Workshop East-West Business Relations

Ardi Bouwers — Mon, 14 May 2018 10:10:27 +0000

Try to cope with Dutch directness? Have difficulty understanding the circuitous answers of your Asian counterpart?
Lead your team ahead, but is one member foot-dragging? Different ways of thinking and communicating not only make already stressful work situations even more stressful, but they also affect business success. Culture and personality differences can be stimulating and inspiring if handled well, but they can be extremely unpleasant when handled poorly.

East-West communication styles couldn’t be more different: diplomatic versus straight-to-the-point. Join us for a workshop about cultural differences, interpersonal relations and communication gaps. Working and communicating with people from other cultures is fun, and even more so if you learn how to adjust your style to get your message across effectively.

We, Ardi Bouwers and Leon Nijhof, have decades of hands-on experience in Europe and Asia, in intercultural communication, advice on building alliances and interim management. We want to share our insights in East-West interpersonal relations in business and discuss how to adjust your style to make the best of awkward situations.

We will discuss requirements for internationally operating entrepreneurs and managers, decision-making processes, trust issues and much more. We offer an interactive, serious and fun workshop at a beautiful location – a 19th century residence in the center of The Hague – in order to become even more effective in East-West business relations.

Time: Wednesday June 13, 2.00 – 5.00 pm
Place: Surinamestraat 38, 2585 GK The Hague
Cost: 295 euro (per person, excl. VAT, incl. coffee, tea and drinks)

Reserve your seat now!
Send your mail to: ardi@chinacircle.nl or call 06-2323 4404 for more information and registration.

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Video: 3 lessons about the Netherlands

Ardi Bouwers — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 11:46:20 +0000

What comes to mind when you think of the Netherlands? That was the question posed by the organizers of a series of short talks in Guangzhou about Dutch architecture, innovation and communication.
The strict Pecha Kucha format – using 20 slides for only 20 seconds each – forced me to tell my story in less than 7 minutes. As I focus on communication, the essence of the Dutch identity to me is our ‘square’ communication style, our polder model with endless meetings and on our positive take on a highly confrontational style. For the Dutch, speaking one’s mind and openly criticizing any idea or proposition – purposefully not taking hierarchical relations into account – is considered taking responsibility as a team member. This was my answer to the question about the Netherlands: “Cycling on a stormy day, challenging and refreshing at the same time.”

On YouTube you can see my presentation at the Pecha Kucha organized by the Guangzhou Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

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Workshop East-West Business Relations

Video: 3 lessons about the Netherlands