USA - Working and dealing with the Americans

Who Should Attend ?

Company managers and staff working and dealing with American contacts

Objectives

The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their professional relationships with American contacts, enabling them to be operational right from the start.

At the end of this training, participants will have acquired insights and techniques to help them to:

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Fully understand American context and culture
• Analyse possible situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating
• Reduce stress and misunderstandings
• Decipher and understand American decision-making and negotiation processes

Programme Outline

Module 1 : Understanding cultural differences

1. Intercultural awareness : The key to success in international business

• Taking stock of one's own cultural baggage
• The basics of effective intercultural management
• Identifying and going beyond cultural stereotypes

2. Key aspects of American culture

• A massive, multicultural and multilingual country
• The pioneering spirit, the War of Independence and the American dream
• The religious factor: A sense of belonging to a community
• A federal state and federated states: the balance of power in the States
• The economic and social challenges facing the world's largest economy

3. The impact of values and behaviour patterns on professional dealings and relationships

• The WASP culture: a founding standard
• The Self-Made Man and the Bill of Rights : freedom always comes first!
• The many faces of the American woman
• "Time is money"
• Categorising and simplifying to facilitate understanding 
• The team spirit and a love of competition
• Mobility as a lifestyle

4. The American corporate world

• Free competition is the bedrock of American entrepreneurialism
• Multinationals and small businesses: different management methods
• The paradigms of working efficiently: planning, efficiency, responsiveness
• The remote role of the State and the authorities

Module 2: Succeeding in your work and dealings with the Americans

1. Effective communication with the Americans

• Public and private life: two frequently overlapping areas
• Frank, direct communication: say what you do and do what you say
• Filling the gaps: a fear of silence 
• Language in the workplace: the special characteristics of US English

2. Adapting your working methods

• Managing in the United States: encouraging responsibility among staff
• The key attributes of an American manager: firm, pragmatic and attentive
• Building confidence: encouraging, praising
• Encouraging creativity and ever-greater performance
• Conflict resolution: constructive criticism, humour and detachment

3. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Americans

• Planning actions and activities 
• Identifying the decision-makers
• Guaranteeing personal credibility: effective time and deadline management
• Understanding the terms of a contract
• Planning and organising the future

4. Final handy tips

• Caution, patience, humility
• Protocol and etiquette
• Social behaviour, dress code, business cards, gifts
• Delicate subjects: politics and terrorism
• A puritanical mindset
• Adapting your humour to the circumstances, to the people present and to the situation