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CI-CD:
Sample of a full data response sheet report
Evaluation
Report: Cultural sensitivity for trading success in Germany
3 day workshop conducted by
CI-CD for UKTI clients, Devon House,
10 attended all three days:
10 completed sheets from full attendees = 100% response rate
1. The Aim
was to set out the critical importance
of cultural understanding in marketing abroad, and develop communication
skills to avoid misunderstandings, and to win the confidence of potential
German trade partners
Did the workshop achieve
those aims for you, and the others in the group?
“Yes” = 100% + “The workshop
gave an excellent foundation; it is for me to practise now!”
What for you were the most
interesting content insights and/or skills?
“The powerful in-depth
presentation of these sessions”
“It’s made me think about
how Germans and other foreigners may perceive me and my company – without me
realising this up to now. I now have the enthusiasm to make much more effort
about how I come across than in the past!”
“What it revealed about the
different uses of language, eg irony, figurative expressions, etc. The need to
practise using English as if it were our second language”
“The cultural explanations
given for why Germans do business in certain ways, and how fatally our own
usage of English language can be misunderstood across cultures”
“Appreciating the need to
simplify use of English in communicating; and the need to work against a more
structured agenda in
“Especially that humour is
not required; the less informal team-working, and very structured approach, in
“UK/German business style
differences; formal/informal approaches in meetings and presentations”
“The dangers in German
business of using figurative or ambiguous language – or irony. The insights
into the characteristic psyche of German business counterparts”
“The advice on behavioural
issues; body languages; understanding German business mentality”
“The exchange of experiences
between us; the practical exercises; the informal atmosphere”
2. The Methods used in
the sessions were highly informal,
including
(a) Small group discussion exercises, and Inputs on
international advertising
(b) German-speaker for help with pronunciation and
introductory phrases in the language
(c) Video case-studies of UK SMEs in
(d) Interactive use of video for developing German
language skills
(e) Documentary video of German Trade Fair business
meeting style
(f)
Video evidence
of how businesspeople from the other countries of Europe regard multi-lingual
skills for doing business – whether in
(g) Videos to demonstrate how misunderstandings happen
across cultures (even when everyone is speaking English relatively fluently)
(h) Display of resources/references
(i)
Practice
simulation session in presenting a product/service to a German business
audience.
Which of the methods (a)
– (i) did you find valuable?
“All were helpful, though
ideally for me more time would be needed for (b) and (d)”
“ALL the methods made this
training extremely good”
“Most of all: a) e) i)
c). In particular, the practice we did
on the third day for making a marketing presentation in
“The idea of breaking
sessions up between interactive learning, presentations, working in pairs, and
analysing the video evidence was all EXCELLENT. (And the absence of looking at
abstract powerpoints was MOST WELCOME!)”
“I found most of all: b); a)
(the inputs); and i)
“In particular: a, g, e, f”
“a, f ,g ,h, and i”
“ALL extremely effective and
valuable. Most unusually, I never felt bored or glazed over even once”
“All were valuable –
though one video dated from mid-90’s, it’s point was still powerful.””
“a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i”
Specifically, which of
the video materials did you find most helpful/insightful?
“The video in f)
was very interesting and encouraged me to make more effort on language”
“All the videos in e) and f)”
“Those showing different styles of doing business and
how misunderstandings happen”
“The genuine German company meeting behind the scenes
at the International Boat Show; and the clip of ‘Jonathan’ in Goodness Gracious
Me!”
“The MBA students, in f)
were massively impactful” (describing experience of Frankfurt Book Fair)
“g) and f) were equally
good”
“For me in particular: g)”
“Five of them - The Finnish university
business studies students. The Lebanese expo chairman. The ‘das Boot’ Fair MD.
The Alistair McGowan scenario. Goodness gracious me. In fact all were revealing
and interesting.”
“Chiefly g) and i)”
3. The Print Materials: You received a 9-page handout of practical tips,
plus a 53-page Briefing Booklet, incorporating cultural information, German
Press articles relating to UK business relations and a detailed self-learning
Module on ways of using English helpful to foreign counterparts.
How do you assess these print materials
in terms of their research base?
“Excellent” x 2
“Good” x 2 “Very in-depth” “Very
useful” x 2 “Very well researched” “Very
good” “I could see the academic research
base is both reliable and authoritative”
How do you assess these print materials in terms of the usefulness of information and
practical suggestions?
“Excellent. (Is an
electronic version available?)” “Excellent”
“Very Good” x 5 “Good examples
of great ideas on how to implement”
“Very useful” x 2
4. How
much would you recommend similar workshops to others in your company?
“Yes” x 2 “Definitely” x 2 “Very much so” x 3 “The others in my company are not in
international sales, so not relevant for them”
“Theoretically yes, but there are not so many people in my firm it’s
relevant to as it is for me.” “Yes, very much”
How much would you
recommend similar workshops to other
UKTI client companies preparing for trading missions abroad?
“Very much” x 2
“Definitely” “This is an absolute must for business” “YES, YES,
JA!” “Yes” x 2
“Very likely” “It’s a necessity” “HIGHLY for those with little previous
experience”
5. Overall
Evaluation of the session? Please tick one of:
- Excellent: much
better than expected, consistently thought-provoking and practically useful
- Very Good: interesting & enjoyable, held attention,
gave us many useful suggestions
- Good: gave several
insights and tips that I will apply
- Nothing Special:
Ok, but little that was either new, or professionally helpful
- Waste of Time: disappointing; would not recommend for others
“Excellent” x 8 (= 80%) “Very Good” x 2 (= 20%)
6. Do
you have potential interest in other workshops, if made available through UKTI?
(with similar 50+ page Briefing Manuals) – eg, on trading in
“Yes, esp. India” x 3 “Poland + France” “France” x 2
“Yes - with the booklets given on the course” “Poland + China + India” “Yes – especially on USA and South
America” “All of them”
7. Any final
comments?
“Thanks! This course was Brilliant. I’ve been on many
before – but nothing like this”
“More and more courses of this kind are vital to
enhance our professional knowledge”
“These courses Need Better Marketing by UKTI! (I
appreciate this may be easier said than done)”
“Thank you very much. It was an incredibly
interesting course. I desperately needed this”
“In the body language section, perhaps next time give
us even more practice on meanings of popular hand signs and movements in German
language?”
“I am extremely glad I came. I appreciate how this
informal style of ‘hands-on’ practical and interactive approach is extremely
useful. Perhaps if it was a longer course we could have some more ‘old style,
formal’ lecturing inputs, to raise the more abstract, conceptual intellectual
levels for those who like to learn that way”
“More practising of the
skills is now critical follow-up”
“Excellent!! I have already mentioned it to American
colleagues who tell me they are very interested in such courses to help their
interactions with Europeans!”
“I thought I knew it all
after years of business experience in
“Confidence is boosted! I
see I have been operating in other parts of