International Speakers

By Angela Wibking

When Eileen McDargh greets a group at work these days, she often does so in several different languages. A certified speaking professional (CSP) with her own company since 1980, McDargh addresses dozens of meetings each year in the United States and around the world. Increasingly, she finds herself speaking to groups that are as diverse in citizenship, language and culture as they are united in their interest in business trends and management issues. "My audiences can be an international meeting held in the United States, like the International Lions Club Leadership Forum, or where I am actually in another country, such as when I addressed the Argentine Grocery Association in Buenos Aires recently," says McDargh, who is based in California.

Addressing audiences whose members come from a variety of backgrounds, whether in the U.S. and Canada or Europe and Asia, is almost a given for speakers in the 21^st century. Just as air travel has closed the physical gap between countries, so the Internet and other technologies are helping close the cultural divides. Even as the world comes together physically and in cyberspace, however, the central challenge to speakers and the speakers bureaus that represent them remains the same. "Every client wants a speaker who talks about what is relevant to their particular group or industry," says Kelly McDonald, vice president at The Lavin Agency, a Toronto-based speakers bureau. "Because audiences today are more educated and more connected globally, speakers with strong content are more in demand than ever before. Delegates today are just not satisfied with (hearing) generalizations."

Nor are they receptive to speakers who address them from an entirely American or Western perspective, according to Ian Percy, CSP, who is based in Arizona but addresses groups around the world. "Overall, it (speaking internationally) gets down to attitude, language and approach," says Percy. "When I present my ideas as just one way of thinking about something, international audiences become very involved in exploring a concept with me."

Percy says his approach to addressing international audiences is based, in part, on the theories of Dr. Fons Trompenaars, author of "Riding the Waves of Culture," and a consultant and speaker on cross-cultural issues. "We both spoke recently at a KPMG (one of the world’s largest accounting and consulting firms) conference in Cannes," says Percy. "He has a three step process for cross-cultural integration. The steps are awareness of one’s own cultural perspective, respect for cultural differences and reconciliation of cultural differences. I don’t think most North Americans stop to assess their own culture, which betrays the assumption that their culture is "natural" while other cultures are "unnatural." Consequently the prospect of respect and reconciliation is remote. This is what creates the "ugly American" image -- which in the whirlwind of globalization is slowly changing, thank goodness."

Percy has been speaking and facilitating at KPMG conferences for eight years. At the October 2000 conference in Cannes he addressed 240 people from 33 countries. "I’m brought in to keep it all human," Percy says of his role as speaker and host at these conferences. "It’s extremely hard to get the energy flowing into an environment that can sometimes be one of a series of talking heads. I try to fill in the gaps, animate things and inject a sense of celebration and family into the meeting."

To do that a speaker’s attitude is as important the content of his or her address with international audiences. "Humility is the real key to creating openness in a multi-cultural audience," says Percy. "The British, Australians and Asians particularly pick up even the slightest whiff of pretense and ego (on the part of the speaker). Asians will politely ignore you while the others will ridicule you and you won’t even know they are doing it. The best way to demonstrate humility is to present yourself as a learner, not as a know-it-all."

Eileen McDargh agrees. "I think that everything should be couched in respect -- that these are but one set of ideas I’m presenting," she says. "I also ask my audiences to teach me, to tell me things that have worked for them. I tell them that if I use a word or make a gesture that means something to them and not to me, please let me know. My intention is to serve and to learn with them."

Doug Malouf, an Australian speaker who has done over 2000 corporate presentations world wide and regularly addresses groups in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., is also keenly aware of the differences in his audiences. "Cultures differ," Malouf says. "Australian and Australiasia audiences need to warm up to a speaker, for example, whereas American audiences relate more spontaneously." 

Malouf has also noticed an increased demand for speakers who can help people not only do business better but more quickly. "Any topic that relates to "how to" (do something) in less time is popular," Malouf says. "Because of information overload, people are flocking to seminars and workshops that will put them in the fast lane, instead of them having to do all the reading and information gathering. They want speakers who have done all the hard yards and can de-code the information into a snappy presentation. The one thing that is also common all over the world is that people love handouts. Today's audience worldwide want great content and speakers are moving more toward participation seminars."

Percy, a Canadian citizen, also points out that there are significant cultural differences between his native country and America – differences often overlooked by American speakers addressing groups in Canada. "The very best way I know of to describe the difference is that Americans like to be told; Canadians like to be taught," Percy says.

"When American speakers go to Canada and talk as though the US has a monopoly on all that is right, good and beautiful – well, Canadians just roll their eyes. Which is what happened when one speaker I heard made the statement "America is the greatest country in the world…" to a Canadian audience. Another American speaker actually made the statement that "Wouldn’t it be terrific if Canadians could join the US…" to a Canadian audience. Another used the music from "America the Beautiful" as background to his closing poem. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard US speakers in Canada say "Here in the States…" or refer to "Our President…" Or even worse – make the statement that "We are all the same…"

"Almost every US speaker caves in to the urge to use Canadianisms – particularly "eh" They add "eh" to the end of a sentence and expect Canadians to roll down the aisle in laughter. This would be like a French-Canadian speaking in Little Rock and using a Bubba accent.

As for the most popular topics on the international circuit today, speaking professionals say they are the same ones that are popular with U.S. audiences. "Dealing with change, motivating and managing people, new technologies and leadership are among the most requested topics for speakers everywhere these days," notes Kelly McDonald of The Lavin Agency. "These topics cut across all industries, too. There’s a great demand for speakers who can talk on developing and refining e-business strategies and everybody is asking for people to speak about leadership."

"Because of the labor shortage, there’s also a lot of demand for speakers who address how to hire and keep good employees," adds Lisa Dunavin, president of The Speakers House in Atlanta. "So many different people are coming into the workforce now that the employee base is more diverse and companies want to know how to make those differences work for them."

Rob Carsello, president of Speakers Resource Center in Chicago, agrees. "There is a growing need in the U.S. to address Hispanic concerns, for example," Carsello says. "Speakers who can speak on marketing to the Hispanic community or communicating with Hispanic members of workforce are more and more in demand."

Generational diversity is also a growth topic. "People are interested in how the ‘dot-com’ 20-year-olds can interface with 50- and 60-year-olds in the workplace and while we don’t have a lot of speakers addressing that, the ones that do are very busy," says Renee Strom, president of The Speakers Bureau Inc. in Minneapolis.

But if the hot topics for today’s speakers are universal, relating them to international audiences still requires specifics. "I do a ton of research and ask for the client to give me pertinent examples from their specific country," says McDargh. "When I spoke before the Argentine Grocery Association, for example, the audience was very intense and indeed, it is a challenging time, especially economically, in Argentina. My client told me later that the delegates were amazed by how much I knew about their challenges." They might also have been surprised at McDargh’s knowledge of Argentine priorities and her sense of timing. "The head coach for the nation's top soccer team was speaking after me so I knew when the time came to cut my speech short!"

Localizing examples and data is a key tool to a successful international address but using specifics like humor and metaphors to convey one’s message can pose a serious pitfall. "Many American metaphors -- "like watching C-span," for example -- are not understood internationally," explains Percy. "The safest metaphor or story source I have found is family. This is the one area where experiences are universal and where humor about family experiences will work. If you are going to use metaphors research ones that fit your audience. Right now, for example, England’s World Cup football (soccer) team is atrocious and a favorite target of derision in Europe. It could successfully be used as a metaphor. Or you can use metaphors like the poor Euro currency – such as saying, ‘That’s as bad as paying someone in Euros.’"

Though the working language in corporate situations today is English, the comprehension level of international audiences at meetings varies. Even though headsets with simultaneous translation are the norm at most international meetings, speakers must take language differences into account, especially when it comes to their delivery style. "I work very hard to slow down, and avoid philosophical and sophisticated words," says Percy. "If I do want to speak about esoteric or philosophical matters, for example, I may turn it into a group exercise. I will point out the limitations of the English language and ask my audience to come up with a word in their various languages that conveys the same idea."

For the KPMG conference in Cannes, for example, Percy spoke on commitment, a topic he also explores in his book Going Deep. "I talked about the deepest level of commitment -- a "spiritual" commitment, where there is no gap between who you are and the objects of your commitment. I then asked the group to find words in any language other than English that conveys a deep connection between people."

While Greek, Welsh and French audiences members all came up with words in their own language that expressed that concept, the one the international audience as a whole embraced was a Swahili word suggested by the South African delegates. " The word was "Ubunto" which means "I am a person because I recognize you as a person. If you are hungry I will feed you and if I am hungry you will feed me and so on," explains Percy. "The entire group turned it into a greeting in coming and going from the sessions and a side result was an increased level of involvement from those with a poorer level of English."

Addressing an international group in its native tongue – or tongues – is also a great icebreaker. "I always greet my audience in their language and if I have people from multiple nationalities in that audience, I get help doing this," McDargh says. "The first time I spoke before the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, for example, I learned to say "Good Morning" in 16 languages. That alone made the audience comfortable."

McDargh also prepares for addressing international audiences by submitting a written copy of her speech well before the meeting. "I literally write out what I want to say and then send it to my client to get feedback-- any language issues, references and so on. I also work with translators in advance to see if they have questions about exactly what I’m saying and how to convey my words in their language."

When McDargh addressed the Argentine Grocery Association she made certain her opening greeting was delivered in perfect Argentine Spanish – a language with significant differences from the Spanish taught in most American colleges – then she asked permission to address the meeting in English. "I still haven't figured out why the group insisted on me," she says. "I was the only woman on the program and the audience was 98 percent male, all of whom kept their cell phones on during the meeting. I was also surprised to see that about 90 percent used the headsets. Normally, at least 35 percent of an audience chooses to hear the speech in English." 

While American audiences are used to speakers who try to involve them actively in the address, interactive techniques don’t always go over well with other cultures. "The experienced (international) speaker does not ask for or expect demonstrative response – a standing ovation is almost unheard of," says Percy. "You just have to assume they are getting value from what you are saying, unless you get feedback to the contrary. And in some cultures what appears to be argumentative response is a sign of admiration and respect. This is true with Israelis, for example. Japanese delegates, on the other hand, won’t raise their hands in a response to a question posed by a speaker."

"It’s almost become a cliché but the real issue today is diversity," sums up Lisa Dunavin of The Speakers Bureau. "Speakers everywhere have to take into account diversity of demographics, cultures and nationalities in the their audiences. Of course, the best speakers have always known how to connect personally with their audiences. With more diverse audiences now, that just has to be broadened."