Event Detail

The speaker will use Japanese for this program.  However, the presentation documents will be in both English and Japanese, and it will be possible to take part in the group discussion and ask questions in either English or Japanese.

Everyone from other countries who is living in Japan, and everyone from Japan who interacts with people from other countries, will need to deal with cultural differences. One significant difference among cultures is in communication style, particularly as relates to comfort with directness and conflict. For some cultures, being upfront, getting things out in the open, and telling it like it is are the natural and comfortable way to communicate. While for other cultures, avoiding the sharing of any information that might be perceived negatively by others or cause them to lose face is considered paramount. When people with these different cultural approaches interact, it's easy for this difference to cause misunderstandings and tensions.

In this workshop we'll explore why different cultures have different communication style preferences, how to identify the preferences of yourself and the people you interact with, and how to bridge differences in a way that leads to improved interactions. The discussion will highlight differences between Japan and the U.S., but will also look at things from a global point of view and discuss the tendencies of different European, Asian, and Latin American cultures also. You'll get new insights and concrete strategies for avoiding communication difficulties.

This will be an interactive workshop, with group exercises that will give you an opportunity to interact with and learn from your fellow participants.

Rochelle Kopp works to help clients increase profitability and employee engagement through improved communication and working relationships in multicultural environments. She is founder and Managing Principal of Japan Intercultural Consulting, an international training and consulting firm focused on Japanese business.