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Connecting Worlds
Connect International serves
the international community in
the provinces of Groningen,
Friesland and Drenthe.
Supported by an international staff and Board of Directors, we provide quality
relocation services and practical information to help familiarize international
residents with all aspects of living, working or studying in the Northern
Netherlands, as well as organizing events and activities to make connections.
Services:
Join Us!
● Immigration services
● “Buddy” -system
You can register to become a Connect
International member via our website. For
a small yearly fee, you receive the
Connections
e-magazine
newsletter
delivered directly to your email inbox, you
have access to the Connect International
community through organized events, you
can ask us any questions you may have
and much more.
● Free access to books & guides
Visit: www.connect-int.org
● Home search & set-up
● Career services
● Social events, activities & clubs
● Business events
● Personal support & assistance
● Knowledge database
Welcome New Members!
Connect International would like to welcome the following new members:
Mohammad Al Zayyat, Dorothee Lutz, Tácia Aquinas, Hanieh Khodaei, Cassia Ribeiro,
Nubia & Edgar Yanez Angarita, Jelena Radin, Chris Heckmann and Nina Tsevan
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Important Dates
IMPORTANT DATES
May Vacation Times
Primary Education & Secondary Education Schools
Basisonderwijs & Voortgezet onderwijs
North Netherlands
30 April 2016 - 8 May 2016
Week 18
Mid-Netherlands
30 April 2016 - 8 May 2016
Week 18
South Netherlands
30 April 2016 - 8 May 2016
Week 18
Other Dates
Passover
22 April 2016
Koningsdag
(Kings Day)
27 April 2016
Connect Classifieds
Looking for a baby sitter?
Eva, is 15 years old and speaks fluent English
and Arabic. She’s a sensible, responsible girl.
If you need a night off from the kids, please
contact Eva via email, evatabbakh5@gmail.com
Connect International Office:
Gedempte Zuiderdiep 98, Groningen
Postbus 16, 9700 AA Groningen
Telephone: 050 7440087
Email: info@connect-int.org
Website: www.connect-int.org
Editorial
Editor: Stephanie Fermor
Assistant Editor: Margaret Metsala
Writers: Stephanie Fermor, Angela
Greco, Alexandra van den Doel, The
Volunteer Communication Team
TEDxGroningen 2016, Ian Reitsma.
Editorial and advertising in Connections is based
on material, written and verbal, provided by
contributors and advertisers. No responsibility is
taken for errors or omissions and opinions
expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the
publisher. All material in Connections is subject to
copyright provisions. No part of this publication
Send all letters and submissions to:
publications@connect-int.org
may be reproduced without written permission by
the publisher.
Connections #69
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What’s on April 2016
CONNECT EVENTS
All Connect Events this month
International Coffee Morning
Groningen
Friday 1 April, 10:30
Doppio Cafe (Groningen)
Movie Club: “Youth”
Monday 4 April, 13:30
Pathé Groningen
Dutch Conversation Fun
Wednesday 6 April, 15:00
IWCN Office (Groningen)
Bowling Night
Thursday 7 April, 19:30
Groningen
Book Club: “The Illuminations” by A.
O’Hagen
Thursday 7 April, 20:00
Janny’s place (Groningen)
International Coffee Morning Assen
Friday 8 April, 10:30
Professional Development Fair 2016
Sunday 10 April, 13:30
Postillion Hotel Haren Groningen
Writers’ Circle
Tuesday 12 April, 19:00
Dutch Conversation Fun
Wednesday 13 April, 15:00
IWCN Office (Groningen)
International Coffee Morning
Groningen
Friday 15 April, 10:30
Doppio Cafe (Groningen)
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Pub Night
Friday 15 April, 18:00
O’Malley’s Irish Pub (Groningen)
Movie Club: “Boychoir”
Monday 18 April, 13:30
Pathé Groningen
Dutch Conversation Fun
Wednesday 20 April, 15:00
IWCN Office (Groningen)
Crafts Club: Beading workshop
Sunday 24 April, 14:00
Het Concerthuis (Groningen)
International Coffee Morning
Groningen
Friday 29 April, 10:30
Doppio Cafe (Groningen)
Future Events
21 May
Golf Clinic & IWCN Open
See page 4 for more details about this event.
Upcoming Event
GOLF: YOU HAVE TO PLAY
TO UNDERSTAND
The IWCN and Connect International event
Whether you are an experienced
golfer or someone who is just
curious to try this sport out, we
have good news for you! On
Saturday, May 21st, we would like
to welcome you to the Northern
Netherlands Golf & Country Club
in
Glimmen
for
day
of
International Golfing, no matter
what your individual level of
experience is.
IWCN Open
Experienced golfers are invited to take part
in the IWCN Open, a challenging
two-and-a-half hour, 9 hole competition to
try their skill against other international
golfers.
Golf Clinic
And for those who would like to learn the
golf basics, we have prepared a Golf
Clinic, where everyone (including children
above 8 years old) will be taught the
techniques of golf within a 2 hour clinic.
Prizes
The winners of the Open and the most
improved Clinic participant will receive
their awards during a prize ceremony at
the end of the event. The prize ceremony is
organized and sponsored by the Real
Estate Consultancy (www.recvastgoed.nl)
Details of the Event
Date: 21st of May, Saturday
Place: De Noord-Nederlandse Golf &
Country Club (Pollselaan 5, Glimmen)
The “IWCN Open” price:
members); €35 (non-members)
€25
(CI
The “Golf Clinic” price: €10 (CI
members); €20 (non-members); €7.50
(children); €25 (CI members family deal: 2
adults+2 children); €45 (non-members
family deal: 2 adults+2 children)
Maximum number of players: 80 (40 for
the IWCN Open and 40 for the Golf Clinic)
The Club
The Northern Netherlands Golf & Country
Club, which began in 1950, has a territory
of 60 hectares bordering the nature
monument De Drentse Aa. Nowadays the
Club has about 900 active members. To
read more about the Club, visit their
website: www.nngcc.nl (partially also in
English)
The beautiful location, international
environment, fun atmosphere and a
healthy level of physical activity are all
the ingredients for an event not to be
missed!
Connections #69
| 4
Information Center
INTRODUCTION TO DUTCH
Sign up for free Dutch Starter Course
70,000 participants registered for
the Introduction to Dutch MOOC
in 2015. The online course was
developed by the University of
Groningen
Language
Centre
(http://goo.gl/2CMjOC), and is
aimed at prospective students
and staff of the University,
international professionals who
intend to live and work in the
Netherlands and people from
other countries with an interest in
Dutch language and culture. The
course introduces participants to
the basics of the Dutch language
and
gives
background
information on the city of
Groningen, the University of
Groningen and the region as a
whole.
Introduction to Dutch takes three weeks
and is intended for anyone who wants to
learn Dutch or is planning to visit the
Netherlands for work, a study programme
or holidays. Participants do not need prior
knowledge of Dutch before starting the
course. The subjects covered include
introducing yourself and talking about
family, friends, work or studies. The course
also includes short films giving a general
impression of home and working life in the
Netherlands. Participants can purchase a
statement of participation once they have
finished the course.
Registering for Introduction to Dutch
Online registration is possible (and free!)
via futurelearn.com/courses/dutch. The
next online course will be starting on 23
May 2016.
For more information, contact the
Language Centre by phone: +31 (0)50
3635802 or email: talencentrum@rug.nl
Students from all over the world participated in the MOOC in 2015.
We have had many positive responses:
"Sincerely this is one of the best language online courses I have attended. It is all very
simple and easy to get and practice. As a linguist I find no remarks for now. So good
luck and Godspeed to all of you vriende!”
“The course goes at a good pace and, of course, anything you haven't quite
understood you have the opportunity to review. Dank u veel voor uw help!”
“It's going well so far. The course is well structured and I think it is also a matter of
practice as some words and phrases need to be internalised before moving on with
the further teaching material.”
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Information Center
STRANGER THINGS
English Speaking Improv Comedy Group
It's a new month, which means a
new show! On April 7, Stranger
Things returns with another
improv show at Silo.
made up on the spot by the actors, usually
inspired by suggestions taken from the
audience. The result is a unique and fresh
show that remains unpredictable for both
the audience and the performers.
After a succesful and completely sold out
debut at the Silo, Stranger Things is back
with their monthly comedy show on April 7!
At Stranger Things shows, you never know
what to expect. Neither do they.
Now, they can be seen at the Silo,
performing a full-length improv comedy
show every first Thursday of the month!
Stranger Things Have Happened is an
English-speaking improv comedy group.
Improv comedy involves scenes that are
To see more and to buy your tickets, visit
strangerthings.nl. Hope to see you there!
Connections #69
| 6
Information Center
TEDx EVENT FOR THREE
YEARS NOW IN GRONINGEN
by The Volunteer Communication Team,
TEDxGroningen 2016
TED is not the name of a person,
but the name of a non-profit
organization that is devoted to
ideas worth spreading. But what
does TED truly stand for, besides
sharing ideas and creating waves
that have a big impact on our
contemporary
society?
TED
means
Technology,
Entertainment, Design. TED began
as a conference with talks that
focused on technology and
design
and
brought
in
entertainment along the way to
help make ideas accessible to
everyone.
These
ideas
are
communicated in short and
powerful talks, also known as TED
Talks.
Today the talks encompass a great variety
of subjects ranging from global issues to
music and from economics to psychology.
They are presented in such a manner that
they can be a source of inspiration for
everybody. The power of TED lies precisely
in the fact that one’s interests and hobbies
can find novel sources of information within
the TED community.
In order to enhance the experience of
watching TED Talks online, TED organizers
have come up with the idea of designing
local, live and independently organized
events. This is how TEDx was born, and
TEDxGroningen represents such an event.
2016 marks the third edition of the
conference
held
in
Groningen.
TEDxGroningen
is
a
non-profit
organization run 100% by volunteers. Staff,
speakers and partners contribute on a
pro-bono basis with their valuable time and
skills to support ideas worth spreading.
Early this year the organizers have
searched for 350 enthusiastic and diverse
audience members of the local community
to attend the event. As an attendee one
had to pass an original application process.
Besides being a participant, one can also
become a volunteer and lend a helping
hand with organizing the event or one can
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Information Center
become a speaker sharing innovative ideas
at the very event. All these are possible by
following a selection procedure in strict
observance with the TED guidelines.
TEDxGroningen will take place on 14 April
2016 at De Stadsschouwburg, Turfsingel
86, from 12:30 to 19:30. If you are eager to
nurture your curiosity, ignite your creativity,
get inspired with great TEDTalks, and keep
yourself updated about this year's
TEDxGroningen event, please visit:
www.tedxgroningen.com
www.twitter.com/TEDxGroningen
www.facebook.com/TEDxGroningen
Connections #69
| 8
Food for Thought
WHICH FLOUR?
Understanding flour types
There are many different types of
flour available. Finding a good
quality flour is the easiest way to
improve your baking. Flour from
Dutch supermarkets tends to be
very processed, resulting in white,
tasteless flour that is missing
many of the natural enzymes.
At the start of the new year we bought a
bread machine. After making a few loaves
and trying a few different recipes I was so
disappointed at the bread that came out of
it that I was ready to send bread machine
to the kringloop and forget the idea of fresh
homemade bread. Then a friend
suggested visiting the local windmill for our
flour.
Visiting the windmill, we got to see them
actually grinding down the wheat and
packing it. The smell from the fresh flour
was amazing, totally different from the flour
you buy at supermarkets. Our local mill
produces a few different types of flour,
plain flour, wholemeal flour and spelt flour.
They also sell gluten and yeast, and baking
mixes for pancakes and cakes. The most
surprising thing was that the prices were
the same as buying flour from the
supermarket, yet you get a much better
quality product.
We are still experimenting with different
bread recipes, and using a mix of flours in
our baking, but so far, the results with fresh
flour from the windmill are much better. So
visit your local windmill, they also often can
give advice on baking cakes and breads,
and may even have recipe cards available.
If you don’t have a windmill
anywhere near, try checking
the flour section or speciality
food section at your local
supermarket.
Some
supermarkets
(even
big
names like Jumbo and AH) will
stock flour produced by
windmills within the region.
See the table for a list of
different types of flour and
what they are called in Dutch.
Written by Stephanie Fermor.
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Food for Thought
Protein
US
German
Italian
Netherlands
~ 9%
pastry flour
405
00
zeeuwse bloem
~ 11%
all-purpose flour
550
0
patentbloem
~ 14%
high gluten flour
812
1
tarwebloem
~ 15%
first clear flour
1050
2
gebuilde bloem
~ 13%
whole wheat flour
1700
Farina
integrale
volkorenmeel
If you fancy trying to make some fresh
bread here is the recipe I use.
Make a well in the middle of the flour mix
and pour in the yeast water and stir gently.
Ingredients
- 10g salt
- 300g whole wheat flour (volkorenmeel)
- 200g all-purpose flour (patentbloem)
- 10 gram butter
- 10 gram sugar
- 7 gram gluten powder (glutenpoeder)
- 6 gram dried yeast (gist)
- 320 ml luke warm water.
Knead the mixture for 10 to 15 minutes; the
dough is ready when it is smooth and
elastic.
Bread machine
Add all the ingredients in order to your
bread machine trommel. Make sure the
salt and yeast do not come into close
contact as the salt can kill the yeast.
You can use either a regular programme or
a speed programme. This recipe is for a
700g loaf, or there about, depending on
your machines settings.
Place the dough in a warm place (about 25
⁰C) with a damp cloth over it and leave it for
1 hour to rise.
Flour your work surface and briskly knead
the dough until all the air is gone.
Form the dough into a loaf shape and place
on a greased baking sheet or loaf tin. Put in
the oven on the lowest temperature setting
to let the dough rise.
Remove the bread from the oven and
increase the oven temperature to 200 ⁰C.
When the oven reaches temperature,
return the bread to the oven and bake for
40 minutes. The bread is ready when it
sounds hollow when tapped.
Remove the bread from the oven and from
the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.
By hand and in the oven
Dissolve the yeast in the water, add in the
sugar and leave for a few minutes.
In a separate bowl mix together the wheat
flour, all-purpose flour, salt and butter.
Hope you enjoy the smell of freshly baked
bread wafting through your home; it does
make a nice start to the weekend!
Connections #69
| 10
Life Experience
PORTABLE PROFESSION
COURSE
Career Strategies for the Perpetually Mobile
Knowing that your husband is
going to change his job location
every four years might at first
have the taste of adventure. I’ve
always wanted to experience new
cultures and see new places.
Besides, having the opportunity to
reorganize my house from scratch
every once in a while feels great to
me, being an interiors decor lover.
Also, raising my kids with an
international background seems
like an intriguing idea. As exciting
as it might seem, this is not that
practical from a career point of
view. Women often have extra
challenges when it comes to
family-work balance, and that’s a
well known issue, but having a
stable, long-term job as an expat
wife is an antinomy. At least that’s
what we tend to think.
Family and work are definitely two
fundamental parts of my life. Over the last
two years I have been working to build,
together with some partners, my own
start-up in the Netherlands. I have gained
my MSc degree at the Delft University of
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Technology and have recently joined an
accelerator
program
for
young
entrepreneurs. During my studies, I have
always done side jobs and when I got
pregnant with my first child, about three
years ago, the need for pursuing the
professional goals I have always set to
myself, felt somehow stronger. Also the
need to learn Dutch properly suddenly
arose. But the incapability of planning my
long-term career goals was overwhelming.
If working outside home is important to
you, this insecurity can easily let you down.
It was when I was struggling with career
choices, knowing that these would affect
my employability in the coming years, that I
came across the announcement of a
course at the RUG called the Portable
Profession: Career Strategies for the
Perpetually Mobile.
This course was
addressed to accompanying spouses,
those who find themselves continually on
the move. So, I joined the course, and it
was definitely worth it. Michaela Stephanie
Carriere, the lecturer and organizer of the
course, believes that there are many
opportunities available to pack your job in a
suitcase just like you do with your clothes
when moving anywhere abroad. This
requires
organization,
well-thought
maneuvering and creativity. Michaela
guides you through a portable career
planning process in this exciting 7-week
course. From defining your dreams, to
Life Experience
working on your CV or creating your blog/website,
the program explores a variety of possibilities, and
Michaela does it with a flexibility that makes you
look forward to the next relocation, just to test your
plan. Each person has a unique situation with
different challenges and I was impressed with her
sincere interest in ensuring we each got what we
needed.
Michaela is an expert in intercultural
competences, being involved in the field of
intercultural communication since 1998; she
has more than 20 years of international
experience (including India, Indonesia, Burma,
Bangladesh, US and The Netherlands).
Michaela successfully put her career in her
suitcase when she moved.
Trying to plan my next move is part of my
character (although I fully believe the
Greek saying: “when you make plans, God
is laughing”). My husband and I have been
a stable couple since we both were 14
years old. During our bachelor studies (20
y-o), my, at that time boyfriend, told me that
he was 100% sure he would never find a
good job in our home country (Italy) as
aerospace engineer, and therefore wanted
to move. I decided I could not wait to act. I
needed to prevent our relationship from
ending. Also, I could not accept the
scenario of me following him without the
skills to find a job abroad. My education
(building engineering) was very local,
meaning that what I was learning was
mainly applicable to my country only.
Besides, I could not speak English at all.
We had therefore decided to pursue our
Master in English abroad, and so we did,
leaving our homes together at 22 years old.
Now, after 5 years, the feeling of
uncertainty, together with the need of
acting to prevent the same scenario I so
much feared, presented once again. I do
have a more international background and
I have learned two languages in the
meantime, but I have also got a family,
which doesn’t simplify the equation.
Encountering the Portable Profession
course presented a valuable opportunity to
plan and thoroughly think about the
intercultural aspect of the career choices I
am making today.
My next relocation could happen in about 3
years from now, and this time I will feel less
insecure. Now I have a well-thought plan
and, thanks to Michaela, I have been
thinking about the impact this plan might
have on my relocation. It will not be a piece
of cake, as I do feel at home in The
Netherlands, but at least I am already
preparing my suitcase.
Written by Angela Greco
Connections #69
| 12
Dutch Culture
SUPERMARKET ‘SPAARACTIES’
To save or not to save?
“Zegels erbij?” or “Spaart u mee
voor de actie……?” You probably
regularly hear sentences like them
when shopping in one of the chain
supermarkets. Should you collect
these stickers and stamps (zegels
is the Dutch word for stamps) and
what can you do with them?
Koopzegels
Albert Heijn sells koopzegels (=savings
stamps). For every qualifying euro you
spend you can purchase a stamp for 10
euro cents. You stick the stamps in a
provided booklet and when you have
collected 490 of them (i.e. 49 euros worth)
you can cash them in at the supermarket
for 52 euros hard cash. Even if you take a
year to fill a book, this is a return of over 6%
- way over the current interest rates at
banks. So, should you do it?
Disadvantages: it is 10% on top of your
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grocery bill at the time of your shopping,
the stamps can be fiddly and you always
need to check they have given you the
correct amount; if the supermarket chain
goes bust you cannot get your money back
as there are no guarantees as there would
be with a bank; you may well get cheaper
groceries elsewhere.
Advantages: the return on them is high,
it’s an easy way to save (if you can afford
to), the kids (or you!) get to have fun
sticking them in the booklet.
Gratis zegels for money off
In this type of promotion, the stamps are
free and you collect towards money off.
Albert Heijn recently ran the promotion for
free stamps that led to discounts on
Villeroy and Boch cutlery and Efteling
tickets and Jumbo is running one currently
on discounts for family days out. My local
AH, which is a franchise, also runs its own
promos and we have been able to collect
Dutch Culture
money off for things as
diverse as charm bracelets,
garden furniture and kitchen
towels for example.
So,
should you? It is of course
paramount
to
determine
whether you truly want/need
the items on offer and then it is
a good idea to check
comparable prices on the
internet to see whether you
are actually getting a bargain.
My experience is that there
usually is a small discount to
be had and only if you would
have shopped at that shop
anyway.
Gratis zegels with nothing extra to
pay
Then there are the completely “free” things
to collect. There are the things for kids:
stickers for football or animal books, little
rubber superheroes, marbles, DisneyTM
figures; and for the whole family: little pots
of seeds to start an allotment for example.
These can turn into real crazes (particularly
the football stickers and the seed pots) with
children queuing outside the shops,
begging for them (in some cases in the
past, crash barriers had to be erected);
desperate
parents
looking
for
swaps/missing items on Facebook and
other social media, and teachers having to
ban all swap activities till after school.
Poiesz does a free stamp for every 25
euros spent that can be redeemed for a gift
from a catalogue and annually has free
stamps that can be collected to collect cash
for sports teams and my local AH had a
promotion where you could donate your
certain stamps to local charities including
b
the food bank.
So, should you collect?
Harmless fun unless you are feeling the
pester power to shop at a particular store
over and over to complete the collection.
By the way, supermarkets often have a
swap afternoon in store towards the end of
the promotion, where you can swap and
they often will give away extra stuff. Also,
you can do like some canny Dutch and try
and sell your complete collection on sites
such as Marktplaats.
Please note that supermarkets which do
not run these promotions at all are often
cheaper. “Free” giveaways have to be paid
for somehow.
Written by Alexandra van den Doel
Connections #69
| 14
Your Career
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT FAIR 2016
The event everyone has been waiting for
There are more than 40.000
internationals in the Northern
Netherlands, living in all corners
of the provinces of Groningen,
Friesland and Drenthe. The region
becomes
more
and
more
internationally-oriented
as
increasing
numbers
of
municipalities put extra effort in
becoming international- friendly;
more information both online and
offline becomes available in
English, and more companies
become interested in employing
expats.
The International Welcome Center North
(IWCN), which opened its doors in
November 2014, aims at providing local
expats with information and support
regarding all aspects of integration and
legal issues. According to their statistics,
every third visitor makes inquiries about
job opportunities, career support or
professional development in the Northern
Netherlands. Simultaneously there is a
high demand for highly-skilled talent in
technical, and a variety of other, fields. And
even though the IWCN staff does their best
to give job-seekers information and
referrals, there is a clear need for this
subject to be addressed in a more specific
and organized way.
To satisfy this demand, the IWCN, together
with Connect International (a non-profit
organization helping internationals in the
Northern Netherlands with relocation,
information and social integration for more
than 19 years) and the University of
Groningen, is organizing the Professional
Development Fair; a talent and career
support event in English
which is unique for the
Northern
Netherlands.
This event is designed
primarily for highly-skilled
expats and graduating
students (with a PhD or a
Master’s
degree)
struggling to find a job in
the region.
The
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purpose
of
the
Your Career
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| 16
Your Career
Professional Development Fair is to
provide international residents with the
necessary
knowledge,
tools
and
connections
needed
to
familiarize
themselves with the specifics of the Dutch
labor market, to learn and to develop
professional skills needed to succeed in the
job application process and increase their
professional potential, to widen their
networking circle, to get to know several
international businesses operating locally
and to find a job in the Northern
Netherlands as an end result.
HR-managers of the key companies
interested in hiring international talents in
the Northern Netherlands, successful
entrepreneurs with unique backgrounds,
career coaches, language trainers and
representatives
of
other
related
organizations will be there to offer their
support, share their knowledge and
experience with international talents from
all over the world.
Fair participants may attend two (out of 10
in total) career-supporting workshops, try
their job application skills during a mock
interview
with
real
HR-managers,
participate
in
facilitated
networking
activities and have all their questions
answered during the information market.
Add to this program a relaxed atmosphere,
beautiful location and a unique possibility of
non-stressful job applications via the
informal Job Cafe, and you’ve got an event
one should not miss!
Date: Sunday, 10 April 2016
Time: 13:30 – 18:00 hrs
Location:
Postillion
Hotel
Haren
Groningen (Emmalaan 33, 9752 KS Haren)
Entrance price: €15,00
Information and registration via:
www.professionaldevelopmentfair.nl
One workshop offered during the Professional
Development Fair is:
Intercultural differences at the business level
Communication in a global team is a more
important subject than ever. Globalization has
led
to
the
rapid
connection
of
internationally-based employees from all levels
of multinational companies. Where once an
employee might have been expected primarily
to collaborate with colleagues from his own
country, today many people are part of global
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Your Career
networks connected with people
scattered around the world. Yet
most
managers
have
little
understanding of how local
culture impacts global interaction.
Even those who are culturally
informed, travel extensively, and
have lived abroad often have few
strategies for dealing with the
cross-cultural complexity that
affects their team’s day-to-day
effectiveness.
This workshop remedies that by
introducing you to an analytical framework
which includes practical, actionable advice
for working in a global market. In thirty
minutes, you will receive clear strategies
for effectively communicating across
cultural
boundaries.
Increase
your
day-to-day effectiveness in intercultural
dealings by analyzing the relative
positioning of cultures on several cultural
scales whose dimensions enable you to
decode how different cultures might
influence
your
own
international
collaborations. The workshop clarifies the
framework of cultural positioning by relating
engaging, real-life stories and anecdotes
from around the world that impart important
lessons about global teamwork and
international collaboration.
how can you get an international team to
work together, if they can't agree on how to
constructively disagree with each other?
This workshop attempts to show some of
the ill-understood differences between the
Dutch and other cultures that may be
putting pressure on your business
relations.
During this workshop, you will work with
strategies for understanding cross-cultural
communication, which includes differences
in disagreeing, decision making, and
persuasion. It gives you insights into the
working culture of the Dutch especially, and
is intended for people from other countries
who have contacts with the Netherlands
through work or business: incoming
expatriates, business people, and those
who work with the Dutch on a regular basis,
either in Holland or abroad.
And when the workshop is over, you will get
access to our post-workshop e-learning
free of charge - which includes all the
information of the workshop and more in an
easy to use and insightful program.
This workshop is offered by Ziggurat
Taaltrainingen. They have been doing
culture-focused language trainings for
businesses in the north of the Netherlands
since 2007.
Written by Ian Reitsma
Cross-cultural communication is first
examined through the lens of giving
negative feedback. For instance, how do
you carry out performance reviews? Your
American employees might precede
negative feedback with three nice
comments, but the Dutch (together with the
French and Germans) skip the positives
altogether and get straight to the point. And
Connections #69
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