Assisting people in the relocation process
A reverse culture shock model Have you ever wondered what it’s like for expats who return home and become repats after working abroad? When expat assignments end, the assignee is often not prepared for the “reverse” culture shock that is about to happen to them, both personally and professionally. And this often surprises them, sometimes … Continue reading Vanessa’s 5 V Model of Repatriation
Wie kann der Einsatz von Storytelling im Bildungsumfeld dienen? Einleitung Vor 20 Jahren habe ich angefangen Storytelling in meinen Vorlesungen zu unterrichten, damals als Teil des Englischcurriculums an der Vorarlberger Fachhochschule in Österreich. Dank meinem Kollegen Micheal Williams konnte ich einen interessanten Englischkurs für Studenten der Betriebswirtschaftslehre anbieten. English for Executive Storytelling war ein Angebot, … Continue reading Storytelling – das universelle Lehrbuch
A couple of years ago, the Danish word hygge took the global home and lifestyle market by storm. I’d imagine this bemused the Danish - when an everyday concept suddenly hit glossy magazine covers from Elle Decoration UK to Schöner Wohnen in Germany. By golly we all went for it, didn’t we? Getting out the … Continue reading When you’re held hostage to hygge
Typically, as my audience knows, I blog about all things cultural, relocation, repatriation, communication and language. On 31 January at 11pm GMT Britain will leave the EU. So just for a change, I’d like to take this opportunity to share a more personal view on the topic. Growing up in the home counties in Britain, … Continue reading It’s an “Auf Wiedersehen” from me
As stated in Forbes, “those who embrace diversity will be more likely to prosper, and those who ignore it will be more likely to fail”. It’s one of the reasons why posts bidding for diversity inundate our newsfeeds on a daily basis. It’s now one of the defining issues our times. My network is currently buzzing … Continue reading D&I – Diversity and Inclusion It’s not about the WHY, it’s about the WHAT
We are all familiar with the idiom “Great minds think alike.” But do they? Of course having similar ideas to others means that we have more in common and it’s easy to get along with PLU (people like us) because they are of similar mindset. But what is notable about this if we are looking … Continue reading Great minds think …differently
You know how some people get offended by directness? And others get annoyed when people don’t actually say what they really mean? And have you ever wondered why that is? Some of my trainees really appreciate the space I create for them my in intercultural sessions. It’s a safe setting to discuss these differences and … Continue reading Don’t just DO diversity, DO BUSINESS with it!
Have you ever wondered by a member of your team is constantly late or always talking about private things in a professional environment? Or questioned yourself why a team member seems to be reluctant about committing themselves to a deadline? But did you ever ask yourself if they were late according to their watch or … Continue reading Cross-cultural team building: taking the ‘mis’ out of miscommunication.
Angus Robertson is a business, communication and public diplomacy consultant. Many of you will know him from his position as a Depute Leader for the Scottish Party and campaign leader for the Scotland Independence campaign. However, I know Angus from my Beiwagerl (Austrian for a language assistant or literally sidecar) days. We met in a … Continue reading Haggis meets Bratwurst – an interview with Angus Robertson
But it's übercool..... Are you one of many parents out there bringing up kids bi- or trilingually? Are you sick of parents of monolingual kids telling you “Wow, your kids are so lucky” whilst you trawl through Maths in another language when you actually never really got it in your mother tongue? You barely understand … Continue reading Being bilingual – the ability to speak two languages rather badly