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Is Cultural Awareness a Skill?

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A common misconception held by many is that cultural awareness is a skill.

You either have or you don't have, or, at the very least, is a skill that can be learned through training.

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The Importance of Apologies in Japanese Culture

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Did you know the Japanese have over 20 ways to say 'sorry'?

If you plan to do business in Japan, you need to get up to speed with how apologies work in Japanese culture.

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Why is Cultural Awareness Important?

Why is Cultural Awareness Important?

Why focus on 'culture' in the workplace?

Why do we need to look at 'culture' specifically?

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Understanding the Arab Middle East - Identity, Culture and Values

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As with any people, the Arabs look to the past for their sense of identity.

Arab history is tied to tribalism and the nomadic life of the desert.

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The Cultural Lens

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Self-awareness is fundamental in raising cultural competence.

If you are unable to understand yourself, it will be very difficult to understand another.

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Why is Cultural Competence Important in Training?

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Why do we focus on culture in corporate training? Is it really all that important?

Understanding the role culture plays in our lives is very important.

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Honour, Face & Shame in Arab Culture

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Doing business in the Middle East?

Then you need to understand the role of honour in the Arab world.

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Why E-Learning Works for Cultural Competence Training

Why E-Learning Works for Cultural Competence Training

Online training for cross-cultural skills is in high demand. So why are corporate training stakeholders turning to e-learning?

Traditional face-to-face training has become more of a challenge over the past 15 or so years.

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Stereotypes & Bias in Cultural Competence Training

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Essential to any sort of cultural awareness training are the two key concepts of stereotypes and bias.

As we touched on in an earlier blog, a common trap many of us naturally fall into when we are working in a cross-cultural situation is to let our own cultural lens get in the way.

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How Cultural Differences Can Destroy Customer Experience

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We all know that a positive customer experience (CX) drives repeat business, increased turnover and higher profits.

Companies who work hard to ensure their customers have a positive experience certainly reap the rewards of their efforts.

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Three Key Cultural Differences for Indians Working in the USA

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Did you know that Indians form the second largest group of immigrants in America, with Mexicans taking the top spot?

Although Indian expats may enter the US with a typically high level of education under their belts and a strong work ethic, they often find cultural differences between the US and India quite a challenge.

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Japanese Cultural Values and their Influence on Business

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To understand Japanese business culture, it's essential that you first appreciate Japanese cultural values.

Why?

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Hospitality, Food & Friendship in Arab Business Culture

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Being a good host is a central part of life in the Middle East and it is an underpinning value that everyone in the region shares.

The roots of this can be found in the tribal system whereby treating guests well is traditionally a way of gaining honour.

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Is the 70-20-10 Model Still Relevant to Online Cross Cultural Training?

Is the 70-20-10 Model Still Relevant to Online Cross Cultural Training?

If you work in Learning and Development, then it’s likely you know about the 70-20-10 Model.

If not, then it can be simply summarised as the work of three academics in the 80s who used extensive research to establish optimal learning conditions.

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The Essential Guide to Blended Learning in Cultural Competence Training

The Essential Guide to Blended Learning in Cultural Competence Training

The training world is evolving at an incredible pace.

Indeed, discussions of blended learning by L&D professionals have quickly moved beyond ‘why do we need it?’ to ‘how do we do it?’

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Cultural Insights for Doing Business & Working in Thailand

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If you’re off to Thailand for business or moving there as an expat, then we have compiled some essential cultural facts to give you an insight into Thai culture before you go.

By understanding the culture, you are best placed to get the most out of your time in Thailand and to make it a memorable experience for all the right reasons.

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How Disrespecting the Thai Royal Family Can Land you in Jail

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Love for the royal family is deeply ingrained in Thai culture.

You can’t help but see pictures of the recently deceased King and his newly appointed son wherever you go in Thailand.

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What's the Date in Saudi Arabia?

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Many people doing business with Saudi Arabia are usually surprised to find that the date in Saudi Arabia is over 500 years behind that of dates in the West.

Why is the date different in Saudi Arabia?

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What are Some Quirky Facts About The Culture of the USA?

What are Some Quirky Facts About The Culture of the USA?

We spend most of our time here working on serious cultural stuff, such as, how to negotiate successfully with the Americans, or, how to give good service to American customers.

Every so often however, we feel that need to go off at a tangent and indulge in some of the quirkier aspects of culture!

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Being Clueless about UAE Culture Won’t Protect You from Punishment

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A survey by the UAE’s security magazine, 999, has shown that most expatriates visiting the UAE are doing so while blind to UAE cultural customs and traditions.

Seven out of ten of the 2,000 expatriates included in the survey claimed to not understand local Emirati culture and traditions.

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