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A Multicultural Opportunity for Speakers
If ever there was a
time when we needed to tap into our multicultural resources, that time is
now. By sharing experiences and different perspectives we can gain fresh
insight into perplexing and complex issues. All our voices need to be
heard−and as a speaker you can facilitate that process through your audiences.
How can you accomplish this objective? Here’s a technique that has worked
well with my groups:
1. Present your topic. If time allows, construct it into three parts: Problem-Discussion-Solution.
2. Break the audience into small groups, probably no more than three each. This can work even with an audience of thousands; or, in a training session, the groups could increase to five. Be aware, though, that as group size increases the inclination to participate often declines, given that some team members may be intimidated about speaking before several others.
3. Ask each person to share his/her stories or examples with fellow group members on a voluntary basis. Here’s where the impact of different cultural backgrounds and personal styles becomes apparent, since individuals will vary regarding what they wish to reveal. As facilitator you should encourage free participation, not coercion. The group should then select their spokesperson.
4. Finally, request contributions from the group spokesperson to share with the entire audience. These should be voluntary and anonymous (if so desired). Your objective is to share good ideas, not necessarily highlighting the individual source of those ideas. In fact, sometimes the concepts presented by the spokesperson will be a composite of the individual stories. As facilitator you can either walk the microphone around (a more informal approach) or request the spokespersons to come to the front of the audience for better visibility. I’ve used both approaches, and they work equally well. The room layout and general atmosphere will help you determine the best choice.
Result: The best ideas of all those in attendance provide benefits for everyone without embarrassment to anyone.
In these difficult times the right to freely express ideas has taken on new prominence. As speakers we have the opportunity to not only exercise this right ourselves, but to facilitate freedom of expression among others without harm. In a broader sense, our own small efforts in this area can contribute to the resolution of world conflict through elimination of misunderstandings in communication and illumination of peaceful alternatives.
___
Author Judith A. Starkey is President of The Starkey Group, Inc., a consulting and training firm providing multicultural strategies. For more information see: www.StarkeyGrp.com.
For permission to reproduce this article contact StarkeyGrp@aol.com or the address below.
Contact Us:
Judith A. Starkey, President
The Starkey Group, Inc.
3180 N. Lake Shore Drive, Suite 17G
Chicago, Illinois 60657-4867 USA
Phone: 773 348 0421
Fax: 773 348 3683
E-Mail: jas@StarkeyGrp.com or
StarkeyGrp@aol.com
Website. www.StarkeyGrp.com
MultiCultural Strategies
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