Speaking Internationally

If you've been invited to speak internationally or would like to, I thought you'd benefit from my experiences abroad.

Speaking internationally is an adventure and a learning experience. When I traveled to Russia with 20 women from The Alliance of American and Russian Women, I learned quickly the importance of cultural training. We were there to teach women about entrepreneurship. It was 1993 and a market economy was a new concept for Russians. We were warmly welcomed.
The Russians drank at every meal and made a series of toasts. When it was my turn, I shared my husband’s nervousness about my traveling such a distance. He didn’t want me to go. But it was so important to me, I said, “Too bad. I’m going.”
At that moment, the interpreter stopped talking. There was a deafening silence. I later asked the association leader why that had happened. She told me that to say “Too bad” was to wish someone much badness. And in addition, a Russian woman would not stand up to her husband in that way.

Language and culture can be barriers to success internationally. It’s important to ask whether you’ll be receiving simultaneous or consecutive translation and to know whether the interpreter studied British or American English. It’s also important to meet in advance and to give examples of your definitions. I gave a talk on doing business with the U.S. and explained the concept of quality control which was not widely practiced at this time in Russia. The example I cited was of consistency. For example, If they manufactured Russian flags for export, each of those flags had to be identical and without defects. After hearing my example, the interpreter turned to me and said, “Oh. I thought consistency meant durability.” Close but no cigar.

Another time I was speaking in England. I was a training specialist for an investment bank and they had sent us to do management training for their London office. I thought this would be easy because there was no language barrier-or so I thought. During one of the modules I happened to reference packing my luggage and told them that I brought a pair of black pants. Suddenly I heard snickering in the room. It turned out that pants are not slacks but underwear. Oops. So from then on I was careful.

The seminar was going well and I was very confident in the material. After all, I had delivered this program many times in New York. I wanted them to know that this was not theory; they were receiving practical skills. With absolute conviction, I said, “These are skills you can use back on the job.” The entire room broke out in laughter.
I quickly learned that “on the job” meant turning a trick. Was my face red!

But language isn’t the only consideration. I used to do an exercise where I would use the A-OK sign with the audience. I would never do that in Brazil where the same gesture is an obscenity. In fact, when I speak at an annual convention in the U.S. I know that the audience is international and I don’t use that exercise.

In addition to language and gestures, culture is probably the most challenging area to master. In 2009, I was invited to Egypt for two weeks to coach eight of their top executives. I was both excited and wary. In the past, I was hired by U.S. companies overseas. This was the first time I would be working directly with a foreign company and it was my first experience in the Middle East. We had some sticking points during contract negotiations.

I expected to be paid 50% of my fee in advance with the remainder of the fee to be paid upon completion of the service. This was not their policy but they finally agreed. They wanted a letter of guarantee from my bank. This involved moving half of the fee from my business account with the provision that the money they advanced me would be withdrawn from my account if I didn’t perform. Fair enough.

I asked my banker if they could give me a letter of credit. The Egyptian company refused. They wanted a letter of guarantee. After much back and forth haggling and miscommunication, they finally realized a letter of credit and letter of guarantee were one and the same. Because of the stalled negotiations, the Christmas holidays, and the banker’s vacation, the Egyptian company did not deposit the money to meet my deadline. I had to decide whether to get on the plane and trust that I would be paid.

I arrived in Cairo but did not feel comfortable. I brought up the fact that we signed a contract for a 50% advance and it wasn’t deposited. The training manager looked at me and said, “What about trust?” At that moment I kept my mouth shut and did not bring up the subject again. I realized that I could be insulting her integrity. Four days later they wired the money into my account. The assignment turned out to be very successful and everyone was happy.

I treasure my international travel and I can honestly say I have never regretted any trip whether for business or personal. There is an enriching education that comes with travel and I’ve discovered that people are the same everywhere.
What is different is the way they express themselves. In 2003 I was invited to speak in Tanzania by Women’s Campaign International to media train 100 women directors of NGOs. After learning a few words of Kiswahili. I opened my talk with “Good morning. I’m happy to be here.” The audience broke out in applause. People appreciate when you take the time to speak their language, learn their customs and share your learnings. Business, whether domestic or international, is about communication. Learning to communicate across cultures and showing you care are keys to a successful International experience.