Consciously building unconscious bias

I was struck by author Malcolm Gladwell’s desicription of “Rapid Cognition” in the book blink, and how he used the example of the car salesman to show how ignoring sub-conscious ‘knee-jerk’ reactions to people can negatively impact the bottom line.  (e.g. assuming someone won’t be buying  a car strictly from their appearance/first impression.)  When we (social…

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Super Bowl Census Ad Reinforces Sterotypical Bias in Workplace

This Super Bowl Commercial for Snapshot of America could be a snapshot of unconscious bias in the American workforce.  The bosses are white, male and older and all people of color (or those with alternative style) are in supporting positions and/or marginalized.  It’s so steretypical that it’s funny, and I”m not sure if that’s “odd” funny…

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Se Habla Mental Telepathy…the New Universal Language?

Remember as a kid trying to read your friends’ minds at a slumber party?  For my 10th birthday, it came in between “Truth or Dare” and the Séance. Now flash forward to the future (past “Men Who Stare at Goats“), where new technology potentially could erase communication barriers caused by traditional language differences. The program,…

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Hugs and Handshakes and US Business Culture Norms

It’s funny that after presenting a workshop on communication styles, I’m obsessing about my communication style.  I think it’s because I’m more aware now that I’m an “emotive-intuitive” communicator (I speak passionately about things I believe in and like to throw out big ideas as they come to me) and the “norm” for the business…

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Dillon’s Multicultural Ad Pick: Why it helps to know the local customs

Thanks to Intercultural Talk contributer Dillon, age 8, who is learning to recognize great multicultural advertising.  “I chose it because it showed that in English culture it’s polite to finish everything, but in Chinese culture they think you want more if you finish everything,” said Dillon. Look at the fun (depending on your perspective) that ensues when…

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