Cross cultural communication | Pellegrino Riccardi | TEDxBergen

Summary

The speaker, Pellegrino, with a blend of Italian, British, and Norwegian cultures, humorously explores cross-cultural communication challenges. He emphasizes the importance of self-perception and understanding cultural nuances like queueing behaviors and language economy. Through anecdotes and social experiments, Pellegrino illustrates the value of curiosity and adapting to different cultural norms to foster effective global communication and mindset.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker has a multicultural background with Italian, British, and Norwegian influences, which shapes his perspective on communication.
• 🧳 Pellegrino's job involves a lot of travel and helping people communicate effectively in a global business environment.
• 🔍 He emphasizes the importance of self-perception in cross-cultural communication, advising people to look inward rather than focusing solely on other cultures.
• 🗣️ Pellegrino uses humor and personal anecdotes to illustrate how accents and language can influence perception and service quality.
• 💡 He highlights the power of curiosity in navigating cultural differences and overcoming communication barriers.
• 🌳 The speaker discusses the concept of culture as a system of behavior that is accepted and familiar within a social group.
• 🎨 He uses a humorous example involving a Hollywood star to demonstrate how stereotypes, while not entirely accurate, can contain elements of truth.
• 🏞️ Pellegrino talks about the Norwegian forest as an example of how different cultures can have varying perceptions of the same environment.
• 📏 He contrasts the queueing behavior in the UK and Norway to show how cultural norms can significantly differ even in seemingly simple activities.
• 👥 The speaker points out that understanding underlying values, such as equality in Norway, is crucial for effective cross-cultural communication.
• 🤔 Pellegrino suggests that being open to different ways of doing things and avoiding quick negative judgments can lead to better global understanding.

Q & A

What is the main occupation of the speaker?

The speaker's occupation involves helping people communicate better, particularly in the global business world and across different nationalities.

What is the speaker's approach to cross-cultural communication?

The speaker suggests taking a look at oneself rather than focusing solely on understanding other cultures, emphasizing the importance of perception and self-awareness.

Why does the speaker mention his Italian heritage and British influence?

The speaker mentions his Italian heritage and British influence to illustrate the concept of perception, as people often make assumptions based on his name or accent.

What is the speaker's definition of culture according to the script?

The speaker defines culture as 'a system of behavior that helps us act in an accepted or familiar way'.

How does the speaker use humor to illustrate cultural differences?

The speaker uses humor through social experiments, such as speaking with different accents to airlines staff, to highlight how perception can vary based on cultural cues.

What is the purpose of the speaker's 'social experiments' with airlines?

The purpose of these experiments is to test people's perceptions of him and to demonstrate how speaking different languages or accents can elicit different reactions.

What is the description the speaker found on the Internet about a 'typical Norwegian'?

The description portrays a person who is somewhat primitive, honest, straightforward, and values simple pleasures like peace and quiet, living in isolation in a 'cosy' home.

Why is the description of the 'typical Norwegian' ironic?

The irony lies in the fact that the description is actually of a Hollywood film star, not a Norwegian, highlighting the tendency to believe and accept stereotypes.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of curiosity in cross-cultural understanding?

The speaker believes that curiosity is essential for navigating cultural differences, as it allows for asking questions and gaining insights that can lead to a better understanding of other cultures.

How does the speaker describe the concept of 'economy of language' in Nordic cultures?

In Nordic cultures, the concept of 'economy of language' refers to using the minimum number of words to convey the maximum message, as opposed to using many words to say very little.

What is the main message the speaker conveys about having a global mindset?

The main message is that a global mindset involves extending and merging cultural boundaries by taking the best aspects of different cultures to create a new, inclusive perspective.