Continuing with the series
of interviews with bright PR professionals from around the world for this blog, “global
public relations”, in-cooperation with the World
Communication Forum – #WCFDavos, we had the chance to talk with a connoisseur of cultural intelligence and business
etiquette. Directly from Jordan, she gave us a masterclass about the art of global business protocol.
I have the pleasure to
introduce: Rana Nejem. Rana started out her career as a
broadcast journalist with Jordan Television. After working with CNN during the
First Gulf War, she moved to the Royal Hashemite Court where she was
responsible for His Majesty the late King Hussein’s International Media Department
for 2 years. Rana then moved into the field of communications and public
relations leading the public diplomacy and communications work of the British
Embassy in Amman for 18 years.
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Throughout her 25-year
career - whether conducting interviews with Heads of State, making arrangements
for Royal visits and VIP events, formulating communications strategies or
attending diplomatic corporate receptions and formal dinners - business etiquette
and protocol and cross-cultural communications were always an essential part of
her work. Rana learned first hand from top professionals in the field and put
it all into practice throughout her career.
As Communications and
Public Diplomacy Manager, Rana provided cross-cultural communications advice to
British Ambassadors and diplomats as well as Western consultants working in the
Middle East region.
Rana carries a Master's
degree in International Communications and Negotiations from The Fletcher
School of Law and Diplomacy, and is certified as an International etiquette
consultant by the International Etiquette and Protocol Academy in London. Rana
was also trained by The Protocol School of Washington in International Protocol
Management, and is a trained coach in Inter-Cultural Intelligence.
In 2013, she founded her
own company, Yarnu - which is the first organisation to specialise in
cross-cultural communications and business protocol in the Middle East region. Yarnu is the exclusive partner of the World Communication
Forum – #WCFDavos in Jordan.
Rana Nejem will be speaking on 10-11 March 2015 during the VI World Communication Forum in Davos, Switzerland. For the full agenda, please visit www.forumdavos.com.
1. You
have a deep expertise in diplomacy and cross-cultural communication. What do
you consider most important when crafting a communication strategy to reach
stakeholders within different cultural backgrounds?
Rana: The key starting point is understanding your
audience. If you are trying to influence
anyone, you must first understand what is important to that person, what is the
language that he uses and what exactly does it mean to him. We tend to fall into the trap of thinking
that there are words that have a universal meaning – such as trust or love –
but trust means completely different things to different cultures and different
people.
In an honour based culture, when
I say I trust you it means that I trust you will do the honourable thing. In the western culture it means that I trust
you will do the right thing. In other
cultures where fear and control are motivators – it can mean that I trust you
will protect me. This is where I
believe communication can break down – when we use a word and we think we are
talking about the same thing, but it means completely different things to
people from different worldviews and cultures.
I have seen this in the time after the so-called Arab Spring movements
in our region, the west, the Arab governments and the Arab people were all
calling for “reform”, but what each party meant by reform was completely
different, yet everyone wanted “reform” and thought that the other party was
reneging on its promises for “reform”.
a. In
that scope, could you please define the terms cultural intelligence and social
intelligence?
Rana: Psychologists and sociologists have defined Social Intelligence
as the ability to effectively navigate complex social situations and
relationships. Essentially the ability
to get along well with others and to get them to cooperate with you – sometimes
referred to simplistically as “people skills”.
To be able to do that you must also have an awareness of the social
dynamics that govern situations – basically knowing the appropriate behaviour
in any given situation. Social Intelligence also involves a
certain amount of self-awareness of how our own perceptions and behaviour
affects the people we interact with.
Neuroscience has discovered that our
brains are designed to be “sociable”.
As Daniel Goleman, author of ‘Social Intelligence: The New Science of
Human Relationships’, puts it: “we are wired to connect”. Everyone we interact
with has the power to shape our brain and, therefore, our bodies and our
health!
The quality of your life is equal to the
quality of your relationships. Everything
in life is about relationships – relationships with your colleagues, with your
boss, with your customers, with your friends, with your family and spouse. Social intelligence is about building
fruitful relationships with people from different backgrounds.
Cultural intelligence also begins with
understanding your own cultural values and beliefs and the glasses through
which you view the world, determining what is right and what is
acceptable. Cultural intelligence is the
ability to anticipate other individuals’ behaviour, correctly interpret that
behaviour and then adjust your own behaviour to suit the culturally motivated
behaviour of others.
2. How
do you evaluate the valorisation of the variable “culture” in the current
communication strategies of organisations acting across national borders? I
mean, do international organisations approach communication considering
cultural differences and craft messages accordingly? If not, should they? Why?
Rana: Whenever I travel to a country I love to
watch the TV commercials on the local TV channels, they say so much about that
culture – what is important to them and how best to communicate with them. A lot of the commercials in Egypt, for
example, use humour, song and dance. While in the Arabian Gulf, it is mostly
about images of the family.
In other
cultures it is about the logical argument and the facts and figures while
others it is about the price or the romance.
So this shows that there is an understanding of cultural communications,
yet not all corporations take that into account and that is when business fails
and misunderstandings cause tension and sometimes - even conflict.
3. Could
you talk a bit about your company Yarnu?
a. When
was it found? Yarnu was founded 2 years
ago. We are based in Jordan but work
regionally and internationally.
b. What
does the word “Yarnu” mean? Yarnu is the
Arabic word meaning to aspire to, to look towards with calm and serenity.
c. What does the Yarnu specialise in? We help people distinguish themselves by raising their social and cultural intelligence – enabling them to float with confidence and ease from one situation to the other while building fruitful relationships with people from different backgrounds. The majority of our clients are businesses – large and small – as well as government departments and organisations. All our programmes are bespoke – specially tailored to meet the needs of each of our clients.
Our main programmes are: The Business Protocol and Etiquette – which
looks at the ABCD of your professional image; The Cultural Intelligence – which
includes a programme that is specific for non-Arabs who do business across the
Arab world and also the Inter-Cultural Intelligence programme.
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| Rana at one of her workshops |
4. What
is business protocol? Is it a requirement for global executives in any level?
Rana: They say that good manners open doors that
the best education cannot. Recent
studies by Harvard, Stanford and the Carnegie Foundation state that in order to
advance in your career, 80% depends on your social skills including your
ability to put other people at ease, while only 20% depends on your technical
skills. So knowing the appropriate
behaviour in any given situation, social skills and good manners are not a
luxury. They are essential for your
success.
The behaviour and attitude of the top
executive in any organisation – whether intentionally or not – automatically
filters down to the rest of the organisation and becomes, in essence, it’s
corporate culture. Executives need to be
aware of that, so that they are communicating the message they actually intend
to communicate. They must be aware that
“what you do shouts so loud I cannot hear what you say.”
5. What
is social etiquette? Why is it important?
Rana: As I said earlier, it is all about your professional image, good manners and people skills and the ability to build relationships. I cannot over-stress how essential is is if you wish to advance in your career and in life, in general. As John D. Rockefeller said: “I will pay more
for the ability to deal with people than any other skill under the sun!”.
6. What
would be your advice for students and young PR professionals intending to
follow a career within diplomacy and international communications?
Rana: It is very important to start by
understanding your own culture and your own beliefs and values and your own
worldview. Then, you will be able to better understand other cultures and the culturally
motivated behaviour of others. It is
very important to make the effort to understand the other culture you are
working with if you wish to build fruitful and productive relationships and
influence people.
You need to be aware
of the messages you are communicating through your appearance, body language,
behaviour, tone of voice and choice of words.
Social and cultural intelligence is not about following a list of dos
and don’ts; it is about understanding the reason why things are the way they
are; it is about focusing on the why rather than the what. The intelligence comes in when you are able
to use that information to weigh and assess different situations to then
determine the most appropriate course of action.
7. What
does the term “Public Relations” mean to you? How would you define it?
Rana: Public Relations today have changed so
much. Today it covers any interaction
between an individual and a company or organisation. That can happen either face-to-face between
two people or through the various communication channels – social media, etc.
Keep an eye here for future interviews with C-level PR executives from around the globe.
Join us in Davos on 10-11 March 2015 for the VI World Communication Forum - #WCFDavos - www.forumdavos.com.
Follow me on Twitter @FlaviOliveira BR
~ and keep on smiling :-)
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