Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Chile and their partners

Benefits of Attendance

This seminar aims at significantly improving the ability of the participants to meet the challenges of living and working abroad. The objective is to enable them to identify the stumbling blocks that lie ahead and to be able to adapt and integrate in Chile.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Chilean context and culture
• Analyse situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating more effectively
• Reduce and manage the symptoms of culture shock
• Understand Chilean mindset, work practices, decision-making processes and negotiating styles
• Strike the right balance between personal et professional lives

Training Approach

• A cross-cultural approach of International Mobility
• Country specific trainers
• Personalized and familiy focused action plan
• Access to the Nomad’ Network, an exclusive online tool for Akteos’ clients and experts:  find resources, exchange experiences, knowledge and insights

Programme Outline

Module 1 : Successful personnal integration in Chile

1. Cross-cultural awareness : the key to a successful expatriation

• Taking stock of one's own cultural baggage
• Culture shock and the integration process
• Identifying and going beyond cultural stereotypes

2. Key aspects of Chilean culture

• A Latin American giant
• A generally uniform population 
• A well-established catholic tradition
• The painful impact of the military dictatorship
• The delicate political and economic situation

3. Chilean values and behaviour patterns

• The continued existence of "machismo"
• The influence of the religious institutions
• Pride and a sense of honour
• An inflexible class system
• A sarcastic sense of humour
• Emphasis and expressiveness
• The importance attached to qualifications and status

4. Practical day-to-day information

• Focus on the host town or city
• Transport, administration, housing, security, hygiene and healthcare
• Social life, leisure activities
• Learning the language
• Schools, extracurricular activities, sport

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in Chile

1. The Chilean corporate world

• A somewhat conservative organisational structure
• Concerted decision-making
• A strong work ethic
• The role of the state and of the church

2. Effective communication with the Chileans

• The rules of gestural and non-verbal communication
• Implicit communication
• Spanish and English for business

3. Working with Chilean teams

• Building trust and confidence: education, experience and an open mind
• Effective management: responsibility and decision-making
• Dealing with touchy or sensitive people
• Anticipating reticence
• The role of mediators

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Chileans

• Discipline and punctuality
• Identifying strategies
• Creating a favourable climate
• Written contracts, their interpretation and implications

5. Final handy tips

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