Making a presentation in front of international audiences is not for the fainthearted.
People from different cultural backgrounds with varying language skills are
definitely more challenging than a homogenous local audience. Are international
audiences any different from local audiences? From a biological point of view, there
are almost no differences as all humans behave similarly in response to basic stimuli
like hunger and heat. The differences become crucial when one considers cultural
conditioning.
Let us take the classical example quoted in many places. If the world were a village
of 1,000 people, it would include: 584 Asians, 124 Africans, 95 Europeans, 84 Latin
Americans, 52 North Americans, six Australians and New Zealanders, and 55 people
from the former Soviet republics. They would speak more than 200 languages and
reflect an astounding mix of different cultures. Fortunately, you would most likely
never get such a mixed audience. Remember, what works in one culture doesn’t
always work in another. How can you make your presentation a success among
people from different parts of the world?
Many factors influence audience behaviour e.g., culture, profession, gender, age,
reason for being in the audience, state of mind, time of day and year and general
mood. In fact every audience is unique. An audience of insurance salesmen in
Germany is very different from an audience of German chemical engineers. So
whenever a typical behaviour is associated with certain nation states, you have to be
extremely careful with these stereotypes.
The language barrier plays a very important role, both for the speaker and the
listeners. Many people in your international audience actually have jumped over
large chasms of language and cultural divides in order to be there in that very
audience listening to you. “Can I understand everything that is spoken there as they
are speaking in English and my English is very bad?” or “What if someone asks me a
question and I can’t answer it in French in this seminar held in France?” These are
typical fears that many people have overcome before they turned up in the
international gathering.
In mixed audiences the language used is bound to be a foreign tongue for someone,
if not for the speaker. Deficient language skills might considerably limit their ability
to grasp much of the presentation and they have no way of dealing with that
frustration with themselves. The fear of losing face in front of other people is very
common, more so in Asian cultures. Many people think in their mother tongue and
speak with the help of simultaneous translation. Many ideas are very challenging to
be put into another language. So the task of the presenter is to make sure that
central ideas come across easily and even to people who are not natives to the
language of presentation.
Culture influences how people in different countries prefer to receive information.
How interactive a presentation is, depends much on the culture. Typically English
speaking cultures like presentations to be lively and interactive. Paradoxically there
are similarities among Far Eastern, Slavic and protestant cultures like Germany and
Finland. There presentations are formal and there are few interruptions. Questions
are answered either when the presentation ends or quickly as they arise.
Many Europeans, particularly Scandinavians and Germans prefer to receive
information in detail, with lots of supporting documentation. They want their
presenters to be systematic and build to a clear point within their presentation. The
Japanese business audiences, where senior managers are more likely to hold
technical or management degrees are very similar. American and Canadian
audiences, on the other hand, like a faster pace. Many Asian and Latin cultures
prefer presentations with emotional appeal.
Different cultures gather and process information differently, in a way that is unique
to that culture. We assume that speaking Spanish is a safe option in all countries
where Spanish is spoken, but Hispanic employees from different countries even
have different words for the same thing, and this can create conflict. Sometimes
logic or reason can evade us. For example, there is no concept of guilt in some
Eastern cultures. There is no Heaven or Hell, but there may be karma and shame.
The Chinese are very strict about Mianxi, not losing face. When a Chinese
person doesn’t understand something due to language problems, she still says,
“Yes, yes it is clear.” People from a western background often have difficulties
understanding this.
Presenters use humour skilfully to relax the atmosphere. Another very powerful tool
is telling personal anecdotes which reveal humaneness connecting the speaker with
members of the audience. There must be a relevance to the topic or theme, as
speakers who talk very much about themselves are often considered self-centred
and even tiresome.
The response to humour varies greatly across different cultures. Humour based on
making fun of someone else is not understood in many areas of the world and is
considered disrespectful. In some cultures like Japan, laughing aloud is a sign of
nervousness and is not appreciated.
How audiences respond to presentations varies across cultures. In Japan, for
example, it’s common to show concentration and attentiveness by nodding the head
up and down slightly-and even closing the eyes occasionally. Don’t think that they
are falling asleep. In Germany and Austria, for example, listeners seated around a
table may show their approval by knocking on the table instead of applauding.
Applause is accepted as a form of approval in most areas of the world but in the
U.S, you might even get a few whistles if you have really made a great impression. If
you hear whistles in many parts of Europe, you had better run because someone
might start throwing tomatoes and eggs next. If you were finishing a speaking
engagement in a Latin American country like Argentina and you waved goodbye, the
audience might all turn around and come back to sit down. For them the waving
gesture means, “Come back! Don’t go away.”
Ways of handling questions are very different across cultures. Brits or Americans
almost always ask challenging questions. In Finland or in some Asian cultures,
audiences are more likely to greet a presentation with silence or just a few polite
questions. This is not always indifference but a show of respect.
As a presenter, you should have a clear goal of what you want to accomplish and
how you will accomplish it. The goal should be easy to understand - even to
someone outside of your organization or industry. If you can’t summarize your
message, how can the listeners? When the audience is international, you’ll need to
step out of your own frame of reference and focus on making communication
relevant for your target group. The aim is to “localize.” By focussing on the
audiences’ own frames of reference, you acknowledge their importance and pave the
way for them to come closer to you. If for example, you are using a metaphor about
snow blizzards and sleet to sub-Saharan people, they might not get your point, as
they have no experience of snow blizzards. The most vital thing to remember is that
each and every member in your international audience is a fellow human being. If
they feel treated well and get something for being there, they will appreciate your
efforts. Good luck!
Rana Sinha was born in India, studied and lived in many places and travelled in 80
countries, acquiring cross-cultural knowledge and building an extensive network of
professionals. He has spent many years developing and delivering Cross-cultural
Training, Professional Communications skills, Personal Development and
Management solutions to all types of organizations and businesses. He now lives in
Helsinki, Finland and runs http://www.dot-connect.com, which specializes in human
resource development as well as communication and management skills training
with cross-cultural emphasis.
Advertising in ezines is possibly the most effective way of generating fast sales. Ezine advertising also consumes very little of your time. However, ezine advertising does consume your money and can consume it very quickly if you’re not careful. Here are 8 things, which if you think carefully about, will ensure that ezine advertising does not cost you more than you earn.
1. Who is your target audience?
Be sure to identify this early on. Do not make the mistake of thinking that everyone will be interested in your product. Your target audience are those people who would benefit from your product or service because these are the people who are most likely to make a purchase. Advertising to a targeted audience will result in a great amount of interest and a lot of sales.
2. Which ezine should I advertise in?
Choose an ezine which is made up of subscribers who fit in with your target audience. The closer your targeted audience and the ezine subject, the more sales you will make. Also, if you are looking to advertise in a particular ezine, subscribe to it. Do some research on how often subscribers purchase from the publisher’s recommendations because this will give you a good idea of how effective it is to advertise in this particular ezine.
3. How much are you prepared to pay?
Set yourself a budget. This is extremely important because overspending could have a serious effect on your overall profits. Look to divide your budget up as well to advertise in several ezines instead of only one. This way, ezines which have been bad to advertise in will be compensated for those which are particularly good to advertise in. Additionally, you will know where to advertise next time.
4. Should you track your ads?
Of course you should. This is how you can tell which ezines have been particularly successful to advertise in and which ones are those to stay clear of next time. If you aren’t tracking your ads you are making a big mistake. Go to: http://www.clickaudit.com/ to track your ads.
5. How many subscribers does the ezine have?
This is a very common mistake which ezine advertisers make; they assume that the more subscribers the ezine has, the more profitable advertising in it will be. Generally, this is untrue. What you should be looking at is the quality of content in the ezine. If the quality is good then you can guarantee that most of the subscribers will actually be reading the ezine and consequently will read your ad.
6. Are you going to use autoresponders in your ad?
It is essential to put your autoresponder email address into your ad. When readers are looking at your ad, the majority of them will not be persuaded to buy at a first glance. However, this does not mean that they are not interested. You need to follow up with these people and the easiest way to do this is to capture their email address using an autoresponder. Use your ad not only to make immediate sales, but to make sales in the long run.
7. What type of your ads are best?
If you wish to test your ad or try it out to see its effect then put a tracking URL on it and use a classified, top sponsor or bottom ad. These are the cheapest ads but bring in the poorest results. If you’ve done necessary research and are looking to sell directly from your ad then consider using a solo mailing ad. A solo mailing ad is an individual email sent out to all subscribers with your ad in it and no one else’s. These ads bring in the best results but are inevitably the most expensive.
8. Is your ad effective?
Before spending huge amounts of money on ezine advertising, be sure that your ad is effective so that you can guarantee that it will lead to a huge number of sales. Just make sure that your headline catches the eye so that your ad gets noticed. Capture your reader’s interest and desire by using persuasive, positive words such as free, profits, breakthrough etc Make sure that you give contact details or an ‘additional information’ link so that readers can find out more about your product or service. For a more detailed explanation on how to create profit pulling ads go to:
http://www.blog.info-ebooks.co.uk/creatingprofitads.html
For more information on this subject or about making money online go to http://www.info-ebooks.co.uk
100s of free ebooks and software products are also available at this address. Gain free access to these by sending a blank email to:
infoebooks@freeautobot.com
Thank you for reading
William Johnston
(will@info-ebooks.co.uk)
If you want to be rich and famous, you have to focus on your strong points. Don’t dwell on your weaknesses. Choose your strongest asset and build it into a formidable asset.
After finding your heart’s desire, your bliss, dare to dream big; dream the biggest, boldest dreams that you can think of. Decide now that you want to be phenomenal in your particular talent; be the best of the best; be unforgettable. Fame doesn’t just happen. You have to want it!
Now translate your dream into two manageable plans. First, develop your talent. Second, market it. Then continue to reality-test and refine your plans. Create a feedback loop between your inner desires and imaging and the outer world of possibility, working and reshaping your talents and skills.
Take action with unbending intent. Put your twofold plan into effect by doing practical things within your reach. Researched and rehearse the talents and skills that you will need to get attention. For example, subscribe to international magazines to keep abreast of your chosen profession.
In line with your goal, set about learning more routines for your talents, especially how others have created their own unique assets. Also study audience response in general. By watching movies, you can learn to see cultural patterns. For example since Americans loved drama and suspense, build the element of surprise into your performance.
After mastering your talents, develop the second pathway to success. Learn how to sell yourself, to broadcast your talents to a captive audience of agents, managers, and production owners around the world.
Throughout your journey, refused to believe in limitations. All famous people have displayed self-confidence, prior to developing their talents and connections. They have put faith before experience. And, they have taken risks, investing time, money, and energy into their projects.
In short, dream big, develop elaborate plans, and then acted boldly with unbending intent.
You can implement all the important aspects of planning your royal road to success. Here is a summary:
1. Isolate your strongest talent. Forget about your weak points. Use your precious energy to master one particular skill. Focus on your best quality and be a success at it.
2. Forget about your personal flaws. Make choices where they don’t get in the way. While it may be possible to change maladaptive conditioning, consider this as another venture. Build upon your assets. Once you have sufficiently strong assets, you can go back and take care of your liabilities.
3. Dare to dream big. Why bother with half-measures? Compromised dreams have no power to energize and excite you into action. Playing it safe is a losing proposition. Even if you never measure up to an absolute standard, you’ll be pushed much further than you would have ever dared to go.
4. Break your big plan into small, manageable parts. See the big picture, then figure out how to make it all fit together.
5. Stay in touch with the outer world. Keep abreast of the latest trends and use them in your plans. Learn only what is relevant. Avoid obsolete techniques. Keep an eye on the market. Note where it is, where it’s moving, and orient yourself accordingly.
6. Stay out of the shadows. Make some noise. Find a way to get noticed. Frank Sinatra broke into show business by standing on a table and singing. He was a waiter and he sang to a top local producer. Similarly famous singers, dancers, and actors have sent out unapologetic news bulletins to people who neither knew nor cared about him; but he eventually got them interested. Create a way to help people help you.
7. Learn about your market. Isolate your target audience. Study what interests you; make it fun, bold, and exciting.
8. Refuse to believe in limitations. Limited thoughts create limited people. “The sky,” as Wayne Dyer has correctly reminded us, “is the limit.” Napoleon Hill once said: “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” When you doubt your competence and question your options, you lose vital energy. You need this energy to press on with your goals. The more original your ideas, the more critics you’ll find. Don’t add to the inertia by adding your own name to the list of critics.
9. Above all, plan, dream, and act.
10. And when you fail, learn from your mistakes, and continue.
Resource Box
Saleem Rana got his Masters degree in psychotherapy from California Lutheran University. His articles on the internet have inspired over ten thousand people from around the world. Discover how to create a remarkable life
Copyright 2004 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to pass this
article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or
newsletter. It’s a shareware article.