Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Slovakia 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 Slovakia.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Slovak 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 Slovak 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 Slovakia

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 Slovak culture

• An outstanding natural and cultural heritage
• A tradition of Catholicism
• From Czechoslovakia to the Slovak Republic
• A uniform society with distinctive minorities
• The challenges of European integration

3. Slovak values and behaviour patterns

• The Slavic tradition
• Courtesy and a respect for age
• The cult of friendship
• A well-entrenched rural and communal tradition
• Prudence and self-control
• A rigid view of time

4. Practical day-to-day information in Slovakia

• 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 Slovakia

1. The Slovak corporate world

• The continuing impact of the Soviet system
• Punctuality, hierarchy and formality
• Concerted decision-making
• The role of national and local authorities

2. Effective communication with the Slovaks

• Avoid talking needlessly
• The importance of eye contact
• The role of non-verbal communication
• Russian or Slovak?: Some pitfalls to be avoided

3. Working with Slovak teams

• Moderation, a spirit of initiative and professionalism
• Managing and leading
• Actively encouraging feedback
• Encouraging joint decision-making

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Slovaks

• The importance of out of work activities in the business world
• Reliability and coherence
• Demonstrating your professionalism
• 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