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 being able to relax in the context of a humorous story.
I've often told the story of when I arrived in Senegal ready to parlez beaucoup (speak a lot) with my beautiful French, only to realize that no-one understood a word I was saying and I definitely couldn't understand a word they said due to accent differences and local dialects mixing in. It was definitely an "interesting" start to my two weeks.
I tell this story with a chuckle, helping my new acquiantance to relax, realising I know something of what it's like.
If they are getting muddled up with their English, put them at ease, by joking about the English language - for example, "It's ridiculous - all these tenses getting in the way!"
You will see how often the shoulders begin to relax and a grin appears on this new friend's face.
Previous tip: Start gently.
Next tip: Ask about home and show an interest in their world.
