Friday 8 December, 14.30 – 18.30, book: bit.ly/2zlHf4w

Arts & Business Scotland are delighted to announce their latest Development Forum which will focus on the power of partnerships forged between businesses and cultural organisations and will showcase the many mutual benefits (social and economic) that can be derived from such creative collaborations and how the conventional image of sponsorship is being thrown out of the window.

The afternoon will be divided into two sessions followed by a Q&A with ample networking opportunities including a festive drinks reception from 17:30.

Speakers within the two sessions will include:

Andy Parkinson, Director, Consilium Research and Consultancy, who will share some top tips and learning points extracted from the analysis of existing and recent partnerships and business surveys.

Gerry Corish, Scottish Salmon Company who will present on how their sponsorship of the National Theatre of Scotland and the Theatre in Schools project is a reflection of the values of the company and how the Scottish cultural offering is at the very heart of their brand and marketing activities.

With a short introduction by:

Helen Ireland, Director of External Relations at National Museums Scotland, who will discuss the importance of business and cultural partnerships in the context of the Museums work, with reference to some of their recent partnerships including with The Glenmorangie Company and Morton Fraser.

This event is completely free to members of Arts & Business Scotland. There is a small charge of £20+VAT for non-members.

The event is suitable for arts, heritage and business organisations, including participants on the Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage training programme, which through funding from HLF, has enabled Arts & Business Scotland and partners to encourage fundraising skills development across Scotland’s heritage as well the arts sector. This is the third of four Development Forum events this financial year offering peer to peer learning and networking opportunities developed by Arts & Business Scotland.

Approximate schedule (subject to change)

14:30 – 15:00 Registration, coffee/tea and networking
15:00 – 16:00 Talks
16:00 – 16:20 Coffee/tea and networking
16:20 – 17:30 Talks
17:30 – 18:30 Drinks and networking

Intercultural communication takes place when people from different cultures interact together.

Culture is learned, shared and acquired; it is not biologically transmitted, but socially constructed. We learn it from family, school and other social institutions. What is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable, moral or immoral is often defined by the principles of culture that we hold.

How do intercultural differences occur?

Intercultural differences occur due to the different values, beliefs and practices that individuals from different cultural groups hold. These differences have a strong impact on the way that people work, plan, behave, negotiate, do business, and establish relationships and rapport.

‘If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language that goes to his heart’ – Nelson Mandela

How cultures differ?

When the rules of one culture are used to ‘decode’ the behaviour of another, then it is likely to lead to cultural misunderstandings. Cultures can be divided in two categories according to their communication style: high context culture and low context culture.

For instance, in high context communication, communicators rely relatively more on the context of a message (knowledge, experience and non-verbal cues such as: facial expressions, silence, eye contact, tone of voice, silence, gesture, posture) and less on the words themselves.

High context cultures such as: China, Japan, Korea, American Indian, Most Latin American cultures, Southern and Eastern Mediterranean cultures, such as Greece, Turkey, and Arab states.

On the other hand, in low context communication the communication is straightforward, based on the semantic meaning of words and not veiled by non-verbal cues.

Low context cultures: Switzerland, Germany, North America and Nordic states.

In today’s business…
It is worth considering the skills that employers seek during recruitment, one of them being; interpersonal skills. These are vital for effective communication between individuals. From an intercultural aspect, competence in these skills can facilitate comprehension, diminish the presence of misunderstandings and stereotyping.

Doing business on a global scale or working with people from around the world, requires mindfulness during an interaction, and the most suitable way to address this is through intercultural training. Having culturally aware staff helps businesses to operate efficiently by ensuring an open-minded working environment, and high levels of customer retention and satisfaction. Developing intercultural awareness can contribute to the expansion of a business across national borders, to the attraction of new cultural groups of customers (and business partners!) and the potential for maximum business growth and profit.