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| Kile Ozier |
At the moment, and for the past few years, I am and have been working in Dubai.
Approximately 210
nationalities work and live here; making it pretty much The International City
of this millennium, so far… Thus, ‘tis a great place to be when asked the
question that inspires this piece.
I believe that the
first thing to remember when working outside the U.S. is that, if one is
working and speaking in English, it is quite likely not the native language of
most of the people with whom one is working. For easily 75% of the people with
whom I work - colleagues, clients, vendors, agents, PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENTS
(don’t get me started!), caterers, you name it - English is a second or third
language.
So. First and
foremost, Wow. Working and conducting one’s business in a language not native
to oneself is an impressive thing, in and of itself. I speak pretty good
conversational Italian and would not want to depend on that to negotiate
contracts or plan or direct a production. No thank you! Yet, here are thousands
of professionals, technicians, workers all of whom are doing their business
with English as the common denominator.
Perhaps some
respect for that is in order.
That being said;
keeping this one thing in mind can likely solve a great number of problems
before they materialize.
You know how, when
you go to (whichever foreign country the language of which you speak a bit) and
you are talking to someone - getting directions or asking about the menu or
something - and after a few words you realize you lost the Thread of
Understanding a few sentences ago … but you just keep nodding and acting as
though you understand in hopes that you will understand by the time the conversation
is completed? Yeah, well these guys do
the same thing: Pride is Universal.
So, when speaking
with someone; watch the face. Watch for that look of “…I have no idea what
s/he’s saying … but I’m embarrassed to interrupt …” and ask ‘em, in all sincerity,
“Am I speaking too fast? Hey, forgive me.” Give a chance to respond and show
that you really do want them to understand.
Sometimes it’s the
speed; sometimes it’s an unfamiliar word that was used (happens especially in
English, as there are so many words that look the same and sound different,
sound the same and are spelled different, have widely disparate meanings).
When I do that, and
they come back with an apology for their English, my immediate response is
along the lines of “Well your English is a helluva lot better than my
MandarinArabicHinduTurkishFrenchWhatever! Thank YOU for speaking English at all.”
Acknowledging
contacts and co-workers for a proficiency one cannot match can make for some
valuable diplomatic inroads and nurture a genuine respect. Good practice.
I
had a recent experience, when writing a script, with using the phrase, “…the
audience is arrested at the sight of…” Prompting my client to ask why they
would be arrested.
Also, this simple
awareness can (and should) serve to remind us how smart everyone else in the
room is, as they are conducting business in a language that is not native to
them. Impatience has no place, here.
This translates to the necessary use of restraint with the printed word to sell a concept. Pictures: they want pictures. Truly worth an easy 1000 words, the more your pictures can tell the client about the concept, the better. Simply put; they are just tired of reading, especially when it's not their language. When a Pitch document is submitted, it is usually the one(s) with the most compelling visuals that get invited to present in person.
In person, you'd have all the details at your fingertips; but the only ones who'll actually read them will be Procurement ... not the client. Pictures. Detailed and explanatory.
A final thought on
the above. Email communication can be fraught with misunderstanding, even among
fellow English-speakers. When an email comes in that seems overly direct,
pushy, aggressive or in some way offensive (and it’s not from me),
consider the native language of the source; are you in effect reading what is actually a rough
translation of what s/he meant to say? Offense is rarely meant.
Onward…
The Souk lives on.
In Dubai, there is
what I labeled a “Souk Mentality,” that is, I think, so deeply ingrained as to
be virtually genetic.
For thousands of
years shoppers and sellers have shared a dynamic that is both a matter of Pride
and no small part of the day’s entertainment: Bartering.
Getting the Best
Possible Price (highest for the Seller/lowest for the Buyer) is the goal and
the aforementioned matter of Pride and has been for centuries. This is fine
when bartering for a rug or brass plate, piece of art, kilo of coffee or
spices; but virtually irrelevant in the context of building shows and theatres
and Experiences of any kind.
Whatever price is
paid for the rug under barter, the quality and condition of the rug doesn’t
change. The Winner wins and walks away with exactly what s/he wants.
This is entirely
different when building a show; though what will be encountered in this part of
the world is a stalwart refusal by the Client to accept this. Be Prepared. It
can easily go down as follows:
• RFP with budget of 10 million.
• You Pitch to budget of 9.5 million.
• You win the project.
• You are then told that the budget
“has been reduced” to 7 million, but they want the same show you sold them.
• You share with the Client the
information that the cutting can be done, but it will mean a smaller show, that
some component must be excised, the cast will be smaller, fewer sets,
needle-drop music rather than original, whatever.
• This is unacceptable to the Client.
A problem, yes?
Happens all the
time.
I have no solution
to propose for this; just givin’ y’all a Heads Up!
Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.
But here’s a thing
to remember in all dealings with other cultures. While the guys on the other
side of the table may seem to want to take advantage of you … and probably do …
it isn’t personal. In the part of the world where I am now and have been
working, thousands of years of marketplace bartering and bargaining precede our
air-conditioned meetings, but the genetics of the culture haven’t changed … we’re
all just dressed better.
Oh, there are plenty
of Bad Guys (on both sides; we are not guilt-free); they still abound, and I am
not always as blithe about the ongoing and seemingly unnecessary hurdles and
obstacles and protocols that slow things down and needlessly raise prices,
temperatures and tempers.
Necessary or not,
however, these dynamics are indigenous to the Culture(s); hence eradicable (and
inescapable). They are not, however, Personal.
The complaint about Americans.
The one complaint I
most hear about Americans is that we like to “…get right down to business: no
chit-chat or ice-breaking conversation.” We laugh about this, at least most of
my other ExPat friends laugh about it; but here’s the thing … People of most
every other culture in the world seek to know the person with whom they are
about to do business before business is actually done. While Business is
Business; Business is also Personal. Your colleague across the table wants to
know who you are, what makes you tick - to find common ground in interests or
family or recreation ….then, they want to take advantage of you!
If they don't like you, they probably can't be bothered by doing business with you.
So get to know 'em. Let them get to know you. Make friends, garner trust, LISTEN TO THEM and they will listen to you. Let them go first. The way "we" do it just may not be
• the right way
• the way that will work in this new
context
…and you can only
discern that by listening, observing, learning the lay of the proverbial land.
A visionary and nimble Director, Producer and Writer, Kile Ozier
has a global reputation for crafting Experience such that audiences are
captivated and rapt; brought to their feet with thunderous applause or deeply
touched by his ability to tell a story and connect, emotionally. His strong
work ethic, creativity and empathetic management style has consistently
delivered Show Experience that continues to resonate in the memories of his
audiences long after the lights are doused.
He shares his techniques and philosophies … and opinions … on
creating experiences (and on random experiences that have been created by
others) in his iBook, “IMHO: Creating Compelling Experience” - a free download
from iTunes or iBooks at https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/imho/id555219645?mt=11.
Meanwhile, his blog, “IMHO: Sharing What I’ve Learned,” is avidly read and
embraced by billions of humans and others throughout the Milky Way and
Andromeda Galaxies. http://imho.kileozier.com
. To learn
more about Kile, visit www.oziercreative.guru. To contact Kile, email him via kile@kileozier.com
