developing The Speaker Within You: Language and Culture By Neil Findlay

Developing The Speaker Within You: Language and Culture By Neil Findlay

 

Maybe I should have called this article Minefield. Because many laws and rules, either written or unwritten may be completely different to what we experience as our normal when we go into other cultures. And without the benefit of local advice and counsel, we may well venture into uncharted waters to the discomfort of both ourselves, our audience or our hosts. The world is a very small place now, and it is quite normal for speakers to be found roaming across the globe, so matters of culture assume much more importance than they once did. At least the frequency of these issues has risen greatly. It is important for any speaker to understand that significant differences exist not only nationally, that is, within a particular country's borders, but also within those borders. Many nations have major language and cultural differences within their borders. Sometimes dozens, even hundreds. Whilst it is unlikely that any visiting speaker will be an expert on every such matter, it is essential for us to make the effort to understand any differences that exist, and to work with our host, or someone from the region we are speaking in to ensure that we have got the basics right. Our job, actually our responsibility is to ensure that we have taken reasonable efforts to acquaint ourselves with the prevailing normal's in the place we are going to speak. Some things to consider are, and not in order of importance: Try to check on the words we propose to speak, as sometimes these can have vastly different meanings, and may in some cases be highly offensive. Make sure that any gestures and body language we intend to use are appropriate for the place we are to speak. Check that our form of greeting is culturally acceptable. In some cultures it is inappropriate to touch other people. Alternatively, in some places it is normal to hug, or kiss others. Be sure to get this right and avoid any discomfort or embarrassment. Be very careful of humor. What might be very funny to us, may not be so for others. Worse, many cultures will not permit those who are offended to make us aware of this fact. They are often too polite to mention it. But they will have a less than ideal opinion of us as a result of our indiscretion. There may be no go areas. Things, issues that are very inappropriate for us to mention or discuss. Our hosts should be able to make us aware of these, but may not do so unless we discretely ask. It pays to routinely ask our hosts, quietly and in advance, are there any sensitivities that we need to be aware of? Our role as a speaker is to honour and benefit our audience and our hosts. Not ourselves. It is not to impose our own customs and norms onto others, but to build them up and encourage them. Money, and or wealth may be a matter of offense in some places. Even modest wealth should not be demonstrated or flaunted in places where poverty is rampant. Eating customs, and what we actually eat, or don't, can be cause for offense. Take care that we don't offend others by what we consider normal, or not. Likewise, differing religions or beliefs can cause offense if we are not sensitive. Dress often arises as an issue in different cultures. It may not be culturally or socially acceptable to expose arms, legs or other parts of our anatomy in some cultures. Obviously, there will arise different legal conditions and laws wherever we go. The wise traveler and speaker will be acquainted with these in advance in order to avoid conflict. It will, at times, be important to acknowledge people we come into contact with, in order, according to local custom. Our hosts will normally make us aware of these protocols in advance. In essence, culture, custom and law co-exist in many parts of the world, but custom is often much more enduring than law. We ignore or break any of these at our peril, and possibly to the embarrassment of our hosts or our audience. It is impossible to please everyone, but take care to not deliberately cause offense in these areas. A mix of sensitivity and sound advice will eliminate most of these issues before they become large ones. Often we will encounter cultures and customs that may be thousands of years older than ours: we have no right to interfere with them. Let's determine to add value to our audience wherever we may be, whilst avoiding offense to the best of our ability. Neil Findlay has worked in the business and Not For Profit sectors for nearly 40 years in Australia and abroad. During this time he has been an active public speaker and served on multiple boards as either a director or chair. He is a fellow of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and the Chartered Institute of Transport & Logistics. His website, blog and social media links can be found at http://www.neilfindlay.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/Neil_Findlay