by Recommendation of Heather Chetwynd | Feb 6, 2015 | Business Communications
How we give feedback varies tremendously from culture to culture. Canadians are similar to Americans in how we give feedback and often even less direct. Many new immigrants have difficulty hearing negative feedback given by Canadians since we generally start with...
by Recommendation of Heather Chetwynd | Jan 30, 2015 | Non Verbal Communication
Appropriate eye contact is extremely important in North America. The way you use eye contact can deeply influence how someone feels about you. Not only am I referring to how directly and long you maintain eye contact, but also the angle you use. Do you have your head...
by Recommendation of Heather Chetwynd | Jan 21, 2015 | Non Verbal Communication
Your handshake could be leading people to interpret you in a way that you hadn’t intended. Your culture may have taught you to shake with a limp hand, especially a man to a woman, for example. Or perhaps your handshake is too strong. Maybe you shake it too many...
by Recommendation of Heather Chetwynd | Jan 7, 2015 | Culture and Values
Cultural competence is becoming essential in the workplace, especially in a city as multicultural as Toronto is. This was driven home to me recently when I accompanied a friend of Ukrainian origin, who has cancer for the second time, to a doctor’s appointment to...
by Recommendation of Heather Chetwynd | Dec 17, 2014 | Language Training
In Canadian written English, it is important to learn how to be concise. This is a quality of well-written, refined writing and speaking, although it is not as important in casual speech. Being concise involves using specific vocabulary which more clearly states what...