Training Tips From Southeast Asia - Training In Different Cultures

As the cab snaked its way through the crowded streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, taking me to the Regent Hotel, I could see, hear and feel the vitality, bustle and optimism of the people. As the U.S. economy stumbles along, it was exciting to make another visit to an area of the world that is thriving, growing and thirsting for knowledge.

The evidence of a well-trained staff was everywhere as I entered the hotel. I was greeted by name by one of a battalion of young, well-groomed, tuxedo-clad hosts and hostesses who are there to help expedite check-in. As I exited the elevator to my sleeping room floor, I was greeted by the butler for my floor. He greeted me and told me of some of the hotel's complimentary services: 24-hour tea service in your room, fresh fruit and flowers, pressing of your clothes within 24 hours of check-in, on-call butler on your floor, and others. After 23 hours of flying, all of those things were nice but not as important as a shower and sleep.

The next day, refreshed, I prepared for a two-week training tour of Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta (Indonesia). In the first two cities, the workshop topic was "Quality Control of Training". In Jakarta, the two-day workshop was "Quality Management in a Petroleum Environment" followed by two one-day "train-the-trainer" workshops.

As with my last trip, I learned some fascinating nuggets of information about how other cultures function and learn:

- There is a shortage of skilled labor in Southeast Asia. New employee orientation and customer service training often lasts up to six months in many organizations to bring employees up to the competitive standards of world class service.

- Even though I was warned that workshops for Singaporeans don't start on time (and organizers don't even expect them to start on time), our programs began on time and most attendees were present by 8:45 a.m. The workshop began at 9:00 a.m. and concluded at 5:00 p.m.

- No refreshments on arrival at the workshops, but coffee, tea and pastries were served at the 10:30 break. Lunch (planned to last two hours), is included as a group and is often elegant -- seven-course Chinese meal (a special pre-printed menu described the meal), upscale Northern Italian food, and sometimes entertainment is included -- a trio or quartet of musicians.

- Meeting Room setup was precise and elegant. Rosettes, made from a hand-pinned drape, decorated the front of each tablecloth.

At the workshop:

- Approximately 50/50 mix of males/females at each workshop in each country (Malaysia, Singapore and Jakarta).

- Several participants wore traditional Muslim dress and asked for additional time at lunch and a private room to say their mid-day prayers. The direction of Mecca is marked in the ceiling of each hotel room.

- Questions from the participants were often thoughtful, even penetrating, and always politely phrased.

English was used during our workshops. Participants' comfort level and facility with English varied by country. Here's what I found (In descending order of facility and comfort with English):

- Since Singapore schools teach all classes in English and English is one of four official languages, workshop attendees had no problem with English and were easily understood.

- In Malaysia, most workshop attendees were competent in English. Since English is only taught as a single class in Malaysian schools, there is less comfort with English and this can require additional processing times for activities and questions and answers.

- Indonesians' facility with English is satisfactory but even more time is necessary for activities and questions and answers. Small groups often discussed case studies in their language. A glossary of key words and jargon in our international training materials made a big difference.

The present and future of training in Southeast Asia will be impacted by some of the other observations I made:

The U.S. has found this market:

- Careertrack (a U.S. company that conducts public training workshops) mails hundreds of thousands of brochures into all of the major Southeast Asia markets from Hong Kong.

- The University of California at Fullerton was putting on a workshop in Singapore the week after I left.

China and Vietnam are viewed as the next markets needing training expertise.

In Singapore, 1-1/2% of company sales goes into a training fund to be used for both management and skills training. Malaysia is just about to adopt a similar scheme.

I'll be returning to Southeast Asia again soon to present more of our train-the-trainer workshops and a new workshop, "Quality Customer Service Management" and to present a session at the Asian Regional Training and Development Conference to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Another report will follow.

JEAN BARBAZETTE is president of The Training Clinic , a train-the-trainer consulting firm she founded in 1977. The Training Clinic is the leading "Train-the-Trainer" company in the U.S. Jean, and a field staff of 18, present hundreds of in-house workshops nationally and internationally on the techniques of training trainers each year. Additional information, and 11 other articles on training in Asia, are available at The Training Clinic.

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