Presenter(s): Ursula Leitzmann

Presentation Description:  Key points to viewing the film: "Justine Chistsena's Story", an excerpt of "Worlds Apart", a four-part series on cross-cultural health care. The story told in this film is about a Laotian girl in the United States who was born with a life-threatening heart defect.  Her doctors recommended an invasive procedure to treat the condition, which the parents and grandmother rejected because of their fears that a scar would have a negative effect on the girl's spirit in her next lives.
Following the viewing of the film the facilitator will lead an interactive discussion using a set of previously prepared questions to enroll and engage the audience.
Learning goals for the participants: -to understand that patients and health care professionals often have different perspectives, values and beliefs about health and illness; - to become familiar with challenges that are important in caring for patients from different cultural backgrounds;- to develop a greater sense of curiosity, empathy and respect towards patient who are culturally different, thus developing better communication skills.

Ursula Leitzmann specializes in intercultural communication training and coaching, especially in multicultural settings and in the healthcare field.  She holds master’s degrees in Intercultural Relations and Communication and is a certified coach. She recently relocated to her native Germany after living and working in the United States for 13 years.

Presenter(s): Adrienne Rubatos

Presentation Description:  A DVD-Film of a real-life gathering will be presented in sequences. The participants get an introduction about certain cultural aspects and are invited to guess and analyze the people and the event shown correspondingly. The context of the film is uncovered then and the effect of globalization on the place of the gathering and on the lives of the shown persons is discussed in the larger context of the region, the place of gathering being the original common home-territory of the gathering’s participants.  Specific biographies of the shown persons including their fortunes under different effects of the globalization are introduced and discussed. The reflections and the feelings about this gathering on the place where their common history started are presented by the lecturer.  Discussion on similar experiences with the the listeners.
Some of the video sequences are revisited and the participants are invited to compare the effect of the film on themselves with their initial interpretations.  Discussion about culturally based perception and judgment. Final discussion about practicability of films in intercultural work and encouragement to produce and use current real-life film sequences for training and teaching.

Adrienne Rubatos, MBA, M.Sc., independent intercultural consultant specialized on Eastern Europe, with main emphasis on Romania and Hungary. 16 years of experience in industry and international management.  Associate professor of IBR, an International MBA University.  Author and regular SIETAR presenter.  Descends from a multicultural family in Romania, lives in Germany and works globally.

Presenter(s):  Leila Buck

Presentation Description:  Uleelee (tell me) is a storytelling performance exploring Lebanese-American writer-performer Leila Buck's process of learning Arabic as her Lebanese grandmother begins to lose her memory, woven with the controversy surrounding the establishment of a bi-lingual Arabic-English school where she teaches in New York.  This personal and political piece explores themes central to the intersection of culture and globalization through the politics of language:  Who defines controversial words and how these definitions shape global politics; How language preserves culture, or is transformed by it; How intercultural marriage, immigration and colonization affect the passing on of language as oral history; what this means in an increasingly globalized world dominated via internet and business by the English language.  Central to the piece is the question of how language links to love and fear, and what we are and aren't allowed to teach our children.  The juxtaposition of languages serves as a metaphor for the construction and deconstruction of hostility between Arabic-speaking nations and "the West", and questions our definitions of "us", "them", and the relationship in between.  The audience will be taught Arabic words and invited to participate in a post-show discussion of language and its role in global conflict and connection.

Leila Buck is an Arab-American writer and performer and a member of the Public Theater's first Emerging Writers' Group.  She has toured her solo works ISite and In the Crossing across the U.S., Europe and China since 1998 and been featured in Lebanon's Daily Star and the New York Times.

Presenter(s):  Maria Assumpta Aneas

Presentation Description:  The Deutsche Bank Research Group (2006) identifies Spain as a center of global growth and puts emphasis in the demographic factor and the migratory flows. This situation has generated new necessities and challenges in the Public Administration. First: to create and/or to adapt new services to these new citizens. Second: to respond to the cultural differences of the users. The Intercultural Competencies are one of the resources needed by these professionals. The panel will present representatives of representatives from de Spanish Public Administration. They will expose the challenges to which they have had to do in front, applied the successful and insolvent answers.  We invite to the assistants of the panel (which desirably they would have to be people who work in or for the Administration) to present/display, in a synthetic way, his insolvent and successful experiences to generate collaborative knowledge.  As product of as result of the panel and with the participation of the assistants  all will wrote up a Decalogue of Goals and Strategies for the attention to the intercultural user at the Public Administration.

Dr. Maria Assumpta Aneas is lecturer at the Universitat de Barcelona.  President of SIETAR Spain, member of IAIR and  the research group GREDI. Has developed the Diversophy game “Doing business in Spain”, the Spanish Cultural Detective and has published her works at UE, Morocco, India and Spain.

Presenter(s): Elisabeth Arévalo-Guerrero, Basma Ibrahim DeVries, Jon DeVries, Adriana Medina

Presentation Description:  The presenters on this panel were trainer and faculty members in the intercultural communication learning circle aboard the inaugural voyage of The Scholar Ship (TSS), a new semester-long, transnational, intercultural-competence-building focused university. The overall goal of TSS is to prepare today’s undergraduate and post-graduate students from around the world for peace-seeking global citizenship, through an intensive semester-at-sea program. Through the 3 core components – course instruction on the ship, academic field programs in ports, and active intercultural onboard life activities,   students have the opportunity to develop their intercultural competencies while living and studying with community members from 50 countries around the globe. This provided a new context for teaching intercultural communication and for facilitating many sessions throughout the voyage on intercultural communication competence development for global citizenship.
During this session, we will:  

• Introduce TSS program: academic, onboard life and port programs; demographics; learning circles. 
• Discuss the opportunities inherent in facilitating intercultural learning in this intensive intercultural community. 
• Share the challenges we faced as instructors and facilitators of intercultural communication.
• Discuss the integration of experiential learning  into intercultural communication competence development. 
• Discuss the adaptations we made to accommodate multiple learning and communication styles , and different expectations among students.

Methodologies used:  Presentation (multimedia) and discussion 80%, Q & A 20%

Elisabeth Arévalo-Guerrero is a Ph.D. Candidate of the Doctoral Program in Language, Literacy, and Culture (LLC) in the University of Maryland Baltimore.  Her research interest focuses on the Development of Intercultural Communicative Competence in the Undergraduate Spanish Class.  Elisabeth teaches Spanish and has taught intercultural communication on TheScholarShip Inaugural Voyage 2007.

Basma Ibrahim DeVries, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA where she trains and consults in intercultural communication.  During Fall semester 2007, she served as the Intercultural Communication Learning Circle Coordinator and faculty member on TheScholarShip, Inaugural Voyage 2007

Jon DeVries, M.A. is Program Coordinator for Short Term and Custom Programs in the International Student and Scholar Services Office at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Jon has interned at SIIC: Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication. He spent fall semester 2007 as a faculty member teaching Intercultural Communication on the inaugural voyage of The Scholar Ship.

Adriana Medina-López-Portillo, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Intercultural Communication in the Department of Modern Languages, Linguistics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She served as a Director of Training and Design Initiatives at TheScholarShip, where she was in charge of the student orientation and reentry programs, and the staff/faculty training.

Presenter(s): Elmer Dixon, Alex Yu, David Trickey, Liliana Cantu, Nina Merens

Presentation Description:  This interactive panel discussion will feature a dialogue on the range of approaches to multi-cultural learning by professional consultants from around the globe. Panelist will provide their perspective on approach to developing multi-cultural training programs in providing services to corporations in their home countries as well as internationally.
At the core of the dialogue is the critical analysis, through dialogue, of the differences in approach, e.g. Diversity Training in the US vs. Intercultural Training in Europe and Asia. We will explore the reasons for these differences which can include terminology, national cultures and natural history. The overall goal of the dialogue is to explore ways to leverage these global differences to strengthen training programs around the globe.
In order to have this conversation, it is important to understand the process of conducting effective dialogues. The session will begin with a brief examination of a Dialogue Process and the identification of tools and model for conducting effective dialogues. Panel members will model effective dialoguing while discussing the origins of multi-cultural training and approach of their home countries. This will be followed by small group work in which participants will discuss case studies and conduct dialogue based on the model presented earlier.

Elmer Dixon, Vice President, educated in Public Administration and has over 30 year’s experience as a manager and trainer.  Elmer’s vision, energy, and creativity have contributed to his success in leading diverse teams, facilitating and implementing strategic plans for organizations, and providing outstanding training and consultation in the areas of cross cultural communication, team building, and conflict management.

Alex Eunkyeong Yu is a Korean  representative of ITIM International, Culture and Management Consultants in Netherlands. She is certified in IRC (Intercultural Readiness Check) and also professional behavioral analytic tool, DISC. She  practices and delivers Personal Leadership as well to maintain the best of highest of the self in the presence of differences.

DavidTrickey, David has been a consultant for international development projects for over 20 years. Recent change initiatives include developing a culture of safety for a global oil & gas contractor and the dissemination of a culture of trust within Global Emergency Relief Teams.

Liliana Cantu, a native Mexican, BS degree in Marketing and a Masters Degree in Communication. She holds the Intercultural Foundations Certificate awarded by the Intercultural Communication Institute. Her professional experience is in the fields of human resources, public relations and relocation services, and in design, customization and delivery of intercultural and diversity training, in English and Spanish.

Nina Jane Merrens, lives and works in Munich, Germany since 1987.  She is a licensed International Profiler Management Coach for Worldwork, UK and works closely with associates at Cambridge University.  Specializes in international management training, indoor and outdoor team development, virtual team training and coaching, Nina conducts her training courses in English and German.

Presenter(s): Guillaume Gevrey, Vinay Kumar, Melanie Martinelli

Presentation Description:  This panel will use Bollywood as a kaleidoscope through which to demonstrate Indian culture. Best known agent of Brand India, this unique and all powerful cinema industry is also the mirror of a deeply changing society. Changing corporate culture, conflict between  traditional and modern  India, as well as the emergence of new social issues (such as homosexuality, racial and interfaith issues, corruption etc). The session will address all of these issues and demonstrate how Bollywood is presenting the new image of India.
A variety of excerpts will be used to visually demonstrate how the approach can reveal the rich cultural complexity of a country that is simultaneously tradition-bound and adapting to globalization, boasts of the globes richest and the poorest, has an army of talent and illiterates, and the values of the past jostle and combine with western concepts of democracy and modernity.
During this colourful and interactive session viewpoints from an Indian as well as from two expatriates living & working in India will be discussed and explored.
The session will conclude with discussions on the validity and value of the approach, and discuss the various ways of using it in intercultural training.

Guillaume Gevrey is a global nomad. After completing his studies, he decided to relocate to Bangalore in order to find a new challenge. He has been an intercultural trainer since 2003 and is a founding member of SIETAR India. Guillaume is also a guest lecturer in cross-cultural communication at different universities.

Vinay Kumar is the founder of C2C Consulting and Training, a global, training organization, and a principal consultant for TMA. Vinay has over 12 years of global experience, and  in the Education and People Development areas.  Vinay is the executive director of SIETAR-India, and has presented papers at  SIETAR-USA, and  India conferences.

Melanie Martenelli, co-founder and director of Let’s Bridge IT is a passionate cross-cultural trainer and offshore consultant. Born and raised in the tri-national area of the Upper Rhine Melanie moved to India in 2004. Melanie is also a guest lecturer for cross-cultural communication at different universities across the globe.

Presenter(s): Jennifer Mahon, Luis Pires, Cheryl Woehr, David Hudnut

Presentation Description:  This interactive session centers on the impact of global immigration especially as it relates to the context of Spain. Attention will be devoted to facilitating productive conversations surrounding immigration issues, and the processes with which trainers and educators can learn to empower people to talk about problematic and polarizing topics.
While other European countries have been responding to an influx of immigration for decades, for the first time large concentrations of immigrants from Latin and South America, Eastern Europe, and North Africa are moving into cities across Spain, creating opportunities and challenges in social, educational, and business contexts. Such a new phenomenon is likely to create issues of confusion and resistance in a variety of situations, from the professional to the personal. While many of Spains immigrants may share the Spanish language, there are numerous culture differences that exist. Thus this session is designed to provide an open dialogue where people are comfortable acknowledging the deep and difficult issues arising from immigration -- from the workplace, to the classroom, to the neighborhood cafe to the home itself.
Therefore the panel guiding this session has been composed to include a diversity of experiences and approaches. It includes individuals who not only have expertise in sectors commonly affected by increased immigration including business, educational, counseling, and training arenas, but who have also, themselves, lived the immigrant experience. Finally, the panel includes native and  immigrant Spaniards who put human faces on an issue which, at its core, is about individuals desiring to create quality lives for themselves and those closest to them.

Jennifer Mahon, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Nevada, Reno.  She has worked with educational, business, and medical professionals regarding diversity, intercultural interaction, and international education. In addition to work with numerous school districts and non-profit organizations, she has worked with Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, IOR Global Associates, Alticor, and The Iams Company.

Luis Pires, Ph.D. , Professor & Assistant Dean, University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid.  His work investigates the important role that immigration has played in the Spanish economy and society during the last decade. Pires'research interests are related to the economy especially as it relates to immigration and concerns involving the elderly and aging.

Cheryl Woehr, M.A., with 25 years experience in training development and delivery for educational institutions, government agencies, non-profits, professional associations, and companies small and large.  She is the Intercultural Business Education and Training (IBET), Program Manager at the Northern Nevada International Center providing cultural awareness and diversity training.

David Hudnut, M.S.Columbia University, is founder of Grok Consulting, a leadership development organization based in Pamplona. He has worked with corporations including Siemens AG and Citibank where he developed capabilities in strategic planning, product management, and culture change initiatives. David speaks English, German, French and Spanish, enabling him to simultaneously address cross-cultural/linguistic conflict and leadership issues.

Presenter(s):  Sue Shinomiya, Brian Szepkouski, Lillian Tsai, Christopher Deal, Vinay Kumar

Presentation Description:  This panel takes an updated look at Japan, China, and India to briefly introduce the changing relationships/relative power positions of those three countries in a  flat world    what s changing and what isn t. The session will start with a quiz for the audience, which highlights the importance of these three Asian countries, and why it is critical for interculturalists to be able to present an accurate picture of where they ve come from and where they are today. The panel will clarify important similarities and differences between the three cultures, and take a look at their impressions and stereotypes of each other. We will focus in on the respective experiences with globalization in the business world, openness to/isolation from that which is foreign, and how their cultures have come to interact with the rest of the world in such powerful ways. What have been the cultural and identity implications for these countries as they achieve global status? The discussion is intended also to help the participants discover what can be learned (or risked) from the  Asian  approach to interaction on a global scale. Expect interactive activities, case studies, group discussion, and brainstorming. 

Since 1996 Ms. Shinomiya has been living in Portland, Oregon, USA. She has her own consulting company, Business Passport, which provides a range of global facilitation services to clients such as Intel Corp., Nike, Hitachi, HP, Toyota, Starbucks, FedEx, Microsoft, The Gap and Portland State University.

Brian Szepkouski is president of Szepko International Inc., a consulting firm specializing in cross-cultural communications, international executive development, and strategic planning for global business expansion.  Brian has an M.A. in International Education and Human Resource Development from George Washington University and a B.A. in Foreign Languages from the University of Redlands

Lillian A. Tsai, founder and President of TsaiComms, LLC, is a marketing and communications veteran specializing in bridging the cultural gap between East and West.  Lillian founded TsaiComms in 2002 after a 25 year career in high tech marketing at Mentor Graphics, Floating Point Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Analogy, GemStone Systems, Brokat Technologies, and Encorus Technologies in Stuttgart, Germany.

Christopher Deal, Ph.D. is President of the consulting firm Deal Intercultural, Intercultural Communication Lecturer at California State University, and a SIETAR USA Board member. Involved in the intercultural field for over 15 years, he specializes in Chinese culture, training design across cultures, and intercultural aspects of the film industry.Mr. Vinay Kumar, A cross cultural trainer and consultant, has run training, coaching and facilitation programs for organizations around the world for over 13 years. His areas of specialization: managing remote teams, multicultural team building, and cross cultural communication. He is the CEO of ICMIS, Bangalore, India, and is the Executive Director of SIETAR India.

Presenter(s): Donna Stringer, Joerg Schmidt, Magda Nowak

Presentation Description:  This panel will present information about the challenges of creating a globally inclusive organization culture that enables business growth, market expansion, innovation, collaborative excellence, talent development and allows adaptations for   local relevance.   The discussion will be based on an organizational change process at PepsiCo International in response to the globalizing business environment and changes in the talent and consumer markets .  The goal was to identify and enable synergies and capabilities across a significant diversity of people, products, and national environments including 90,000 employees across approximately 180 countries.   Topics will include language, geography, technology, cognitive styles, pacing/time, ethnocentrism, mobility, legal differences, history and consciousness regarding cultural and inclusion issues.
In partnership with executive sponsors, a team of Inclusion Practitioners from within the businesses, and external consulting partners, a comprehensive change process was set in motion. While still in progress, significant quantitative and qualitative results have been achieved to date.  Lessons learned have included the  importance  of engaging and empowering organizations  to define the relevant inclusion issues at a local level.
This session will be conducted as a discussion among the panelists (75%) with designed opportunities for the audience to interact on questions posed by the panel (25%)

Donna M. Stringer, Ph.D.,is  a social psychologist,  and President of Executive Diversity Services, in Seattle, Washington , USA .   Donna has provided cultural consulting and training in 17 countries and published articles on diversity training, cultural issues, gender, values,  and management.  She is a faculty member at the Intercultural Institute.

Joerg Schmitz is Vice President, Strategy and Innovation, for Training Management Corporation (TMC) in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.  He is co-author of Doing Business Internationally; and author of Transcendent Teams, The Cultural Orientations Guide, and  Guide for Inclusive Leaders.  Joerg was educated as a cultural anthropologist in both Germany and the US.

Magda Nowak is Director of Organizational Capability for PepsiCo International.  A native of Poland, Magda has lived and worked in Europe, the United States and is currently located in Hong Kong.  Trained as an attorney, Magda has a strong commitment to developing cultural inclusion throughout PepsiCo International locations and demonstrates this commitment through her work and her personal life.

Presenter(s):  Karen Walch, Denis Leclerc, Joerg Schmitz, Kenneth Price

Presentation Description:  Global interdependence has increased discord, dissonance, and stress for negotiators. The return on investment and behavioral change after most negotiation training and practice has not radically increased negotiation performance or satisfaction.  It has become clearer that negotiation performance requires not only attention to the way negotiators think about negotiation and strategy, but also why they behave and what they feel about power and self-interest.  Current research in the areas of emotional, social and cultural intelligence highlight the need to understand one’s own and others’ emotions and preferences, along with the social competencies required to successfully influence, build alliances, establish rapport, and create sustainable relationships and agreements.          Neuroscience research provides frameworks about how transformation in insight and, then, transformed behavior can increase negotiation effectiveness and satisfaction.  This means that it is critical for negotiators to plan for not only how they think, but also about the way they feel about the cultural preferences that they have. The insight (Win 3) model provides clarity where there was once confusion and hopeful intuition about negotiation leverage and planning. Clarity and insight on self-awareness and self-respect provides a basis for behaviors required in order to listen, acknowledge others, respect, and learn from others.

Karen S. Walch, PhD, Associate Professor and consultant at Thunderbird School of Global Management, has a background in international negotiation, cultural competencies, and sociocentrism and global mindset for 15 years. She has over 30 years of experience in various business and academic contexts, including: insurance, law, tourism, aquaculture, security studies.

Denis Leclerc, Ph.D., Clinical Professor at Thunderbird, School of Global Management, teaches cross-cultural communication and global negotiations. His expertise is in executive communication coaching, negotiation preparation skills, cross-cultural behavioral skills development, cultural differences in negotiation, advancing multicultural team efficiency culture-specific analysis and application improving multicultural awareness in business.

Joerg Schmitz is Vice President, Strategy and Innovation, for Training Management Corporation (TMC) in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.  He is co-author of Doing Business Internationally; and author of Transcendent Teams, The Cultural Orientations Guide, and  Guide for Inclusive Leaders.  Joerg was educated as a cultural anthropologist in both Germany and the US.

Kenneth Price, Ph.D., is Vice President, Client Solutions for TMC.  Ken blends ethnographic research practices with applied business outcomes in his facilitation and consultation practices. He manages designs and implements consulting and training in project effectiveness, global team-building and diversity and inclusion issues. He has lived and worked in India for more than twelve years.

Presenter(s): Edith Coron, Liisa Salo Lee, Mel Petrie

Presentation Description: China is an example of a country where globalization, economic growth, and technological development have induced a dramatic cultural transition. This panel will explore this issue from three perspectives:  global leadership and teamwork in Finnish-Chinese business projects, the influence of new practices and conditions on Chinese society and traditional values, and the power of traditional culture in 21^st century business.
Presenters aim to provide some understanding of both the theoretical constructs and practical application of their research and experience with changes in China. Attention will be given to the question of globalization as the only source of changes Chinese values and the complexity of real-life intercultural communication in an environment that where the simultaneous coexistence of different orientations of values and behaviors appear paradoxical. Some of the key cultural dimensions models in use by interculturalists will be explored from the perspective of what is still valuable and what may need revision. Concrete recommendations for intercultural practitioners will emerge from this exploration.

Edith Coron,  a native of France, is a global leadership and intercultural communication specialist based in Beijing, China. She provides a wide range of international corporations with coaching services and training programs in Global Competencies, Intercultural Awareness, Multicultural Team Building, Multiculturalism and Globalisation and International Mobility Training. She was previously a journalist.

Liisa Salo-Lee, PhD., is professor of communication at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland with extensive living and working experience abroad and has been an invited lecturer at numerous institutions throughout Europe including the Universidad Granada. Her current research interests are intercultural competence, global leadership, and team work.

Mel Petrie has worked and lived in China for most of his professional career, in both government and commercial organizations. He is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, conducts workshops on working in China and has been conducting research on Chinese attitudes, behaviors and communications over the past decade.

Presenter(s):  Marion Keil, Iris Kuhnert, Yandong Xu

Presentation Description: This session will present three ways of dealing with change in corporations as they faced the issues of globalization. The first explores a challenging consulting project as a German company expanded into Slovakia. Applying a systemic consulting approach to an intercultural situation, an attempt was made to produce a positive outcome in a merger that resulted in some downsizing. Second, there is a exploration of the challenges and opportunities for human resources professionals who are faced with competition in obtaining and retaining personnel in Japan. HR must respond to a need for a greater level of development of employees so they can remain actively engaged in obtaining corporate goals. Finally, becoming familiar with the adapted leadership styles in Asia, and finding ways to use this information to develop a more effective business strategy and retain high performers in the region is presented.
This is an opportunity to hear contrasting ways of dealing with globalization in several locations in the world.

Dr. Marion Keil is founder of the consulting company Synetz, management consultants in Germany. A sociologist with a  PhD earned in India,  she has worked in several African countries. She is actively engaged in Change Management, Leadership Development, Strategy Development, Diversity Management, Internationalisation, Large Group Facilitation, Team and Executive Coaching.

Iris Kuhnert is a Japan specialists and founded ICM Consulting in 1995. Iris specializes in executive coaching, team coaching and cross-cultural leadership throughout Europe, Mexico, and the United States, and has extensive experience in Asia. German is her mother-tongue but Iris is fluent in English and Japanese.

Xu Yandong was born in Nanjing, PR China and has lived more than 12 years in Germany, receiving an M.A. in International Business and Culture Studies from the University Passau, Germany. He is a consultant in HR, strategy and intercultural management and is senior vice president and head of Asia Pacific operations for Change International, Ltd.

Presenter(s): Paul Westlake

Presentation Description:  Initiating any intercultural training project can often involve some kind of simulation. "Quite a Problem" offers the trainer/consultant an effective tool for establishing a whole range of criteria pertaining to multicultural team work and problem solving, organisational development, intercultural communication, etc. Its comprehensive but focused format makes it particularly useful for some of the basic challenges relating to globalization.  Content of simulation:  Participants have some information on certain Nordic marketing managers.  Our company is interested in finding out how successful our competitor's  marketing managers were last year. The participants)have to interact in groups and try to solve the problem.
Methodology:  My workshop largely follows the experiential learning theory, i.e. learning from experience. Learning strategies which incorporate experiential learning approaches build upon this concept by providing learners with situations/settings/environments that stimulate the process of experiencing. Experiential learning occurs when a person engages in an activity, reviews the activity critically, abstracts some useful insights from the analysis, and applies the results in a practical situation.
Each workshop participant will receive one free copy of the entire simulation for unrestricted use as well as relevant handouts.

Paul Westlake, Communications trainer - mainly for Finnish companies and universities.  Prolific author; over fifty titles.  Awards include ‘Working English’  -  best European TV language series in 1993. The A-Files - the New Media Prize at the 1999 Bologna Children's Book Fare - 1999 EMMA Award (UK) in the category of Secondary Education.

Presenter(s):  Victor Garza, Jeremy Wong 

Presentation Description:  Being the 3rd largest territory and having the largest population in the world China is home to 56 ethnic groups living and working within 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities and 2 special administrative regions making China, along with India and Mexico, one of the most ethnically, culturally and geopolitical diverse countries in the world.
Beijing, Guangzhou and specially Shanghai are becoming financial and manufacturing centers not only within China but also within the Asia Pacific region drawing China s young and diverse population from less developed geographical areas of China into first and second tier cities located mostly along costal areas which face the Koreas and Japan. Expatriates traveling and living in China are usually not aware of this domestic diversity that may add a challenge into the already complex management formula they face managing their international workforce and teams.
Introducing this diversity and creating awareness on China s domestic cultural, ethnical and geopolitical diversity is a must not only for but managing and functioning well but also to create deeper mutual cultural understanding between expatriates and Chinese as well. Another important factor to consider is the diversity in the categorizing of the Chinese Diaspora and the interactions between Mainland Chinese and this Diaspora.

Victor H. Garza has been living in China since 1997. He has traveled to all regions and provinces within China as a photographer and an intercultural trainer at many local and Fortune 500 companies enhancing intercultural competence on living and working in China. He authored Diversophy s Doing Business with Chinese.

Jeremy Wong is an intercultural trainer in Asia, specializes in training executives in the sales/marketing, engineering and finance roles and also has also been involved in developing multicultural teams.  Jeremy has lived in Hong Kong, Australia, Spain and China. He enjoys traveling and has visited over 35 countries across the globe.

Presenter(s):  Yoshiko Higuchi

Presentation Description: TARAJARY is a simulated training activity using drama method, designed for people who are facing intercultural transition.  In this workshop, participants have an opportunity to explore creative ways dealing with intercultural situations as they engage in fun games of playing together.  With some drama techniques, including a process of warm up, main activities and closing, participants may have intercultural insight quicker, deeper, and safer.

Yoshiko Higuchi, M.A. in Intercultural Relations from McGregor School of Antioch University, has been teaching at International Christian University and at Reitaku University.  She conducts seminars and trainings for international business people and spouses, and is the author of books on cultural transitions and intercultural communication. She is a certified councilor of Japan Mental Health Association; Drama Therapy Education and Research Center in Japan.

Presenter(s):  Giovanni Intilla

Presentation Description:   DIVERSOPHY® is a format created by George Simons as a tool to learn  diverse abilities  using the  power of games . Several DIVERSOPHY® decks have been created for many countries and are used by trainers in different contexts. The Italian game is a part of a more complex system of games for training and teaching cultural awareness.

MAIN POINTS OR KEY CONTENTS

• The participants will have the chance to discover a useful method for training and understanding the intercultural differences.
• The game is designed to develop global and local competences in its players.
• Playing with the Diversophy game the player may achieve the know-how needed to deal successfully  with people of other backgrounds.

DIVERSOPHY® is a card game in which players will...

• discover useful FACTS about Italian culture, business etiquette and way of life
• learn how to SPEAK & ACT when living or working in Italy
• INTERACT with each other's varied background and experiences
• get INSIGHTS and advice from experts about the group they are exploring
• see how they REACT to the risks of living and working in Italy

Giovanni Intilla created Cooperativa sociale GEA Onlus  a Non-profit  enterprise with a  700.000.00 turnover per annum. We employ 70 workers and are active in 20 communes in the province of Viterbo. My responsibilities include planning, organizing, HR management, PR.

Presenter(s): Josef Erbler, Daniela Molzbichler

Presentation Description:  Austria has a long history of religious tolerance stemming from the Austro Hungarian Monarchy in which at the beginning if the last century the different religions of this vast empire were integrated and acknowledged. Based on this tradition in the present most of the world religions have been acknowledged by the Austrian Government. Since the 1950ies there has been an active dialogue between the main religion Christian Catholicity and the world religions on the initiative of Cardinal Franz Koenig.
An active example of dialogue in the present local situation in Austria is introduced. During a simulation game the participants of the workshop can actively experience this interreligious dialogue. A discussion is planned at the end of the workshop; Lecture 40%; Simulation 40%; Discussion 20%

Josef Erbler is director of the Afro-Asian Institute in Salzburg. Psychologist and Theologian. Since 20 years actively involved in practical Interreligious Dialogue in Salzburg, Austria. Member of SIETAR since 1990. One presentation on intercultural living together in Stavanger and two workshops on Interreligious Dialogue in Vienna and Sofia.

Daniela Molzbichler, Daniela Molzbichler, born 1975 in Carinthia (Austria), studied Political Science and Communication Science.  She has been working at the Afro-Asian Institute in Salzburg since 2000 (International Student Support &  Intercultural Management), she gives lectures and workshops at universities and polytechnic colleges in Austria.   Furthermore she is working as a consultant for political parties and NGOs.

Facilitator(s): Francien Wieringa, Kelli McLoud-Schingen, Mieke Janssen-Matthes, Wim Swaan, Susana Gonçalves

Session Description:  This open space is an opportunity for exchange on the E of Education in SIETAR. Globalization does not only lead to increased international exchange in education, it also increases challenges in domestic education, e.g. through increased levels of migration and the heritage of past (forced) migrations and colonial history. Extreme differentiation in access to resources, the role of power, subtle differences in communication and learning styles and social representations across cultural groups have their impact on creating effective education for all.
Important is that in the multi-cultural group pupils learn to cooperate and to gain form diversity. What’s more: not only are these issues challenging in themselves: sometimes, it can also be pretty challenging to talk about them: in our classrooms, in our trainings, with our administrators, and, let’s face it… sometimes also among ourselves. Let’s take the time to share and listen.
The topics are not set in advance; all issues related to aspects of intercultural education are welcome.
We start with an inventory of the issues participants would like to discuss. These issues are brought together in a limited number of focused items, which are discussed in separate groups. At the end we will share the outcomes.

Francien Wieringa is senior trainer/consultant in managing diversity and intercultural communication at Fontys, University of Applied Studies in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and Advisory Board member of SIETAR Europa.

Kelli McLoud-Schingen specializes in Domestic and Global Diversity, Cross-Cultural Communication, Conflict Resolution and Mediation, Teambuilding, Group Dynamics, Organizational Leadership, and NarrativePresentation.  Kelli holds a Master of Arts degree in Cross-Cultural Studies from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Aurora University.

Mieke Janssen-Matthes, ex-Board member and Executive Vice-President of SIETAR International, cofounder of SIETAR Europa, ex-President of SIETAR Europa, Honorary member of SIETAR Europa and SIETAR Nederland, SIETAR International award and SE intercultural life time Award. Director MIJAM Intercultural Praxis.

Wim Swaan, Active member of SIETAR Netherlands, Assistant Professor International Business, and Coordinator Intercultural Training and Development, Maastricht University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

Susana Gonçalves, professora Adjunta Coordenadora do Gabinete de Relações Internacionais, Coordinator for International Affairs Escola Superior de Educação de Coimbra (ESEC) Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra _ College of Education, Praça Heróis do Ultramar - Solum 3030-329 Coimbra Portugal

Facilitators: Sabine Wagner, Heike Pfitzner

Presentation Description: In a world café we can easily share insights & learning, tap into collective wisdom, allowing new possibilities to emerge.
Our purpose is to combine the collective experiences from participating in different workshops, generate space for reflection, to discuss burning questions and initiate the exchange of our experiences from the whole congress.
We start evoking curiosity, support creativity, inspire to share freely insights of different cultural behavior, we form a platform for everyone to contribute, set the scene to network, open out and expand innovative ideas and have lots of fun!
We arrange several small group discussions sitting on different coffee tables each for about 15 minutes. The results of each group discussion will be written on the paper table cloth and will be shared afterwards in the whole group. A new round starts with a new question when participants move from one table to the next. At the end all participants will have knowledge about what was going on in workshops where they even haven’t participated.

Over the years Sabine Wagner has international experience in designing, developing and facilitating a wide range of effective management trainings & seminars, she implements change processes and is skilled in moderating & organizing events.  She specializes in culture specific trainings for USA and GB. She is SIETAR Deutschland board member.

Dr. Heike Pfitzner has international experience in designing, developing and facilitating a wide range of effective management seminars. She specializes in supporting organizations in Russia: Leadership-programs, personnel development, team building in Joint Ventures, Train the trainer (Russian inhouse) / Change projects. For Sietar Deutschland Forum she moderated the podium discussion.