American Culture Training
Communicating effectively with Americans requires (1) a good knowledge of the subject matter, (2) English skills that reflect an understandable accent, and (3) knowledge of how to say what is being said. This third element is where your employees need an understanding of how Americans think and behave. We call this "cultural sensitivity."
What is Culture?
Everyone carries "rules for good and right" behavior in their heads. An example of the rules for your group is found in something as simple as a discussion. When two people talk to each other, there are expected behaviors, for example, the distance that they are apart and the amount of eye contact. These rules are not written down, but everyone knows them.
When someone does not follow the rules, the other person notices it immediately and usually thinks that something is wrong. For example:
"Oh, he is standing so close to me that it makes me uncomfortable. Is he trying to dominate me?"
These rules guide the behavior of each person in the group. The rules come from the basic assumptions that the group makes about (1) how people interact with each other, (2) how they deal with the world about them, and (3) how they use time. Although each individual is unique, people from one group (or country) have a common set of rules or assumptions.
When you meet someone from a different group (country), you often find that they behave differently than what you expect. You find that, when the behaviors of one group are compared to those of another group, there are often differences. These differences are called cultural differences and are the source of most of the problems between peoples of different groups.
How Does ALTA's Cultural Training Work?
ALTA's cultural training is aimed at giving each employee an understanding of how Americans think and behave in situations where communications occur.
The cultural training involves building a model of the similarities and differences between behaviors of Americans and people of the home country (e.g. India) across eleven different dimensions. These dimensions form the basis of a methodology for characterizing a culture. Two examples of dimensions are Individualism versus Group or Formality versus Informality.
Once the students understand the models of the behaviors of both the Americans and people of the home country, sample situations are created that show the differences. This role-play reinforces understanding of the differences. Practical application of the model to realistic situations builds both confidence and competence in communicating effectively with Americans.
Support Materials
ALTA provides online support materials to the student. The support materials focus on the model of differences and examples of practical applications of the model.
