Assignment task:
TED Talk Synopsis: Chris Smit was born in Amsterdam on March 3, 1963. Midway while attending high school, his family and he moved to the USA for one year, where he attended 8th grade high school in Boiceville, New York. After returning to the Netherlands he finished school and went to the Free University in Amsterdam to study Industrial and Organisational Psychology.
He graduated in 1993. While studying Chris joined KLM where he worked for 10 years as a Commercial Sales & Marketing coach and consultant. During that time he spent a lot of time abroad with a particular focus on Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia. He joined ITIM|Result (Intercultural Management Consulting) in 1999 and developed his international experience as an international business consultant.
He is an experienced consultant and coach in intercultural business, and has implemented and consulted projects and run many intercultural and communication seminars throughout the world. Chris is known for his dynamic, enthusiastic and participative style as a public speaker, coach and business consultant. In 2008 Chris founded the company Culture Matters. Working synergistically with a group of professional consultants, he is the Director of Culture Matters. His specialities are India, Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the USA. He has several international publications in his name.
In his talk for TEDxLeuven Chris will focus on why humour isn't always good for your business and how you should embrace cultural diversity. In the international and multicultural business arena it isn't uncommon for misunderstandings and other communication difficulties to occur. Knowledge of cultural differences - Cultural Awareness - is crucial to be successful on the international stage. Culture influences everything in the way that an organisation works and will often be the silent fact that decides success or failure. You can listen to his Podcast on Culture Matters. It's available for free on iTunes.
What is the importance of "cultural empathy" to international business? How does a business acquire or adapt to "Cultural empathy"?