Monthly Archive for June, 2007

Do You Speak International?

Published
by
James Drogan
on June 29, 2007
in Cross-Cultural Communication, Higher Education and Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

Gill Corkindale, writing in Harvard Business Online, has authored this interesting post on the development of communications in global business. Corkindale has a considerable amount of experience and is worth the read.

If an objective of our educational system is to produce students who survive, thrive, and make a difference in the world, then we must (as I believe I have argued before) be cognizant of the target environment and make sure that we do all we can do to prepare the student to “make it there.”

Postcard from Berlin

Published
by
Agnieszka
on June 22, 2007
in Cross-Cultural Communication, Language and Politics
. 0 Comments

An Ampelmann on Bernauerstrasse (formerly East Berlin)

Ampelmann, or “street light man”, is a figure that appears on street lights in East Berlin, in green or red. He wears a wide brim hat and seems to be freeze-framed in the midst of a jaunty stride.

While the nostalgia for all things East German (Ostalgie) seems to have passed, Berliners vociferously opposed a project to homogenize all the street signs with the more boring looking West German design. The Ampelmann not only survived, but became an icon of the city and a popular tourist souvenir.

It seems that the street signs represent not only the right of way for pedestrians but also a way of life, a collective memory and a need to preserve a cultural heritage. Even though the street light man is a remnant of the old regime, he is also a part of the collective identity of East Berliners. People don’t necessarily associate the Ampelmann with the Stasi secret police or the DDR government but with their city and with their everyday lives.

Certainly Germany is in a very particular situation because the country had been split in two. After reunification, there was a trend to erase all remnants of the old regime and create a united national identity. Unlike the countries in the rest of the Soviet block, East Germany simply stopped existing. The people who lived there became Germans, but yet they are not simply Germans, not entirely. They had an entirely different history for the past fifty years and there was a feeling that a lot of the changes were imposed by the west. The Ampelmann is, in a sense, a way for East-Berliners to hold onto a part of their identity and resist the rush to erase the past as quickly as possible.

In Poland, the country found different ways of dealing with its past. Most of the Soviet era street names have been rapidly changed, and many monuments to the Soviet solders or prominent communists were destroyed. There is now some remorse for this rush to erase so many memories.

On Narcissism and Communication

Published
by
Komal
on June 20, 2007
in Symposium, Technology and Web 2.0
. 1 Comment

The issue of narcissism came up at my roundtable discussion at the BLSCI’s 7th Annual Symposium, “New Rules: Convention and Change in Communication” in April. My table-mates, composed of a mix of people from academia and business, shared their observations regarding students and new employees and their common difficulty with the idea that not everything one has to say is important and with discerning between what is appropriate/relevant in a conversation and what is not. They pondered whether communication in the age of blogging, MySpace, and FaceBook and reduced privacy has become more self-focused, that is, narcissistic: because of shorter attention spans, “people talk more because there are fewer people listening.”

This conversation reflected in part some the views expressed in a recent New York Magazine article on the younger generation’s lack of interest in privacy and their use of the Internet to reveal every and all aspects of their lives. I also wondered out-loud whether there is a relationship was between this cultural trend and our students’ ability to think critically.

Given all this, has the trend of self-revelation and exhibition, blogging-style made us more monologic rather than dialogic — more solipsistic and less communicative?

It’s the Process, Silly!

Published
by
Deborah
on June 13, 2007
in Oral Communication, Pedagogy, Peer Review, Powerpoint and Presentations, Process and Revision
. 0 Comments

A lightbulb went on in my head in the last couple of weeks. In May and June I have had the opportunity to work with students in the capstone course for the Healthcare MBA that Baruch sponsors with Mt. Sinai Hospitals. They were required in groups of three to develop and submit a business plan which they would then present to “juries” playing the role of venture capitalists, bank loan officers, or hospital board of directors. It was my job to videotape a dress rehearsal with them, offer my suggestions from the perspective of communication style, and then watch the videotape with them. I have done a very similar version of this with undergraduate senior-level Business Policy students for two years. It has always seemed like a useful process to me, and I have always been convinced that it benefited the students.

However, I think I made connections between my own academic work and the work with MBA students this spring and a few things clicked into place more clearly. I don’t know how long I’ve told students, “writing is a process.” (Imagine you are hearing that mantra from an annoying professor, battered at you in a sing-song-y voice.) But I think it sunk in a little further for me. After watching 11 groups of successful medical professionals present solid Powerpoint presentations, that nonetheless still needed revision, and watching them watch themselves on video, the light went on. Prior to this they had already submitted the paper versions of their business plans, and felt well prepared. But in addition to the videotape making clear the various nervous tics they had while speaking, or that they engaged the slide screen far more than they did the audience, it also helped them see the entire scope of their presentation, how well its various parts fit together, and where they needed to change the emphasis. They could clearly see if their argument needed bolstering with evidence in some areas, or increased clarity in others.

Watching them, I realized that the only way their presentations could make it to the ‘next level’ so to speak, was by going through this final review and revision process. Not only that, for these students especially, I was truly more of a coach and facilitator than anything else. It was a combination of my experience, their experience, the videocamera, and their own critical review of themselves, that really made the process worthwhile. I wouldn’t say they didn’t need me, but it was the process and the assemblage of them, me, the camera, and the review, that was essential.

Accent Reduction, take 2

Published
by
Yana
on June 5, 2007
in ESL and Language
. 4 Comments

Some time ago I wrote a post about the need for accent reduction training that was expressed by some students I had worked with. And today I stumbled upon an article from the New York Times that talks about exactly the same issue, only it is not students who are expressing the need for accent coaching, but professionals from legal, business and science fields. People from different language backgrounds seek the help of language coaches, either because they have realized themselves that their speech isn’t always clear to their interlocutors, or because their business partners have pointed that out. Some large companies now pay their employees to undergo this training. It seems that voice and accent coaching field is growing. The term “accent reduction” is not an ideal one, and has specific cultural presuppositions. But the need for this training is real, and as with many language-related things, the earlier you start working on it, the better the outcome will be.

Channels, Audience Needs, and Communications: The Rise of an Idea

Published
by
James Drogan
on June 3, 2007
in Symposium
. 0 Comments

After this year’s Schwartz Symposium, where I once again served as a moderator, I decided to publish a short paper describing the results of the table discussion in which I participated. Described is the evolution of an idea and the research needs it suggests.

The link to the paper is below.

Channels, Audience Needs, and Communications – The Rise of a Idea.pdf 102K