World Diversity Day: Make a New International Connection
Deborah Swallow | May 21st, 2010 in : cultural diversity, General, other interesting stuff
MAKE A NEW INTERNATIONAL CONNECTION
Doing business in another country is much more than flying out, staying in posh hotels and eating different food. It’s entering into a different world where everyday business events have different rules. Understanding how different peoples across the world go about their day-to-day business, how they conduct meetings, undertake negotiations, make a sales pitch – and even how they regard their boss – will help us all develop Cultural Intelligence and appreciate the value of cultural diversity.
It will make us more successful in our professional lives.
What are doing on May 21st?
It’s “The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development“ — an opportunity to link with others from different cultures and nations and learn something new about them.
Why not take the opportunity to link with someone across the other side of the world and ask them about their work? Here’s your chance to improve your cross-cultural understanding and become interculturalists or anthropologists for the day!
How will it benefit you?
It’s a chance to gain an insight into the way people in another country think and work. It may even be the chance to get past the usual obstacles to doing business in another country. It is certainly the chance to tell them about your own business.
You ask about their business, and they could ask about yours.
Success in business comes from understanding the etiquette, the thinking, the business practices of those with cultures other than your own.
May 21st. Today. Contact a business abroad, tell them it’s The World Day for Cultural Diversity and ask them to tell you about their business, their customers and markets, and any special differences between their country and yours.
That’s all there is to it. Good luck.
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UNESCO’s Diversity Day, officially known as “The World Day for Cultural 
Diversity for Dialogue and Development”, is an opportunity to help our communities to understand the value of cultural diversity and learn how to live together in harmony. This has become one of the most pressing contemporary issues that we face as the human race.
The Day is intended to provide individuals and groups worldwide with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the values of Cultural Diversity and to learn to “live together” better, enhancing the potential of culture as a means of achieving prosperity, sustainable development and global peaceful coexistence.
Far from separating us, cultural diversity is a collective strength, which should benefit the entire world. In this sense, it should be recognized and affirmed as a ‘Common Heritage’ of Humanity.” UNESCO
Hello, I'm Deborah Swallow and, for the last fifteen years, I've worked in over thirty countries addressing the complexities of people working internationally across multiple cultures, so individuals and organisations alike can gain an authentic competitive edge and win in international markets. 
Thank you for this entry. You may also be interested in this multicultural magazine!!.