Asia Strategy Ι Asia Mastery

Clients often tell me they would have won the Asian contract, or would have won the contract sooner, had they been aware of the material in this workshop.

Communication can be a minefield at the best of times. All risk of miscommunication increases exponentially when we are dealing with people of different language, culture and customs. A cultural chasm separates the two sides. Interestingly, when relationships are going well, Asian companies are the most loyal customers and suppliers in the world. So it pays to learn how to adapt our communication style to theirs.

This seminar corrects the underlying causes of frustration and misunderstandings and gaffes when east meets west. It requires participants to filter a series of questions through their own personal experience in preparation for a roundtable discussion. Through discussion of face and surface harmony, and how language reflects thinking, they come to see the world through Asian filters. Participants learn to alter their pace to build rapport. Brief video clips illustrate meeting and greeting protocol, the Asian bow, business card exchange, and chopstick and toasting etiquette.

Note: This module was written at the request of Siemens VDO’s Motor Division in Germany. With the emergence of China as an economic force, and with customers and suppliers in Japan and Korea, it became apparent that their engineers, managers and directors needed guidance as to how to navigate relationships across the cultural divide. The training is based on my usual in-depth research, followed by numerous in-person and telephone interviews with Chinese, Korean and Japanese business people from both sides of the customer relationship.