so I did my lecture today… “Events in Asia, working in China”… Didn’t go quite the way I planned.. I had hoped to be able to talk about experiences in China and the cultural differences and detail how to go about working with a communist government.
That was the plan, unfortunately it turned into more of a history / culture lesson..
I had two talks prepared the one I wanted to give which involved a interactive discussion about best practice about dealing with culturally sensitive issues like how to give face to government officials without loosing your ethics. I also had a plan “plan b” talk more basic “What is Face”.
As I expected, as attendees arrived I individually introduced myself and queried them about Asia to get an idea of where they were at.. One gentleman had lived and worked in Bangkok for the last 5 years, another small group had a catering company in Beijing.. Looking hopeful .. Then cam the lady that was surprised that I had lived in Hong Kong for so many years and still didn’t speak Japanese. What could I say?
The talk was ‘OK’.. Unfortunately tuned into Plan C talk “Where is China” more of an overview of cultures in Asia.. Hopefully they got the one main takeaway … Don’t try to do events in China yourself.. Hire a local fixer.
