Page 9 - 4126

deliver a “bottom-line” presentation, elaborating her marketing
strategy starting off from a single point, with only a few
illustrative graphics.
 Use your voice to create enthusiasm and interest. Project
confidence in your body language. Caitlin was excellent at this.
She had been a talented actress in college, a natural at making
grand gestures and effusive speeches.
 Hone your rhetoric skills. Since Caitlin loved talking about the
Yankees, she kept using baseball idioms to create an extended
metaphor and make it more entertaining.
 Give your audience the opportunity to react and ask questions
during a discussion round.

CROSS-CULTURAL TRAINING FOR
PRESENTATIONS: PITFALLS

After delivering the presentation to people from Germany, Japan, and
Norway, however, Caitlin felt disappointed and insecure. Maybe she
should have taken that cross-cultural training. Perhaps cross-cultural
training would have prepared her for this:

The Japanese smiled at the mention of the Yankees, but then put their
heads on their folded arms, not even listening properly. The
Norwegians looked uncomfortable during the most emotional
moments of Caitlin’s dramaturgy; one woman mouthed “flashy
Americans” to her German neighbor. The Germans said they weren’t
convinced by the message of Caitlin’s presentation – it lacked the data
to back it up. One of them attacked Caitlin rudely afterwards: “Don’t
take it personally,” he said, “but not having the sales figures from the
last six months is more than an oversight. It’s downright neglectful!”

Caitlin just wanted to get back to her hotel room. Or crack open a
book or two on cross-cultural training. What on earth had gone wrong?
Could cross-cultural training have avoided this failure? While Caitlin
is fictional, and so is her presentation, the examples are quite real.
They are drawn from real-life occurrences in cross-cultural training

9