Who Should Attend ?

Company managers and staff working and dealing with the Senegalese

Benefits of Attendance

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

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

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

Training Approach

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 Senegalese culture

• A west African nation with extensive resources
• The impact of French colonisation
• Senegal’s Muslim tradition
• A delicate political and economic situation

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

• A warm welcome and hospitality
• A patriarchal social structure
• Senegalese women: the backbone of society
• The impact of community ties and promiscuity
• Religion: a vital bedrock
• The importance of appearance
• An elastic view of time
• A respect for age and status

4. The Senegalese corporate world

• A paternalistic and hierarchical company structure
• The weight of the Senegalese bureaucracy
• Privileges and favouritism

Module 2 : Succeeding in work with the Senegalese

1. Effective communication with the Senegalese

• The fondamental role of greetings
• The meaning and prevalence of tactile and visual contact
• The power of networks and networking
• The French language and local dialects

2. Adapting your working methods

• Striking the right balance between flexibility and firmness
• A willingness to listen and an open mind
• Building trust and confidence: perseverance and goodwill
• Supervision and dialogue
• Pitfalls to be avoided

3. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Senegalese

• Setting the scene:  Preparing the background information for your meeting
• Frankness and honesty
• Forging relationships
• Time, priority and deadline management
• Understanding written contracts, their interpretation and implications
• Organising the post-negotiation phase

4. Final handy tips

• Caution, patience and humility
• Protocol and etiquette
• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code
• Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
• Humour: a double-edged sword