she doesn’t understand, she looks for names and pictures she recognizes.
She can then mention or ask about these subjects, and use them as a talking
point. Networking is all about making yourself seem familiar, part of the
furniture, so that people feel at ease with you. By showing familiarity with
the main media, even superficially, and taking an interest, people immediately
feel: “Oh, you know our country!” This may not be entirely true, but at least
Georgina’s research gives her a chance to gain more insights.
Georgina has other techniques that she uses to absorb almost subliminal
information about a country. In the airport she surveys the people, particularly
those in the arrivals hall waiting to meet passengers. Rich, poor, how many
women, people in families or on their own, styles of dress – all these details
give her impressions that she can test in conversation.
The same strategy applies when she visits a new company. In the office foyer
she watches how people deal with and greet receptionists (one of the best
ways to judge a company’s atmosphere and degree of formality or informality),
and she scans the trade literature lying around for references to the business
she is visiting. She notes the decorations on the walls – what certificates, awards,
company photos or sponsorship photos there are. All this gives her a starter
impression of what the organization might be like, and offers potential topics
of conversation. Above all she is showing interest, and that’s what clients
need to see.
“Have you heard the one about ….?”
Everyone has a sense of humour and everyone likes jokes. The trouble is,
they don’t like the same jokes and they don’t necessarily like to tell them in
the same environment as you do. The British sense of humour is very varied
but it depends ultimately on irony and sarcasm, which can make it hard for
foreigners to enjoy, even if they have the language levels to understand it.
Worse still, the British use jokes in business meetings to lighten the
atmosphere, get through difficult moments and to prick pomposity and self-
importance. In communities where meetings are taken fairly seriously, the
British sense of humour may be seen as inappropriate and suggest a lack of
commitment or interest. Old hands in international business will say, leave
the jokes for the bar and replace them with charm until you really know those
you are dealing with. Even the traditional British speech opener, “I am reminded
of the story about…”, followed by a joke, may not be appropriate in societies
expecting something more serious.
TWO HOW TO UNLOCK ANY CULTURE IN THE WORLD
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