Day One has left me contemplating the many directions I can take my own intercultural career. As I near graduation in May, I’ve been weighing my choices for employment. Unfortunately, I have been focusing so much attention on my natural comfort zone, study abroad, that I have been neglecting a track that I truly enjoy: intercultural training. As Richard Harris said in this morning’s session, “Fun, Function, & Fundamentals,” what we focus on determines what we’ll see. This 9:00 a.m. realization snapped me out of my study abroad coma.
Two sessions on training were absolute highlights for me: Harris’ session and Nick Sakurai’s “Power Dynamics & Inclusivity.” I’m not sure if the content naturally appealed to me or if participating in activities and simulations at the beginning and end of the day appealed to my inner child more, but both sessions offered new insights, games, self-awareness, and take-aways. For example, Harris’ “Crossed or Uncrossed” activity reminded me of how effective and powerful simple games (with minimal props) can be. Our group was large (37 attendees), but this also helped me think about being flexible and adaptable in my training plans. Similarly, Sakurai’s session on identity issues was simple yet powerful as we shared our strengths and weaknesses in facilitating training sessions. There’s nothing like creating your own Twister mat of blue, yellow, red, and green dots representing important, challenging, and empowering aspects of your identity to tap into your artistic and contemplative side. In sum, what made these two sessions valuable and worthwhile was not just the activities, but the debriefing and group feedback, as well.
Given my renewed interest in training, I did not find the business- and marketing-related sessions on “Interactional Sociolinguistics & Visual Analysis” and “Intercultural Knowledge Management” as readily applicable to my work. Also, these sessions were heavy on presentation and pairs/small group work. I think I’ve realized that I enjoy participating in sessions, rather than feeling like I’m sitting in on a graduate course.
As one final comment on the day’s events, Fons Trompenaars’ plenary speech far surpassed the cous cous and vegetable kebabs we had for lunch. He was witty, energetic, informative, and realistic…characteristics I aspire to have when I speak publicly. I was particularly motivated by his statement “Recognize that there are opposing viewpoints…as a leader, it’s your job to connect them.” What a terrific decision to invite him to our conference!
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