Notes from Table VII:
Solutions to address different frames of reference:
Humor can be lost through language, generational, and other cultural divides, which impact etiquette, protocol, and grammar.
Would most people in the general population understand some of the jokes we laughed at during the Richard Lederer talk?
Is listening to popular culture the window onto our civilization? But there are parts of our culture, which are not of interest to other cultures.
There is commonality, especially in the young. For example; 7th-graders who love Shakespeare—universality? But one thing doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.
What do we want to pass to the next generation through narrative?
How do we implement listening and bridging the gap?
Modeling gap-bridging behavior for students:
• emotional-intelligence awareness; soft-skill learning/training
• ability to decode or understand different contexts
• ask questions of students to encourage them to think for themselves
• teaching students social skills for business and networking
• classical rhetorical appeals: ethos pathos logos AUDIENCE!!!
• Me-centered students—what kind of training will prepare them to see beyond themselves?
How do employees or students acquire the skills they need to have? How do they know how to be adaptable within that?
Mentorship and orientation are similar and have important roles to play both in the workplace for new hires as well as for students in a university.
The use of simulations, role-play can help with the ability to read other people, an extremely important skill.
Also emotional intelligence, psychology or counseling; Let students or employees self-evaluate so they can see where the breakdown is, where differences can get in the way.
And as always read relevant newspapers (Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, NYTImes) to get good writing examples, cultural knowledge, relevant vocabulary, one can even get it online; this for employees as well as the students.
And a new all timer favorite no-email Fridays: no e-mails to people in very close offices. This is in order to bring back inter-personal skills!