Support You South Africa

Helping you to connect, communicate and thrive in your new context


Articles with tag “welcome”

Being Welcoming - Tips

So, you're at a party. The host introduces you to a Russian client who has just arrived in the country and speaks minimal English. You want to connect, but you feel embarrassed and conscious of the huge cultural, conceptual and language abyss that lies between you!

At Support You we've …

Continue reading…

Being Welcoming - Networking

This is the final part of 10 ways to be more effective in interacting with someone from another country

If you are shy, but still want to be kind to this newcomer, use your networking skills. Rather than suffer in ominous silence, tell them you want to introduce them to …

Continue reading…

Being Welcoming - Be Inclusive

This is part 9 of 10 ways to be more effective in interacting with someone from another country

Be inclusive. Encourage the person to join your group or to go up to the buffet with you. Don't smother them, but gently and respectfully include them.

Being a foreigner is exhausting …

Continue reading…

Being Welcoming - Don't Overwhelm

This is part 8 of 10 ways to be more effective in interacting with someone from another country

Don't overwhelm the other person. Pauses in conversation are OK. In fact, conversational pauses are different lengths in different languages. At a party, it's OK to sit together and be quiet, doing …

Continue reading…

Being Welcoming - Your Background

This is part 7 of 10 ways to be more effective in interacting with someone from another country

Explain a little bit about your background, family, country, work. don't be too dominant though. Gauge how interested this person is in learning about you, and share accordingly.

They may not have …

Continue reading…

Being Welcoming - Avoid Stereotyping

This is part 6 of 10 ways to be more effective in interacting with someone from another country

Don't sterotype the person! We all think we don't do it ... but we all do! Just think what you think about people from a particular country (America, Germany, China, Nigeria...)

Don't assume …

Continue reading…

Being Welcoming - Beware Unknown Politics

This is part 5 of 10 ways to be more effective in interacting with someone from another country

Try not to assume anything about the other person's political views. Something that may seem absolutely obvious to you may seem very different from their perspective. So don't start conversations with your …

Continue reading…

Being Welcoming - Ask About Home

This is part 4 of 10 ways to be more effective in interacting with someone from another country

Ask about their country: the food, the weather, transport, the terrain, music, art, what is best to visit as a tourist (or not as a tourist, if you're like me - I prefer …

Continue reading…

Being Welcoming - Use Humour

This is part 3 of 10 ways to be more effective in interacting with someone from another country

Use gentle humour. It works!! Be open to gently laughing at yourself or your culture. (But be very careful not to laugh at them or their culture!) There is nothing like someone …

Continue reading…

Being Welcoming - Start Gently

So, you're at a party (see the first post) and you're wanting to connect with someone froxm another country.

This is part 2 of 10 ways to be more effective in interacting with someone from another country

Approach the conversation gently. Be kind, but don't be over-intense. If you have …

Continue reading…

About
Support You runs individual and group sessions to help women who move to South Africa, to connect, communicate and thrive in their new context