I learned a few weeks ago that there were going to be 800 students from Brazil in Chicago this summer, studying at the Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Illinois Chicago and University of Chicago. I immediately sent a proposal to IIT to offer a workshop on Communicating and Socializing with USAmericans. They need to…
DetailsThe lady was standing in front of the cash register with a tray full of baskets of fresh cooked battered and fried somethings, as they entered the road side stop somewhere in the middle of Illinois. “What are those?” asked her teenage son. “Fried chicken gizzards,” said the ‘gas station chef’ as she placed the…
DetailsI got my Parkway Alumni News in the mail today, and read about a kid who, now grown up, searched for his favorite high school teacher, to say “thanks.” Now a successful entrepreneur, he also sent her a check for $10,000. She said it made her feel like she “won the lottery!” In honor…
DetailsCultural competence is defined as “the ability of individuals and systems to respond effectively and respectfully to all people in a manner that recognizes, affirms, values and preserves the dignity of each individual.” And while many may in theory aspire to this, changing national demographics, differences in communication styles and expression of values, as influenced…
DetailsYou know what they say about assumptions, and it’s not good. But we do it all the time, unconsciously. Every time you look at someone, read a news article, see an image on television…it’s perfectly natural that every experience that we’ve had prior will inform how we interpret that moment before us. The problem is…
DetailsAfter years of study and really important work in intercultural communication, I’ve been asked to contribute in an extremely significant way to the grand opening for I Grow Chicago’s Peace House*, a really important organization doing great work in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. What am I doing? Strategy? No, even bigger. Event planning? No. Getting the…
DetailsAssuming my dentist won’t read this and put two and two together that I stole the science magazine from the waiting room this morning, I read a fascinating article* this morning about why we believe what we believe—“from the trivial and easily verified-I believe it will rain today—to profound leaps of faith—I believe in God.”…
DetailsThis Cascade ad, with father and son spraying non-stick spray all over the dishes to avoid having to clean crusty dried food seems like a tired stereotype. “Doofus” dad has apparently no common sense or parenting or household chore know-how, and mom just rolls her eyes and saves the day with the solution. Double stereotype in…
DetailsMy dad and I have both been reading The Grandest Love: Inspiring the Grandparent-Grandchild Connection at the same time. For full-disclosure, author Jerry Witkovsky is my client, so it’s logical I would read it, and it’s a great give for your parents (Oh…is that Mother’s Day coming around the corner?), but what I didn’t…
DetailsMy husband can drive from Chicago to St. Louis in four hours. For my son and me, it’s a three day trip, via Rock City and Fairyland Caverns in Georgia, or perhaps down the “crookedest street in the world” in Burlington, IA. For some, it’s 100% about the destination or end product. For others, it’s…
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