Publication Date
7-21-2015
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
First Advisor
Dr. Susan Barduhn
Abstract
"Vérité en deçà des Pyrénées, erreur au-delà"
(There are truths on this side of the Pyrenees that are falsehoods on the other)
Blaise Pascal (Moran, Harris & Moran, 2007, p. 2).
This paper is a reflection on an intercultural communication workshop developed for sixteen upper-level Japanese executives who work with their U.S. American counterparts in a U.S.A.-based global corporation. This training session was only one part of a much larger training program initiative which was carried out in five countries in Asia as well as in several locations across the U.S.A. Throughout my paper, I will apply the stages of the experiential learning cycle to their corresponding phases of the entire workshop process. To start with, I will take a look at how I first learned about the experiential learning cycle and describe how I utilized this tool to reflect on the training experience. Then, I will explain the background and events that served as a catalyst for this training initiative. Subsequently, I will detail the content of the workshop. Next, I will give some reflective observations about what happened during the training, specifically on the participants' analyses and suggestions concerning a critical incident scenario which they worked on together in small groups at the end of the training. After making these observations, I will combine the information presented by the groups about the critical incident with my prior knowledge to generate some hypotheses as to why the participants reacted to and analyzed the critical incident in the way that they did. Finally, I will use the data obtained during the workshop to suggest ideas for future trainings.
Disciplines
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching | Business and Corporate Communications | International Business | Marketing | Other Teacher Education and Professional Development | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Training and Development
Recommended Citation
Menn, Kristine E., "Reflection on an Intercultural Communication Workshop for Japanese Executives: Doing Business with U.S. Americans" (2015). MA TESOL Collection. 707.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/ipp_collection/707
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching Commons, Business and Corporate Communications Commons, International Business Commons, Marketing Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, Training and Development Commons