eZine October 2009

Joining the Tero Team in 2002, Deborah is certified as a Corporate Etiquette and International Protocol consultant from the Protocol School of Washington, D.C.

She brings to Tero expertise on business etiquette and cultural communication issues that arise daily in business situations and that are pertinent to presenting a positive image in our changing times.

In addition to leading Tero International's Business Etiquette programs Deborah serves as an interculturalist, focusing on cross cultural competence and communication in a corporate environment.

Deborah is certified as an administrator of the Intercultural Developmental Inventory (IDI), a statistically reliable and valid assessment of cultural worldview and intercultural competence and has completed coursework around intercultural communication, training design in intercultural communication, managing intercultural virtual teams, facilitating developmental interventions in intercultural communication, cross cultural training in international organizations, coaching global executives, emotional intelligence and diversity, and the Global Competency Inventory.

She has had the opportunity to administer and coach international employees from Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America and the U.S. in the Intercultural Developmental Inventory as part of Tero's leadership team.

Deborah's role at Tero involves training, research and design, and executive coaching. She is also an experienced keynoter addressing audiences in corporate cross cultural communication and organizational applications of business etiquette and protocol as well as change management, leadership development, and negotiation skills.

Deborah has addressed a wide variety of audiences for Tero such as the Management School for Tech de Monterey, PLRB, the National Association of Legal Professionals, Union Pacific, Principal Financial Group, OPPD and Nationwide Insurance.

Deborah has a Masters Degree from Drake University in Education, and has been an educator, trainer and consultant in the public and private sector for over thirty years. She is a frequent contributor to news columns and radio broadcasts and is a member of the Association of Training and Development, Rotary International, American Women in Communication, a Protocol and Diplomacy Officers International, and the Society for Intercultural Training Education and Research.

Click here for a video clip featuring Deborah Rinner.

Click on the image above to view a video clip of Deborah Rinner

Tero® International, Inc.
Your Elite Training Team

Monthly eZine - October 2009

Welcome to the Tero International Monthly eZine

Random acts of kindness. Can they ever unknowingly be less kind than we think?

Hold your hands up, palms toward you, in front of your eyes and face. Have you ever done that before? Probably not. Yet that positioning gives new meaning to the term "My Space" and is a valid reminder of how we view the world. Our personal world view is compromised by the fact that the things closest to us and our own sense of self color it, and blind us to what may be beyond.

The trouble with our individual "My Space" orientation is that it may blind or inhibit our ability to see that there are other equally valid views or needs operating right past yet alongside our own. If we do see glimmers of difference beyond ourselves, our "My Space" orientation can make difficult fully understanding those differences.

As a result we often make the assumption that others are more like us than they are. This assumption is at the root of seemingly kind acts that are in reality not kind at all, but potentially presumptuous.

How do we begin to get our view to extend further out, so as to be able to see and be inclusive of differing values and attitudes?

Why do we need to, in business, now more than ever?

We have dedicated October's eZine to reflect on this important and relevant concern. In business today a mono, closely held world view and the inevitable miscommunications and presumptions that go along with it are limiting, both to individual and organizational growth.

This month we are asking you, further into the eZine, to share random acts of kindness with others you work with. We also ask you to contemplate, what is an act of kindness in that person's world view? It is our hope that this month's content will challenge you in ways that figuratively get your hands moving further out, and your view opening up to what's beyond your personal experience.

Ask Tero

This section contains questions asked of the training professionals at Tero. Do you have a question for Tero? Let us know! If there is a topic or question you would like to see addressed in a future eZine, please make suggestions so we can give you the resources you need. Thank you for the continued responses we receive each month.

Question: I am visiting Moscow on business. Can you provide some brief general protocol I may not realize I need to know?

Tero says: Do not greet someone you've just met with "How are you?" That is reserved for friends; otherwise it is none of your business. Do not sit on anything other than a chair. Do not blow your nose or spit in public or show the soles of the shoes when crossing you legs. Do plan to spend all evening at dinner. Do begin eating as soon as you are served. Do not drink, however, before the host offers the first toast. Do use two raised fingers in the "V" for a victory sign to hail a cab - if you are willing to pay double fare.

Question: Saudi Arabia is on my list of business trips the first of the year. Quick tips?

Tero says: Do not show the sole of the foot. Do not hand documents or food dishes with the left hand. Do not be surprised if your business counterpart does not want to sign a contract. To the Arab mind, what Allah decrees is so; therefore, a piece of paper between mere mortals may be seen as meaningless and unnecessary. Do accept hospitality and all the cups of coffee or tea offered. Do expect interruptions during your meeting. Do practice patience.

These tips are handy, but if you are entertaining the idea of substantive business relationships please take time to identify the differences in cultural and business values as well between the country you are visiting and your own.

Click here to ask Tero a question

Feature Article - Is Stereotyping Wrong?
by Deborah Rinner

Flight 7076 out of O'Hare was delayed a half hour. Not bad for Chicago. It definitely could be worse, and the day was still young. Not enough time to go walking on the concourse, yet just enough time to sit back, enjoy my Earl Grey tea, and people watch.

Studying the group lining up for flight 7402 to Portland, Maine (which was leaving on time), I imagined what life was like for each of the passengers. Did the man in the blue sweater vest with the backpack teach at a college there? How about the woman wearing the hiking boots? Was she a true nor'easterner raised on the rugged rocky coast? Or was she simply a vacationer suited up for anticipated hikes through the fall leaves? Was the guy in the sports coat heading over the red carpet to first class anticipating a fresh lobster for dinner tonight? My mind was busy creating stories associating all I had heard about Maine with all that I saw in the passengers lined up to board.

If you ask people if they stereotype, most would answer no. Stereotype is a word typically insinuating a less than fair appraisal of a person or a group, often times linked to a negative prejudice. Most of us would not want to affirm that we stereotype because of this definition. As a member of some classification or other throughout the course of our lives we realize at least a bit of what it feels like to be categorized rather than seen as an individual. It does not feel good or just.

Yet in the airport passing time, I was unconsciously stereotyping, creating appraisals of the passengers, and placing each of them in my mind in simple formulaic mental categories. My categories were naive and based on what I thought I knew about Maine and what the people who lived there were like, combined with the strangers in front of me waiting to board. Although I would not consider myself someone who stereotypes, I was doing just that. Was this seemingly innocent classifying function of the mind as undesirable as the stereotyping most would not admit to? Is stereotyping always negative?

Click here for the full article

Professional Development Activity - Challenging Your Personal World View

Most likely someone you are working or interacting with holds a personal world view different than your own. Can that affect behaviors and expectations at work? You bet! Can that influence profitability? Absolutely. Positively or negatively depending on how we leverage the differences.

Nancy Adler in her book "International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior" explores the complexities differing cultural views and upbringing have on interrelatedness both internally and externally in the workplace. To begin to be aware and address the part culture plays at work, Adler suggests reflecting on the following steps. Reflect on these this month. As a result ask yourself. What did you learn about you? What did you learn about those you may be working with (clients, colleagues etc.). The 21st century leader and valued employee is one who has the ability to manage difference and ambiguity. We hope this exercise will alert you to the differences you manage, and the opinions, beliefs and values you and others hold.

Activity: Adapted from "International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior" Adler

1. What are the cultural beliefs and attitudes you have about life and work? (Think back to messages you received when being raised as a child). How does your cultural upbringing hinder or help your ability to work with others different than yourself under your organizational structure? How are your beliefs similar or different from your organization's culture?

2. Identify value and cultural differences you may have with those working around you. Commonly the differences lay around the following areas:

How one perceives the use of time
One thing at a time business focus or many things occurring and relationships taking a precedence.
Communication
Direct to the point or more embedded in a lot of context and consideration of the "face" and feelings of the receiver.
Perceptions of power and hierarchy
Addressing and responding to people with regard to position or more equalitarian and less concerned with power.
Predominant relationship or task completion emphasis
Individualistic (own self) or collectivistic (group) orientation to work outcomes.

The first step in getting our worldview to be more inclusive of others is in knowing ourselves and what we were taught to hold as valuable personal work behaviors and outcomes. Step number two is being able to see differences DO exist. Sometimes this can best be facilitated by asking those around us what they value and how that is demonstrated through their work. We do not need to be threatened by differing values and views. We do, however, have a responsibility to figure out what value difference brings to the work and profitability at hand.

Resources

Iowa Acts of Kindness
This month, help CHARACTER COUNTS! by counting acts of kindness and good deeds. Head to www.KindnessCounts.ning.com and post your good deed in the forum.

Iowa Youth Congress
Since 2006, thousands of high school students have participated in electing representatives to the Iowa Youth Congress. The 100 student representatives elected yearly convene in the House Chambers, where they hold elections, propose, debate and pass three bills. Then the bills are actually proposed to state lawmakers. The Congress gives young minority students the opportunity to responsibly influence public policy in Iowa. To learn more about the Iowa Youth Congress, click here. Please contact Shaun Wilkinson, Youth Outreach Coordinator, Status of Iowans of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage, Iowa Department of Human Rights, shaun.wilkinson@iowa.gov

What's New at Tero

Feature Article in Midlands Business Journal
Becky Rupiper-Greene, Senior Training and Image Consultant for Tero International, talks about how companies are building their competitive advantage through building the intepersonal skills of their employees. Click here to read the article by Matrissa Leggett in Omaha's Midlands Business Journal.

A New Tero Movie
Last month we were pleased to debut five new Tero videos. This month we add a sixth video to the library highlighting Tero's etiquette, dining and intercultural training. Click here for a direct link to Tero's newest video. To select a clip from the Tero video library, Click here.

Coming Attractions: Continue to watch the Tero website for the release of a video clip featuring a virtual tour of the Tero Learning Center hosted by Jennifer Chittenden.

Tero gratefully acknowledges the expert creative and production work of the professionals at RDG Multimedia.

Public Workshops

Outclass Your Competition
A 5-hour Business Etiquette and Dining Tutorial workshop.
November 19, 2009 (Des Moines), February 11, 2010 (Des Moines)
April 22, 2010 (Des Moines), June 10, 2010 (Omaha)
July 8, 2010 (Des Moines), September 16, 2010 (Des Moines)

Image and Influence: Polishing Your Professional Look
A 1/2-day workshop on polishing the message your appearance sends and discovering the best way to present yourself.
January 14, 2010 (Des Moines)
February 25, 2010 (Omaha), May 6, 2010 (Omaha)
May 13, 2010 (Des Moines), July 15, 2010 (Des Moines)
August 19, 2010 (Omaha), October 14, 2010 (Des Moines)

IMPACT - How To Speak Your Way To Success
A 2-day workshop on speaking confidently and persuasively.
November 12-13, 2009 (Des Moines), December 10-11, 2009 (Des Moines)
January 12-13, 2010 (Des Moines), February 15-16, 2010 (Des Moines)
March 9-10, 2010 (Des Moines), April 6-7, 2010 (Des Moines)
April 13-14, 2010 (Omaha), May 11-12, 2010 (Des Moines)
June 15-16, 2010 (Des Moines), July 13-14, 2010 (Des Moines)
August 10-11, 2010 (Des Moines), September 14-15, 2010 (Des Moines)
October 12-13, 2010 (Des Moines), October 19-20, 2010 (Omaha)
November 9-10, 2010 (Des Moines), December 7-8, 2010 (Des Moines)

MORE IMPACT - Advanced Presentation Techniques
A 2-day advanced presentation skills workshop for IMPACT grads only.
September 22-23, 2010 (Des Moines)

Time Management Through Goal Setting
A 2-day workshop on setting goals, balancing priorities, managing time and building stress strength.
March 3-4, 2010 (Des Moines), August 25-26, 2010 (Des Moines)

Selecting Top Performers: Recruiting and Interviewing
A 2-day workshop on hiring top performers.
December 1-2, 2010 (Des Moines)

Beyond Compromise: A Better Way To Negotiate
A 2-day workshop on hiring top performers.
November 16-17, 2010 (Des Moines)

Click here to register for a public workshop

Online Resources

Are you a graduate of a Tero workshop? Your feedback is important to us.

Click here to fill out an evaluation of how your Tero acquired knowledge has impacted your everyday work and life. This opportunity is available in each eZine or you can visit the Tero website at www.tero.com to give us your feedback.

Inspiration - Things to Think About

We shall not cease from explorations
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

- T.S. Eliot

The more we truly understand our own reactions, motivations and intents, and where they originated, the more ability we will have to be effective in business and life. Success is not about us. It is about how we relate to those around us that makes us successful or not. In understanding who we are, why we feel the way we do, why we act the way we do, we can then step out of our mono view unthreatened and view someone else's view and actions objectively, honestly and empathetically. This is the work of the masters. This is the work that brings us back to who we really are, and all we can achieve.

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The Tero International Monthly eZine is written for the graduates and friends of Tero training programs. It is published by Tero International, Inc., 1840 NW 118th Street, Suite 107, Des Moines, Iowa 50325. Copyright 2009, Tero International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Tero International, Inc.

1840 NW 118th Street, Suite 107, Des Moines, Iowa 50325
phone 515-221-2318 fax 515-221-2369

P. O. Box 241143, Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1143
Phone 402-334-6819

website www.tero.com
email training@tero.com