I am counting down only three days until I get in the plane and five days until the CQ Certification training happens. This is a big milestone for me and Impact Route. I have had this dreams for more than two years and now it is going to be a reality.
Of course, I am not certified yet but I can not hold back my excitement. Not only that this will put me in a global network of more than 400 CQ certified professionals but also it is a new chapter for Impact Route. Who would not trust a company with staff who attended the same training Harvard University professors attended? With only less than two years we are connected with almost every successful CQ organizations and professionals . For Rwanda and corporates in Rwanda, the job is made easier, now you do not need to fly your staff or fly international trainers and pay unnecessary fortune. Soon we will start offering World class Cultural Competence training at a reasonably affordable price. Stay tuned, soon there will be another blog post with details and future plans of CQ training in Rwanda. FYI Cultural Intelligence Center is the organization that offers the certification
1 Comment
To the kids, someone is only different when they can not understand him/her and the person can not understand them but the moment they notice that the person can actually speak their language then the barrier/ curtain is removed and they start seeing the person as member of the community.
Learning a local language is not only important in being able to get what you want ( buying stuff, getting around etc...) but it is a great tool to integrate into and identify with hosting community. That is why we have basic Kinyarwanda classes in our cultural orientation packages. You Look Smart : A complement Interpreted as Insult This is me and my son after church and WE LOOK SMART right? In Rwanda I would say a big yes, I am in my new white shirt and nice white spotted red tie. My handsome son has a new hair cut and he is in his brand new shirt. For someone from the US ( may be my friend Luke whom I have worked with for more than three years and knows me well) would definitely say no. We do not look smart. What is happening here? One English word interpreted differently. Two different cultures uses one word to mean two different things. In Rwanda if someone says you look smart they mean you dressed up ( They like your clothing ) which in American English this could mean you do not look intelligent. I Like your Shirt: You can Have It In multiple occasions I have witnessed English speaking people telling Rwandans they like their clothing and generous Rwandans genuinely respond " Ooh you can have it, I have another one." They do it because they think you want it. For some Rwandans when you say you like something they have, it is translated you want it so they will give it to you. This causes embarrassment on both sides, the person who wanted to give a compliment feels guilty after knowing what it actually means and the other person who offered their clothing instead of accepting the complement does not escape that embarrassment. Take home: Speaking one language does not break culture barriers. Two weeks ago I was talking to an acquaintance that I had made in a conference and I really learnt a lot from the conversation. But in the middle of the conversation after I have told him that I do cultural orientation in Rwanda, he quickly asked " How can you change Rwandans and get them buy easily the products because I have good products but they do not get to see that my products are better than what they are buying now." At that moment It was very easy to see why he was not able to convince people to buy his product. The big problem that friend has is the ability to understand his customers and communicate across culture. Instead of him trying to understand the culture and adapt to it, his big concern is how can I change Rwandan culture and have them buy my products.
This actually reminded me of the big difference between emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence. As Julia Middleton says in a TEDx video, emotional intelligence is not good enough to make you good with people because with only emotional intelligence you will be good with people who are like you ( people with whom you share the same culture). And for those who have a different culture you will always want them to be like you for you to be able to relate with them. It is normal that people see themselves almost every time on the right side and the other person on the wrong side. But I believe that is only for normal/ ordinary people. Extraordinary people will always want to understand the other person even if it might put them in a humble position. But in the end they will be successful. Recommendation. Whenever you encounter a different culture avoid quick judgement of the culture because if you do so you are closing your doors. Always be tolerant and seek understanding. Justin Ngoga Cross Culture Traininer I love seeing two different cultures coming together with humility and desire to learn from each other. Every time I have encountered a different culture, it has been an amazing time to not only learn about that different culture but a wonderful moment to understand my own culture. Very recently I was teaching a Kinyarwanda lesson to an American friend who had lived in Rwanda for more than five years and come back for a short visit. In the middle of the class he stopped me and asked " Hey Justin So ikibazo could be either a problem or a question?" and I said yes. But I was also surprised that I had not thought about that before. It was not until he did not understand my language and asked that I actually realized that a question and a problem had one word in my language. Also right away I learnt that answer and solution are one word in Kinyarwanda. Ikibazo= problem/ question Igisubizo= answer/ solution I also understood why very often Rwandans with intermediate English level confuse problem and question. In Rwandan mind a problem and a question are wrapped into one word IKIBAZO, therefore it takes effort to separate them in English. Take home: A different culture is the mirror which show you your own culture. |