Language Corner
By Misdi, S.Pd., M.Pd.
Parallelism in Writing
Many sentences present information in a series or list. The series may have two, three, or more parts that all have the same grammatical structure. This is known as parallel structure.
Strategy : Make sure that words in a sequence have the same form.
See
Nouns : Vitamin C is destroyed by beat, storage, or exposure to air.
Verbs : There is evidence that vitamin C prevents heart disease, speeds wound healing, and helps gum disease.
Phrases : Large amounts of vitamin C can be bought in the form of crystal, or in the form of granules.
Infinitive : When people get scurvy their cells tend to disintegrate and to fall apart.
Gerunds : Magazines are needed in reducing stress and improving knowledge about the world.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Speaking_Conversation2
Introduction
In modern English, presentations tend to be much less formal than they were even twenty years ago. Most audience these days prefer a relatively informal approach. However, there is a certain structure to the opening of a presentation.
The presentation, especially in teaching and learning circumstances, should consider the condition of the students as well as the topics since they are the audience that they need to be respected and appreciated.
It is important to keep the presentation-not language teaching, to stress that this paper will give the main key in presenting the ideas.
One Thing: Practice
It is now arguable that speaking needs a perfect grammatical structure because somehow speaking is lying under practice circumstances. It is sometimes easy for people but not for others.
Take for instance, other may enjoy his speech over the audience and on the other hand, it is however not as simple as the first if the inexperienced one does. The experience one will see that the stage is “there” and it will not go anywhere. The problem then is the inexperienced one. What should be done to get the experience? Is there any tips or tactics?
And in addition, in my experience, the answer must be ‘yes”. We can do what other people do instead of perfectness. It must be seen that the tips will helpful in setting ones’ mind not to be worry or alike. At first, to think theory seriously will give negative effect, even if harder does the one try.
It should be in coined that the theory does less than ten percent in setting the mind on. It is important to keep in mind that the theory and practice will give a hundred percent contribution in establishment of the mindset. Therefore, tips tend to be essential here. The tips are 1) get people's attention, 2) welcome them, 3) introduce yourself, 4) state the purpose of your presentation , and 5) state how you want to deal with questions.
Practice makes perfect. And it is now time to introduce some utterances that are usually taken during the presentation. It is strongly suggested that practice is done daily and continuously, instead of incidental case.
The followings are excellence of formulae expressions in which they are normally applied during the presentation. The utterances are fixed. It is, however possible to get some modification instead of unsuitable manner. But so fat, no matter was found during the discussion.
The structures have been modified and classified in certain ways:
1. Get people's attention
· If I could have everybody's attention.
· If we can start.
· Perhaps we should begin?
· Let's get started.
2. Welcome them
· Welcome to our new class.
· Thank you for coming today.
· Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
· On behalf of Indonesian discipline, I'd like to welcome you.
3. Introduce yourself
· My name's Misdi Sukirno. I'm responsible for your class.
· For those of you who don't know me, my name's Tia Ivansa.
· As you know, I'm in charge of public relations.
· I'm the new prose teacher.
4. State the purpose of your presentation
· This morning I'd like to present our new topics.
· Today I'd like to discuss our failures in the Indonesian language test and suggest a new approach.
· This afternoon, I'd like to report on my study into the German language.
· What I want to do this morning is to talk to you about our new mobile telephone system.
· What I want to do is to tell you about our successes and failures in introducing new working patterns.
· What I want to do is to show you how we've made our first successful steps in the potentially huge Chinese market.
5. State how you want to deal with questions.
· If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them as we go along.
· Feel free to ask any questions.
· Perhaps we can leave any questions you have until the end?
· There will be plenty of time for questions at the end.
Of course, these are only suggestions and other language is possible, as stated or implied at the first. Even within this limited group of phrases, just choose a few you feel comfortable with and learn and use those.
Signposting: the Structure of Speech
When someone is giving a presentation, there are certain key words that are used to ’signpost’ different stages in our presentation. These words are not difficult to learn but it is absolutely essential to memorize them and can use them when the speakers are under pressure giving a presentation.
The difficult situations are still possible recounted in several tactics. The tactics are:
1. When you want to make your next point, you ‘move on’.
Moving on to the next point.
I’d like to move on to the next point if there are no further questions
2. When you want to change to a completely different topic, you ‘turn to’.
I’d like to turn to something completely different.
Let’s turn now to our plans for next year.
3. When you want to give more details about a topic you ‘expand’ or ‘elaborate’.
I’d like to expand more on this problem we have had in Sidoarjo.
Would you like me to expand a little more on that or have you understood enough?
I don’t want to elaborate any more on that as I’m short of time.
4. When you want to talk about something which is off the topic of your presentation, you ‘digress’.
I’d like to digress here for a moment and just say a word of thanks to Dian for organizing this meeting.
Digressing for a moment, I’d like to say a few words about our problems in Sidoarjo.
5. When you want to refer back to an earlier point, you ‘go back’.
Going back to something I said earlier, the situation in Sidoarjo is serious.
I’d like to go back to something Tina said in her presentation.
6. To just give the outline of a point, you ’summarize’.
If I could just summarize a few points from Group 3’s report.
I don’t have a lot of time left so I’m going to summarize the next few points.
7. To repeat the main points of what you have said, you ‘recap’.
I’d like to quickly recap the main points of my presentation.
Recapping quickly on what was said before lunch,……
8. For your final remarks, you ‘conclude’.
I’d like to conclude by leaving you with this thought ……
If I may conclude by quoting Karl Marx …….
Survival Language: Lost?
There are many ways to cover the incorrect spelling or mistakes during the presentation. Some tactics are now written bellow.
1. If you get your facts wrong.
· I am terribly sorry. What I meant to say was this.
· Sorry. What I meant is this.
2. If you have been going too fast and your audience is having trouble keeping up with you.
· Let me just recap on that.
· I want to recap briefly on what I have been saying.
3. If you have forgotten to make a point.
· Sorry, I should just mention one other thing.
· If I can just go back to the previous point, there is something else that I forgot to mention.
4. If you have been too complicated and want to simplify what you said.
· So, basically, what I am saying is this.
· So, basically, the point I am trying to get across is this.
5. If you realize that what you are saying makes no sense.
· Sorry, perhaps I did not make that quite clear.
· Let me rephrase that to make it quite clear.
6. If you cannot remember the term in English.
· Sorry, what is the word I am looking for?
· Sorry, my mind has gone blank. How do you say 'mamamia' in English?
7. If you are short of time.
· So just to give you the main points.
· As we are short of time, this is just a quick summary of the main points.
8. A Friendly Face
· When you stand up in front of that audience, you’re going to be really nervous.
· Poor speakers pay little or no attention to their audience as people. Big mistake.
· If you can see your audience as a group of individuals, you’ll be much more likely to connect with those individuals.
· Start looking around your audience. See that big guy with his arms folded and an ‘impress me’ look on his face? Best not to look at him too much.
How about that lady with the big smile, looking encouragingly towards you? OK, that’s your mother, she doesn’t count. But that other lady with a similar smile is someone you don’t know. But from now on she’s your ‘friend’. Every time that you need any encouragement, look in her direction. Make good eye contact. Establish a form of communication between you.
· And now you’ve found one ‘friend’, you’ll begin to see others in the audience. Pick out ‘friends’ all round the room. If you see an ‘impress me’ person and get discouraged, switch your view back to one of your ‘friends’.
· Once you are aware that there are people in your audience who want you to succeed, you’ll be much more likely to succeed.
Instead of the unfriendly conditions mentioned, there are also impotant to keep and handle in mind. The difficulties somehow arise unpredictly but it is really matter. Those are:
1. Microphones
· Microphones can be a real problem. Very few of us use them frequently and so, when we have to talk into them in an already nervous state, we can easily make elementary mistakes.
· As a general rule, try to speak more clearly when you are using a microphone. (It will probably help if you speak a bit more slowly.)
· If you have a free-standing mike, step back from it a bit. This will enable you to speak louder and to vary your tone and inflection. If you are too close, your voice will sound monotonous and your audience will fall asleep.
· Don’t turn your head away from the microphone while you are speaking. But do turn it away if you cough or sneeze!
· Any little movement you make, such as shuffling your papers, will be amplified by the mike. Cut out the nervous gestures!
· If you are wearing a clip-on mike, make sure it is not rubbing up against some clothing or jewellery. The noise this makes could ruin your presentation.
· If you have a radio-mike, make sure it is switched on when you are presenting and switched off at all other times. This particularly applies when you go to the restroom!
2. Dealing with Nerves
· Almost everybody is nervous when they stand up to speak. There’s no shame in being nervous. However, if you are too nervous, your anxiety will spread to your audience, making them nervous in turn.
· So how can you stop yourself from feeling too nervous? Here are a few tips.
a. Don’t get hung up about being nervous. It’s a normal human reaction. Don’t make yourself more nervous because you’re nervous.
b. Walk off your excessive nervousness. If possible, walk outside and get some fresh air at the same time. But a walk down the corridor is better than no walk.
c. Don’t let your legs go to sleep. Keep the blood supply moving. Keep both feet on the floor and lean forward. Wiggle your toes. If you can stand up without disturbing anybody, do so.
d. Work your wrists, arms and shoulders to get the tension out of them. Gentle movements, not a major workout, will remove that tension.
e. Work your jaw. Gentle side-to-side or circular motion will help to loosen it.
f. Repeat positive affirmations quietly to yourself. “I am a good presenter.” It may seem corny but it works.
g. Above all, breathe deeply. Make sure your stomach is going out when you breathe in.
· Don’t be self-conscious about these warm-up activities. Most good speakers do them. Most people won’t even notice that you are doing them. They’re here to hear you speak, they’re not interested in what you do when you are not in the limelight.
Stand Up: Behave Well
I don’t think you’re going to like today’s point. I don’t like it very much myself but it’s got to be done. For most purposes, when you give a presentation you should stand. Not clutching the back of your chair for support, not leaning against the podium but two feet on the floor facing your audience.
There are times when sitting is right. When it’s an informal discussion, for example, where everybody is to contribute. But most of the time you need to stand.
· You can move around the room. This has the simple effect that people will look at you, not shut their eyes and drift off
· You can make eye contact with everybody
· You can reach all your props and teaching material easily
· You’re involving your whole body in the presentation. Many people think this makes it more memorable.
· You’re sending out the signal to the participants that ‘this will be short’. Only a few self-obsessed people stand up in front of audiences for longer than they need to. And you’re not one of those, are you?
The worst part of standing up is the actual standing up. Most people don’t feel at ease as they get out of their chair and walk forward to their speaking position. Here are a couple of tips.
· As you’re waiting, keep your feet flat on the floor. Don’t have them crossed. Trust me, getting up and walking will be so much easier.
· Decide in advance where you are going to stand. Focus on that spot
· Walk forward briskly and confidently.
Stating the Purpose: How to Appreciate the Audience
It is important to state your purpose clearly at the beginning of your talk. Here are some ways to do this:
talk about = to speak about a subject
· Today I'd like to talk about our plans for the new site.
· I'm going to be talking to you about the results of our survey.
report on = to tell you about what has been done.
· I'm going to be reporting on our results last quarter.
· Today I will be reporting on the progress we have made since our last meeting.
take a look at = to examine
· First, let's take a look at what we have achieved so far.
· Before we go on to the figures, I'd like to take a look at the changes we have made.
tell you about = to speak to someone to give them information or instructions
· First, I will tell you about the present situation, then go onto what we are going to do.
· When I have finished, Jack will then tell you about what is happening in Europe.
show = to explain something by doing it or by giving instructions.
· The object of this morning's talk is to show you how to put the theory into practice.
· Today I'm going to show you how to get the most out of the new software.
outline = to give the main facts or information about something.
· I'd like to outline the new policy and give you some practical examples.
· I will only give you a brief outline and explain how it affects you.
fill you in on = to give some extra or missing information
· I'd like to quickly fill you in on what has happened.
· When I have finished outlining the policy, Jerry will fill you in on what we want you to do.
give an overview of = to give a short description with general information but no details.
· Firstly, I would like to give you a brief overview of the situation.
· I'll give you an overview of our objectives and then hand over to Peter for more details.
highlight = draw attention to or emphasize the important fact or facts.
· The results highlight our strengths and our weaknesses.
· I'd now like to go on to highlight some of the advantages that these changes will bring.
discuss = to talk about ideas or opinions on a subject in more detail.
o I'm now going to go on to discuss our options in more detail.
o After a brief overview of the results, I'd like to discuss the implications in more detail.
Further Discuss
Even if the structures are well-displayed above, nonetheless people are still nerve unless they try for once. The chance to practice a quite often will give more time to get more experiences for being perfects.
Never do we forget out colleagues to be informal audiences. It will work; however, a good reviewer comes to see. Small practice will gain small impact and less trial will earn less effect. So, do the more ones result more advances.
In modern English, presentations tend to be much less formal than they were even twenty years ago. Most audience these days prefer a relatively informal approach. However, there is a certain structure to the opening of a presentation.
The presentation, especially in teaching and learning circumstances, should consider the condition of the students as well as the topics since they are the audience that they need to be respected and appreciated.
It is important to keep the presentation-not language teaching, to stress that this paper will give the main key in presenting the ideas.
One Thing: Practice
It is now arguable that speaking needs a perfect grammatical structure because somehow speaking is lying under practice circumstances. It is sometimes easy for people but not for others.
Take for instance, other may enjoy his speech over the audience and on the other hand, it is however not as simple as the first if the inexperienced one does. The experience one will see that the stage is “there” and it will not go anywhere. The problem then is the inexperienced one. What should be done to get the experience? Is there any tips or tactics?
And in addition, in my experience, the answer must be ‘yes”. We can do what other people do instead of perfectness. It must be seen that the tips will helpful in setting ones’ mind not to be worry or alike. At first, to think theory seriously will give negative effect, even if harder does the one try.
It should be in coined that the theory does less than ten percent in setting the mind on. It is important to keep in mind that the theory and practice will give a hundred percent contribution in establishment of the mindset. Therefore, tips tend to be essential here. The tips are 1) get people's attention, 2) welcome them, 3) introduce yourself, 4) state the purpose of your presentation , and 5) state how you want to deal with questions.
Practice makes perfect. And it is now time to introduce some utterances that are usually taken during the presentation. It is strongly suggested that practice is done daily and continuously, instead of incidental case.
The followings are excellence of formulae expressions in which they are normally applied during the presentation. The utterances are fixed. It is, however possible to get some modification instead of unsuitable manner. But so fat, no matter was found during the discussion.
The structures have been modified and classified in certain ways:
1. Get people's attention
· If I could have everybody's attention.
· If we can start.
· Perhaps we should begin?
· Let's get started.
2. Welcome them
· Welcome to our new class.
· Thank you for coming today.
· Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
· On behalf of Indonesian discipline, I'd like to welcome you.
3. Introduce yourself
· My name's Misdi Sukirno. I'm responsible for your class.
· For those of you who don't know me, my name's Tia Ivansa.
· As you know, I'm in charge of public relations.
· I'm the new prose teacher.
4. State the purpose of your presentation
· This morning I'd like to present our new topics.
· Today I'd like to discuss our failures in the Indonesian language test and suggest a new approach.
· This afternoon, I'd like to report on my study into the German language.
· What I want to do this morning is to talk to you about our new mobile telephone system.
· What I want to do is to tell you about our successes and failures in introducing new working patterns.
· What I want to do is to show you how we've made our first successful steps in the potentially huge Chinese market.
5. State how you want to deal with questions.
· If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them as we go along.
· Feel free to ask any questions.
· Perhaps we can leave any questions you have until the end?
· There will be plenty of time for questions at the end.
Of course, these are only suggestions and other language is possible, as stated or implied at the first. Even within this limited group of phrases, just choose a few you feel comfortable with and learn and use those.
Signposting: the Structure of Speech
When someone is giving a presentation, there are certain key words that are used to ’signpost’ different stages in our presentation. These words are not difficult to learn but it is absolutely essential to memorize them and can use them when the speakers are under pressure giving a presentation.
The difficult situations are still possible recounted in several tactics. The tactics are:
1. When you want to make your next point, you ‘move on’.
Moving on to the next point.
I’d like to move on to the next point if there are no further questions
2. When you want to change to a completely different topic, you ‘turn to’.
I’d like to turn to something completely different.
Let’s turn now to our plans for next year.
3. When you want to give more details about a topic you ‘expand’ or ‘elaborate’.
I’d like to expand more on this problem we have had in Sidoarjo.
Would you like me to expand a little more on that or have you understood enough?
I don’t want to elaborate any more on that as I’m short of time.
4. When you want to talk about something which is off the topic of your presentation, you ‘digress’.
I’d like to digress here for a moment and just say a word of thanks to Dian for organizing this meeting.
Digressing for a moment, I’d like to say a few words about our problems in Sidoarjo.
5. When you want to refer back to an earlier point, you ‘go back’.
Going back to something I said earlier, the situation in Sidoarjo is serious.
I’d like to go back to something Tina said in her presentation.
6. To just give the outline of a point, you ’summarize’.
If I could just summarize a few points from Group 3’s report.
I don’t have a lot of time left so I’m going to summarize the next few points.
7. To repeat the main points of what you have said, you ‘recap’.
I’d like to quickly recap the main points of my presentation.
Recapping quickly on what was said before lunch,……
8. For your final remarks, you ‘conclude’.
I’d like to conclude by leaving you with this thought ……
If I may conclude by quoting Karl Marx …….
Survival Language: Lost?
There are many ways to cover the incorrect spelling or mistakes during the presentation. Some tactics are now written bellow.
1. If you get your facts wrong.
· I am terribly sorry. What I meant to say was this.
· Sorry. What I meant is this.
2. If you have been going too fast and your audience is having trouble keeping up with you.
· Let me just recap on that.
· I want to recap briefly on what I have been saying.
3. If you have forgotten to make a point.
· Sorry, I should just mention one other thing.
· If I can just go back to the previous point, there is something else that I forgot to mention.
4. If you have been too complicated and want to simplify what you said.
· So, basically, what I am saying is this.
· So, basically, the point I am trying to get across is this.
5. If you realize that what you are saying makes no sense.
· Sorry, perhaps I did not make that quite clear.
· Let me rephrase that to make it quite clear.
6. If you cannot remember the term in English.
· Sorry, what is the word I am looking for?
· Sorry, my mind has gone blank. How do you say 'mamamia' in English?
7. If you are short of time.
· So just to give you the main points.
· As we are short of time, this is just a quick summary of the main points.
8. A Friendly Face
· When you stand up in front of that audience, you’re going to be really nervous.
· Poor speakers pay little or no attention to their audience as people. Big mistake.
· If you can see your audience as a group of individuals, you’ll be much more likely to connect with those individuals.
· Start looking around your audience. See that big guy with his arms folded and an ‘impress me’ look on his face? Best not to look at him too much.
How about that lady with the big smile, looking encouragingly towards you? OK, that’s your mother, she doesn’t count. But that other lady with a similar smile is someone you don’t know. But from now on she’s your ‘friend’. Every time that you need any encouragement, look in her direction. Make good eye contact. Establish a form of communication between you.
· And now you’ve found one ‘friend’, you’ll begin to see others in the audience. Pick out ‘friends’ all round the room. If you see an ‘impress me’ person and get discouraged, switch your view back to one of your ‘friends’.
· Once you are aware that there are people in your audience who want you to succeed, you’ll be much more likely to succeed.
Instead of the unfriendly conditions mentioned, there are also impotant to keep and handle in mind. The difficulties somehow arise unpredictly but it is really matter. Those are:
1. Microphones
· Microphones can be a real problem. Very few of us use them frequently and so, when we have to talk into them in an already nervous state, we can easily make elementary mistakes.
· As a general rule, try to speak more clearly when you are using a microphone. (It will probably help if you speak a bit more slowly.)
· If you have a free-standing mike, step back from it a bit. This will enable you to speak louder and to vary your tone and inflection. If you are too close, your voice will sound monotonous and your audience will fall asleep.
· Don’t turn your head away from the microphone while you are speaking. But do turn it away if you cough or sneeze!
· Any little movement you make, such as shuffling your papers, will be amplified by the mike. Cut out the nervous gestures!
· If you are wearing a clip-on mike, make sure it is not rubbing up against some clothing or jewellery. The noise this makes could ruin your presentation.
· If you have a radio-mike, make sure it is switched on when you are presenting and switched off at all other times. This particularly applies when you go to the restroom!
2. Dealing with Nerves
· Almost everybody is nervous when they stand up to speak. There’s no shame in being nervous. However, if you are too nervous, your anxiety will spread to your audience, making them nervous in turn.
· So how can you stop yourself from feeling too nervous? Here are a few tips.
a. Don’t get hung up about being nervous. It’s a normal human reaction. Don’t make yourself more nervous because you’re nervous.
b. Walk off your excessive nervousness. If possible, walk outside and get some fresh air at the same time. But a walk down the corridor is better than no walk.
c. Don’t let your legs go to sleep. Keep the blood supply moving. Keep both feet on the floor and lean forward. Wiggle your toes. If you can stand up without disturbing anybody, do so.
d. Work your wrists, arms and shoulders to get the tension out of them. Gentle movements, not a major workout, will remove that tension.
e. Work your jaw. Gentle side-to-side or circular motion will help to loosen it.
f. Repeat positive affirmations quietly to yourself. “I am a good presenter.” It may seem corny but it works.
g. Above all, breathe deeply. Make sure your stomach is going out when you breathe in.
· Don’t be self-conscious about these warm-up activities. Most good speakers do them. Most people won’t even notice that you are doing them. They’re here to hear you speak, they’re not interested in what you do when you are not in the limelight.
Stand Up: Behave Well
I don’t think you’re going to like today’s point. I don’t like it very much myself but it’s got to be done. For most purposes, when you give a presentation you should stand. Not clutching the back of your chair for support, not leaning against the podium but two feet on the floor facing your audience.
There are times when sitting is right. When it’s an informal discussion, for example, where everybody is to contribute. But most of the time you need to stand.
· You can move around the room. This has the simple effect that people will look at you, not shut their eyes and drift off
· You can make eye contact with everybody
· You can reach all your props and teaching material easily
· You’re involving your whole body in the presentation. Many people think this makes it more memorable.
· You’re sending out the signal to the participants that ‘this will be short’. Only a few self-obsessed people stand up in front of audiences for longer than they need to. And you’re not one of those, are you?
The worst part of standing up is the actual standing up. Most people don’t feel at ease as they get out of their chair and walk forward to their speaking position. Here are a couple of tips.
· As you’re waiting, keep your feet flat on the floor. Don’t have them crossed. Trust me, getting up and walking will be so much easier.
· Decide in advance where you are going to stand. Focus on that spot
· Walk forward briskly and confidently.
Stating the Purpose: How to Appreciate the Audience
It is important to state your purpose clearly at the beginning of your talk. Here are some ways to do this:
talk about = to speak about a subject
· Today I'd like to talk about our plans for the new site.
· I'm going to be talking to you about the results of our survey.
report on = to tell you about what has been done.
· I'm going to be reporting on our results last quarter.
· Today I will be reporting on the progress we have made since our last meeting.
take a look at = to examine
· First, let's take a look at what we have achieved so far.
· Before we go on to the figures, I'd like to take a look at the changes we have made.
tell you about = to speak to someone to give them information or instructions
· First, I will tell you about the present situation, then go onto what we are going to do.
· When I have finished, Jack will then tell you about what is happening in Europe.
show = to explain something by doing it or by giving instructions.
· The object of this morning's talk is to show you how to put the theory into practice.
· Today I'm going to show you how to get the most out of the new software.
outline = to give the main facts or information about something.
· I'd like to outline the new policy and give you some practical examples.
· I will only give you a brief outline and explain how it affects you.
fill you in on = to give some extra or missing information
· I'd like to quickly fill you in on what has happened.
· When I have finished outlining the policy, Jerry will fill you in on what we want you to do.
give an overview of = to give a short description with general information but no details.
· Firstly, I would like to give you a brief overview of the situation.
· I'll give you an overview of our objectives and then hand over to Peter for more details.
highlight = draw attention to or emphasize the important fact or facts.
· The results highlight our strengths and our weaknesses.
· I'd now like to go on to highlight some of the advantages that these changes will bring.
discuss = to talk about ideas or opinions on a subject in more detail.
o I'm now going to go on to discuss our options in more detail.
o After a brief overview of the results, I'd like to discuss the implications in more detail.
Further Discuss
Even if the structures are well-displayed above, nonetheless people are still nerve unless they try for once. The chance to practice a quite often will give more time to get more experiences for being perfects.
Never do we forget out colleagues to be informal audiences. It will work; however, a good reviewer comes to see. Small practice will gain small impact and less trial will earn less effect. So, do the more ones result more advances.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Translation I
Instruction:
Read the article taken from ©2006 New Directions Consulting, Inc. written by By Deborah Mackin, and then DO summarize the messages in Bahasa Indonesia (translate the summary into Bahasa Indonesia), and after that your summary should be sent to: misdiivan@yahoomail.com
How to increase our cultural intelligence and improve our ability to relate to others?
Step One: Become aware of your own cultural style.
There is a tendency to look only at the “good things” in our own cultures. When I ask people in training to write down what they hear people say about different cultures (Canada, America, and France, for example), they will list good things about their own culture, and bad things about the other cultures. So it’s important to identify various aspects based on the five dimensions discussed earlier. Many people are a combination of various cultures ranging from their mother tongue to the new cultures they have adopted as they’ve moved around the globe. There may be aspects of multiple cultures in how they think and respond. For example, a Chinese Canadian may have an interesting blend of cultural characteristics.
Step Two: Know the facts about the cultures you most commonly relate to.
There is a difference between studying another culture and the generalizations that have been identified through research and listening to negative stereotypes that others suggest about a culture. Knowing the facts means doing your homework on the cultural characteristics. It helps to learn a bit of the language and study how closely to stand and other nonverbal behaviors. For example, the French like to stand very close to each other and touch, whereas North Americans keep a greater distance. It’s also helpful to know how the culture responds on the five dimensions and to know how your own cultural style compares with others. For example, North Americans enjoy brainstorming ideas when confronted with problems. The French, on the other hand, have very little experience brainstorming because that is not the way they were taught in school. So, when planning a meeting of the two groups, it would put the French at a disadvantage if brainstorming was an activity for the whole group. Instead, it would be better to hold general discussions — which is common to both — and build on the ideas coming forth.
Step Three: Identify ways to modify your behaviors appropriate to the other culture.
If you are typically task-oriented, begin an email with a bit of chitchat to build the relationship first. If you like a timed agenda, add in more flexibility around time in order to accommodate the different culture. Use a bit of the other culture’s language in correspondence and be sensitive to the time it takes for another culture to translate what you are saying before they can even participate in the activity you are asking them to perform. It’s also important to speak slowly and avoid using slang in your sentences.
Step Four: Respond to the other culture using your modified behavior.
Similar to emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence suggests that after you have a good understanding of your own self, you develop social awareness of the other culture and then begin to manage it more effectively. Usually this requires some proactive thinking about the situations you will encounter before you get there. For example, if your cross-cultural team is going to try to reach a decision about something, it will be important to make sure that all cultural approaches are represented. For example, the French often begin from a “Non” or “C’est impossible” position and then slowly move toward “yes” and “I guess that will be possible.” Americans often do the opposite; they start by thinking that anything is possible, make a quick decision, and then adjust it numerous times after the fact. Finding an accommodation that works for both will be much better than trying to push or pull either group. It’s okay to highlight these differences, as it helps to improve understanding and communication. The process of increasing your cultural awareness is just that, a process. As a result, it will often feel like two steps forward and one step back. However, with the right attitude, it can be fascinating to work to understand the different cultures you encounter and
practice new ways to get along. This may be as simple as practicing how and what to write in an email or the more complex requirements of a difficult negotiation. This work will require personal characteristics of empathy, tolerance for ambiguity, flexibility, openmindedness, and an outgoing personality. Those who take the plunge and make the effort to talk with and explore other cultures will always be more successful — even with a few mistakes — than those who hold back to avoid feeling uncomfortable.
Read the article taken from ©2006 New Directions Consulting, Inc. written by By Deborah Mackin, and then DO summarize the messages in Bahasa Indonesia (translate the summary into Bahasa Indonesia), and after that your summary should be sent to: misdiivan@yahoomail.com
How to increase our cultural intelligence and improve our ability to relate to others?
Step One: Become aware of your own cultural style.
There is a tendency to look only at the “good things” in our own cultures. When I ask people in training to write down what they hear people say about different cultures (Canada, America, and France, for example), they will list good things about their own culture, and bad things about the other cultures. So it’s important to identify various aspects based on the five dimensions discussed earlier. Many people are a combination of various cultures ranging from their mother tongue to the new cultures they have adopted as they’ve moved around the globe. There may be aspects of multiple cultures in how they think and respond. For example, a Chinese Canadian may have an interesting blend of cultural characteristics.
Step Two: Know the facts about the cultures you most commonly relate to.
There is a difference between studying another culture and the generalizations that have been identified through research and listening to negative stereotypes that others suggest about a culture. Knowing the facts means doing your homework on the cultural characteristics. It helps to learn a bit of the language and study how closely to stand and other nonverbal behaviors. For example, the French like to stand very close to each other and touch, whereas North Americans keep a greater distance. It’s also helpful to know how the culture responds on the five dimensions and to know how your own cultural style compares with others. For example, North Americans enjoy brainstorming ideas when confronted with problems. The French, on the other hand, have very little experience brainstorming because that is not the way they were taught in school. So, when planning a meeting of the two groups, it would put the French at a disadvantage if brainstorming was an activity for the whole group. Instead, it would be better to hold general discussions — which is common to both — and build on the ideas coming forth.
Step Three: Identify ways to modify your behaviors appropriate to the other culture.
If you are typically task-oriented, begin an email with a bit of chitchat to build the relationship first. If you like a timed agenda, add in more flexibility around time in order to accommodate the different culture. Use a bit of the other culture’s language in correspondence and be sensitive to the time it takes for another culture to translate what you are saying before they can even participate in the activity you are asking them to perform. It’s also important to speak slowly and avoid using slang in your sentences.
Step Four: Respond to the other culture using your modified behavior.
Similar to emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence suggests that after you have a good understanding of your own self, you develop social awareness of the other culture and then begin to manage it more effectively. Usually this requires some proactive thinking about the situations you will encounter before you get there. For example, if your cross-cultural team is going to try to reach a decision about something, it will be important to make sure that all cultural approaches are represented. For example, the French often begin from a “Non” or “C’est impossible” position and then slowly move toward “yes” and “I guess that will be possible.” Americans often do the opposite; they start by thinking that anything is possible, make a quick decision, and then adjust it numerous times after the fact. Finding an accommodation that works for both will be much better than trying to push or pull either group. It’s okay to highlight these differences, as it helps to improve understanding and communication. The process of increasing your cultural awareness is just that, a process. As a result, it will often feel like two steps forward and one step back. However, with the right attitude, it can be fascinating to work to understand the different cultures you encounter and
practice new ways to get along. This may be as simple as practicing how and what to write in an email or the more complex requirements of a difficult negotiation. This work will require personal characteristics of empathy, tolerance for ambiguity, flexibility, openmindedness, and an outgoing personality. Those who take the plunge and make the effort to talk with and explore other cultures will always be more successful — even with a few mistakes — than those who hold back to avoid feeling uncomfortable.
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