Welcome to our June 2009 newsletter. We are changing the concept and the content of this and future newsletters by focusing less on company news and more on ideas for successful international communication so in this issue we bring you an article by our new director, Fiona Mee, on a subject which causes many of our clients great frustration – international conference calling. We hope you like our new approach. Do let us have your feedback – it is always greatly appreciated. |
International conference in York
York Associates and dialogin The Delta Intercultural Academy are pleased to announce their second joint international conference, High Performing International Teams, which will take place at the University of York on 17 and 18 September. Keynote speakers will be Fons Trompenaars of Trompenaars Hampden-Turner Consulting and Dick McCann of TMS Development International. In addition we have an impressive list of other speakers talking about key issues for teams including trust, fairness, diversity, competence and language. For more information and registration please visit www.york-associates.co.uk/dial_login2009.htm
International conference calling: the pitfalls and how to avoid them, by Fiona Mee
The virtual workforce has increased by 800% in the last five years and the advantages of teams or groups meeting through tele/web conferencing are clear:
- Costs – you save on travel, hotel and living expenses;
- The environment – you cut air travel and thus pollution;
- Diversity - you can draw on a wider range of talents, knowledge and experience;
- Lifestyle – you spend less time away from family, get less tired and stressed and experience less jet lag.
However, is virtual communication as successful as face to face? Is relationship building as effective? How easy is it to build trust? In the end are you bringing more value to your organisation or not when you choose to communicate remotely rather than directly?
Let’s take a look at some of the obstacles to successful conference call communication:
1. When calls are not well structured or managed
There is no clear agenda, no clear objectives. There are no rules for managing communication. You don’t know who is speaking to whom.
2. When communication is not clear
You can’t understand when people speak quickly or in a monotone. Some people speak for too long, using too many words. Native speakers of English do not adapt their language and speed of delivery to help the non-native speakers involved in the call. Non-native speakers can pronounce unclearly or use the wrong words or incorrect word order.
3. When time has not been given to building relationships
Communication risks becoming depersonalised, anonymous and task-orientated with individuals focussing more on themselves than their counterparts, with lower levels of shared identity as a result.
4. When there is a lack of trust
Participants hear different things and interpret messages in different ways.
5. When differences in communication style are not surfaced
For example, people from some cultures may feel not enough is being said; people from others may think the opposite.
So how can we overcome these obstacles? What should be our approach to addressing the challenges of virtual communication?
1. Prepare, structure and actively manage your conference calls
- Identify the chairperson and the minute taker – well before the meeting if possible.
- Check that everyone has the agenda, other pre-sent information, and the list of names of participants.
- Establish the purpose of the call.
- Establish etiquette and guidelines for interrupting and for how long each person should speak, use or non-use of mobiles and laptops, whether the call should be recorded, and the use of the mute option. Some people will protest that they want to get on with the meeting but ignoring process will actually lead to worse communication and more time wasted later on.
- Decide who will be the introductory contributors for each item on the agenda.
- Decide in what order you will deal with the items on the agenda.
- Establish how much time will be needed.
- Agree what decisions will have been reached by the end of the call.
- Check that names are always used and each person introduces him/herself before speaking.
- Check that all participants are included and brought into discussions.
- Agree on and summarise actions at the end of the call.
2. Think about how you and others communicate and give and receive feedback on communication style
- Speak slowly and clearly.
- Vary tone and tempo.
- Be short and brief, cut hesitation and repetition of ideas, but also be sensitive to people from cultures who may expect more information or fuller background knowledge in order to understand the whole picture.
3. Consider key competences for positive relationship building
- Take time to build relationships by setting up social one-to-one calls and teleconferences.
- Be friendly, attentive and warm, and make sure others are feeling comfortable.
4. Listen actively
Especially in a virtual intercultural context, we need to minimise the potential for misunderstanding, so:
- check and clarify frequently.
- rather than assume understanding of others, paraphrase –
- So you feel that..
- So if I understand you correctly, you…
- So when you say you are looking to expand into the UK, do you mean that..?
- repeat the words your interlocutors use and explore the meaning they attach to them.
- plan how you will indicate that you are interested in what the other person is saying and how you will invite him/her to talk.
- use open questions.
- summarise:
- So, just to check that I’ve understood you correctly, you…
5. Signal positive intentions, and put needs into a clear and explicit context
- Make your points clearly, highlight key information, and give reasons and explanations:
- I see our collaboration as….
- The reason for this is….
- So as you may understand, we need to …because….
- Use a low risk style with a choice of words, phrases and style of delivery which are in little danger of being misunderstood in order to communicate successfully and build trust. Both those with a degree of fluency and those with limited language have responsibilities to work on the clarity of their communication. Native speakers who do not moderate their language and expression can create a feeling of anxiety and mistrust. Idioms, slang, acronyms, phrasal verbs and redundancy should also be avoided. Non-native speakers who use too many false friends, incorrect word order or who do not use correct pronunciation may not be understood by counterparts.
- Summarise messages frequently and agree a common understanding.
6. Agree on the frequency and type of future communication
Know the communication preference of your counterparts, how often they expect to communicate and what form of communication they prefer. Where possible, phone is better than email, teleconference is better than phone, web conference is better than teleconference. The richer the medium, the easier communication will be.
If we can learn to communicate in a more effective way and build relationships and trust, virtual communication can be as successful as face to face communication and, given time, can bring even more value through increased creativity and productivity.
June 2009
International conference in York International conference calling: the pitfalls and how to avoid them, by Fiona Mee Business with Bob More DPI accreditation workshops New publications: Business Minimaxes new edition Greening York Associates: going paperless Directors on the move Where are they now? York news Management maxim
Business Spotlight, TMSDI and SIETAR UK are sponsoring the second DPI conference in September in York
Fiona Mee helps you to meet the challenge of effective international conference calling
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OTHER NEWS
Business with Bob
You now have the opportunity to see Bob Dignen in video action for free on Business Spotlight's website. The current series of ten short videos focuses on social skills and techniques to improve international meetings. Check it out at www.business-spotlight.de/language-skills/videos and pass any feedback to Bob at bob.dignen@york-associates.co.uk.
More DPI accreditation workshops
The DPI workshops planned for the second half of the year are:
- 18 - 20 June, Lille, France
- 23 - 25 July, Bergamo, Italy
- 4 - 6 September, Darmstadt, Germany
- 14 - 16 September, York, England
- 25 - 27 September, Paris, France
- 4 - 6 December, Stockholm, Sweden
- 10 - 12 December, Konstanz, Germany
Go to http://www.york-associates.co.uk/general/trainer_training/dpi_workshop.htm for more information.
New publications
Business Minimaxes new edition
Three new editions in our Business Minimax series – English for Presenting, English for Meetings, and English for Socialising – are now available. English for Business Writing, English for Negotiating, and English for the Telephone, will appear in the summer. See http://www.york-associates.co.uk/general/publications/minimaxes.htm for more information.
Greening York Associates: going paperless
In the ongoing drive to reduce the amount of paper we consume, course coordinator Fiona Mee supported by our admin team - Marianne Miller, Angela Sullivan, Tricia Scott and Katie Bowe – have successfully substituted USB memory sticks for the course files which participants in York previously received. Trainers store customised typed course notes and audio files onto the participant’s USB as well as videos of presentations, course report and standard course information. Initial customer feedback has been very positive. Resources are easily accessible and we are saving on both copying time and on paper.
Bob can help you be more effective when you work internationally.
The first Scandinavian DPI will be in Stockholm in December
Business Minimaxes new edition
Directors on the move
Jeremy Comfort
Jeremy recently ran accreditation workshops in Bonn and Stuttgart. In Bonn, we were hosted by the Fachhochschule Bonn Rhein-Sieg. They now have five accredited trainers and can use the approach to help their students get closer to the realities of working internationally. In Stuttgart ISD Business Communication were our hosts. The founder Bernd Kappel sat in for one session on 'conflict'. He himself works as an intercultural and executive coach and made the simple but very valid comment that. “We shouldn’t confuse conflict with difference”. As long as we are just dealing with differences, we can look forward to positive outcomes; conflict occurs when we start to blame differences in people for the difficult situations we find ourselves in.
and Bob for Henkel in Germany too |
Bob Dignen Bob Dignen recently ran a Successful Global Teams seminar focused on developing skills for international teams at Henkel in Germany. Participants had flown in from the US, Hong Kong, Mexico and Egypt to explore the challenges of leading and working in diverse global teams. In addition to group work, each participant had the opportunity for personal coaching on his or her international working style with The International Profiler, intercultural profiling tool, forming the basis of this developmental dialogue. |
Steve Flinders
Since the New Year, Steve has:
- delivered a series of courses to members of the Swedish Rail Administration City Line Project for the construction of a new rail line and tunnel under the centre of Stockholm. Work included training in language, communication, intercultural and soft management skills, and vocabulary development in engineering, real estate and the environment; as well as a visit to the central underground station at 1 in the morning to assess the impact of underground blasting operations;
- attended a European Trade Union Institute trainers’ workshop in Denmark;
- delivered another successful DPI accreditation workshop in Paris;
- spoken to French grande école trainers in Paris and Lyon (UPLEGESS conference) about future directions in language and communication training.
Jeremy has been delivering international training in Germany
and Steve in France, Sweden and Denmark.
Where are they now?
Meanwhile, three long-serving partners / directors of York Associates have retired in the past three or four years. We thought you would like to know what they are doing with themselves now.
Nick Brieger
Nick is currently running a series of 3 one-day training courses for Credit Suisse, as part of his phased retirement plan; and otherwise, enjoying the delights of London and the south east of England rather than York. He has had a couple of weeks exploring Viet Nam and experiencing an Asian version of a Socialist Republic, which recalled for him two happy years spent in socialist Czechoslovakia during the 1970s; and is a frequent visitor to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, “the best back garden one can imagine”.
Derek Utley is not spending all his time in the garden. |
Derek Utley He works as a volunteer helping organizations for adult literacy, protection of children, and the animation of people even older than himself. He still manages to play golf and tennis and squash, and walk the hills and work his vegetables. He enjoys watching - from a distance - the progress of YA into intriguing new areas of what was once simply called 'training'. |
Trish Stott
Trish started a new writing project with Oxford University Press at the beginning of 2008 - an intermediate version of the hotel and catering industry title, Highly Recommended. That has kept her busy for the past 18 months with the final deadline at the end of this June. Her application to become a magistrate (a judge in the lowest level of criminal court in England and Wales) started off at the same time as the writing so the past year has been punctuated with legal training days and court observations - she is officially on the bench from mid-June which is good timing. Travel is still an important part of life with trips to Syria and Prague with her husband, Roger. Grandmother duties start in October.
York news
York’s first five star hotel
Work has begun on the conversion of former railway offices dating from 1906 into York’s first five-star hotel. Located near the station on Station Rise, the new hotel will have 107 rooms – no two of which will be the same as the other, but with some at least enjoying magnificent views of York Minster. A Grade Two listed building, the hotel will have a swimming pool, gym and rooftop garden, and is scheduled to open in spring 2010: see for yourself at www.thepress.co.uk/news/audiovideo/video/82313/?archive_page=0
Museum makeover
The Yorkshire Museum is also getting ready for a £2m makeover and will be closed from November of this year until August 2010 when it will be reopened with significantly enhanced exhibition spaces and layouts.
Management maxim
And to finish with, less a maxim and more of a question: Are you managing your people effectively if they learn something in their annual performance review that you hadn’t already told them?
Best wishes for a great summer from everyone at York Associates.
The YA team, June 2009For more information on any of these stories, please contact us . . .
Tel: 00 44 1904 624246
Fax: 00 44 1904 646971
Email: training@york-associates.co.uk
Internet:
www.york-associates.co.uk
Nick Brieger is spending more time in the garden.
Trish Stott, Justice of the Peace, with husband Roger
Five stars for York
The Yorkshire Museum, also getting a makeover
York Associates Language, communication, intercultural, interpersonal and leadership training
Peasholme House, St Saviours Place, York YO1 7PJ, United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 1904 624246 Fax: +44 1904 646971