by Heather Chetwynd | May 19, 2023 | Human Resources
“We have an executive who has asked for accent training. It is true that she is often unclear but she’s almost 50. Is it too late to make changes?” The short answer is that it is not too late. People often assume that the younger one is, the easier it is...
by Heather Chetwynd | Apr 17, 2023 | Human Resources
“We have a senior VP who is really abrupt. People are finding her rude and hard to work with. How can we deal with this?” There are three principal factors that influence communication styles: Cultural conditioning Personal conditioning Emotional state Let...
by Heather Chetwynd | Jun 28, 2022 | Culture and Values
We understand best those who communicate as we do. What does “communicating like me” mean? What are the variables in communication? Consider these factors: language, accent, volume, vocabulary and expressions, grammar, body language, level of formality, cultural...
by Heather Chetwynd | Feb 17, 2022 | Culture and Values
A former student of mine got a job in northern Quebec years ago. The weather is pretty harsh there and, being quick witted, he wrote the following few paragraphs with common weather idioms. I felt it was so well written and the idioms used so naturally, I decided to...
by Heather Chetwynd | Feb 11, 2022 | Culture and Values
In Canada, many people are not used to hearing a variety of accents, especially in less urban environments. Even in Toronto, one of the most multicultural cities in the world, many native speakers mix almost entirely with other native speakers and, therefore, do not...
