Consult, Manage, Change

How to avoid the traps and pitfalls of presenting in JAPAN

PRESENTING IN JAPAN

Pitfalls and Traps to Avoid

Purpose

This brief introduction is only an overview on the importance of understanding the issues you will have to consider when presenting in Japan.

Introduction

If you are about to make presentations (verbal or written) in Japan there are a number of critical issues that you need to consider before you make the presentation. You will have to consider language, colours, translations and religious beliefs to name a few.

This introductory guide provides an initial understanding of the issues you may face when presenting in Japan.

While the focus of this document is on making presentations in Japan, all of the concepts raised in this document apply to presentations in other Asian countries.

Presenting in Japan

Though English is Japan’s second language outside the main cities in Japan few Japanese have encountered a native English speaker. English is taught in Japan at secondary and high schools for 6 years. Most of the post baby boomer generation in Japan can understand (read and write) and speak some English.

Use of Language

It is important to consider your use of language when you are presenting to an audience of non English speaking people or to an audience where English is a second language. You will have to pay attention to sentence construction, technical terms and the use of bullet points within PowerPoint.

Translations

If you are presenting to a bilingual audience then it is strongly recommended that you have any written presentations translated into the native language. There are many translations services that can assist with this. A point to note here is that literal English translations to another language do not always have a one to one equivalent and may not have the meaning you are trying to convey. For example there is no literal translation in Japanese of “How are you?”

Colour

Depending on the country you are presenting in, you will have to research what colours may offend and to not use these in written or PowerPoint presentations. In Japan it is highly offensive to produce written correspondence (especially someone’s name) using the colour red.

 Religion

In any Asian country your audience will be made up of people from a number of different religious backgrounds. You will need to carefully consider your use of language especially the use of humour so as not to cause offence. In Japan the two major religions are Shinto and Buddhism. The post baby boomer generation in Japan may not practice a religion but with a cultural upbringing based on religion, offence may be caused if religious beliefs are not considered.

Business Cards

The exchange of business cards in Japan is a highly significant event. The business card exchange can set the tone for the rest of the relationship. It is recommended that if you do not have a business card holder that you purchase one before visiting any Asian country. In Japan it is critical that you keep your cards in a business card holder and when you receive a business card that you examine it carefully and try to pronounce the name. Then make sure you are seen putting it carefully in your business card holder.

Basic Foreign Language Skills

It is highly recommended that before you visit Japan you learn some basic terms and how to introduce  yourself. Consider learning the following:

My name is Watashi Wa (YOUR NAME) dess

Good Morning o-hayo gozaimass

Good Afternoon Kon-nichi wa

Excuse Me Sumimasen

Please O kudasai

Thank You Arigato

No Thank You i-e kekko dess

What signs do you send your customers?

Do you send signs to your customers?If no why? Do you have a web site, blog or twitter?

Do you have physical signs?

 

This evening I gave my business to a motel in Taihape North Island New Zealand - the gumboot capital of the world because the Aspen Court Motel had a SIGN.

6 kilometers from the town there was a sign "Aspen Court Motel - New Motel 6km" and guess what I went past a number of motels and chose to spend my money at the Aspen court.

It go me thinking - what signs are we send to our customers. Whether physical or in cyber-space we need signs to attract customers.

If you can say you have at least 4 of the following signs then you are doing well. If not then you should have more signs!

• Web site
• Blog
• LinkedIn profile
• Twitter profile
• Listing in directory service
• Listed in professional association database
• Company profile on facebook

Novotel sustainability update

Good news
Back in room and the towels did not get changed and same with bed linen,
Well done Novotel Wellington.
Staff trained. Good systems and processes in place.

The biggest NZ carbon foot print for an excutive!!

In the February 2009 print edition of the Management Magazinethere is an article on page 9 titled "New Zealand's Most Travelled Executive found"

Regus has given this guy an award for travelling 38,743 kilometers by plane in the year 1 October 2007 to 30 September 2008.

What Regus did not award this person was the award for having a personal travel GHG footprint of 4215 tonnes of CO2e. (I used the NZBSCD's calculator)

I wonder if this gut even thinks about his business travel GHG footprint?

Eco statements you cant live up to

I have been in Auckland this weekend and decided to stay at an apartment hotel rather than a standard hotel.

In the bathroom they proudly told be they had a focus on the environment by reducing the amount of laundry. The usual statement told be to hang my towels up and they would not be changed.

Guess what? They got changed even though I had hung them up!! I raised this when I checked out and they seemed quire blase about it! I WONT STAY THERE AGAIN!! To be this is a classic example of lip service sustainability.

Companies and Hotels need to live up to there eco statements or face a customer back lash!

All it takes to fulfill the eco promise is quality systems and process and decent staff training and monitoring. I challenge you to confront hotels that do not live up to eco statements and take you money aware from those that practice lip service sustainability.

Wild Wellington Weather

Good Morning from a wild and windy Wellington.

I am on my way to Singapore for an international meeting of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI).

It has been a bad start with hurricane winds in Wellington today closing the airport!! Having lived here all my life I have never seen winds like it.

There are two 737 jets on the ground but they are moving around so much that they cannot be loaded. All flights are canceled and those of us at the airport now have to play a waiting game to see what happens.

It could be a long day!!

As a frequent traveler I have realised that there is NOTHING you can do about the weather! You just have to sit tight, have some humour and patience and see what happens.

Air Travel GHG emissions baddie? You decide!

We often get asked about the GHG emissions impacts of air travel.

A general rule of thumb is that if you don’t need to fly then don’t do it.

We use Air New Zealand as a case study for our clients.

To follow is some information that may assist you when you look at the amount of air travel you undertake.

We have chosen Air New Zealand to use as a case study as they are a great example of a

New Zealand company who operates in a global market where competition is fierce and competitive.

The impact of airline emissions has become a “hot topic” and there is research that states that airlines make up 2 % of total global GHG emissions.

The IPCC report 1999, p.6 states that aviation accounts for 2% of worldwide CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use, according to a forecast by the UN International Panel on Climate Change. This could reach 3% by 2050.

Transport in general accounts for 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Aviation is responsible for 12% of CO2 emissions from all transport sources, compared to

76% from road transport, according to the Stern review.  (Stern Report Annex 7).

As you can see total global emissions from aviation are quite small. However as more of us are using air travel, more of us have a sustainability focus and more of our companies are reviewing the impacts of air travel of our GHG emissions inventories the aviation industry has to adapt to these fundamental changes in customer behaviour.

For Air NZ who is our national flag carrier the issues are quite challenging! Apart from Air NZ’s Tasman and pacific services all of their flights are long hall – more than 5 hours in duration.

Operational Change vs. Sustainability

Air NZ is tackling sustainability from a few fronts, they include:

• Operational Fuel efficiency – smart approaches to landing. Air NZ is pioneering CDA – Continuous Descent Approaches, which involves a more gradual and continuous decent. The trial is on landings at San Francisco and can save up to 300kg of fuel on every flight.
• Trialling of bio – fuels
• New Fleet – 777 and 787 – longer flights with less fuel burn
• Operational sustainability – recycling at the airport – water usage on the plane
• Public commitment to the environment – stated long term goal sustainable air travel.

Pay as you go carbon credits

Air NZ has set up a carbon offset calculator so that you can calculate your carbon impacts when flying on Air NZ. https://carbonoffset.airnewzealand.co.nz/carbonoffset/carbonCalculator.do

The following information has been taken from the Air NZ Web site:

What does Air New Zealand do with the money paid to offset carbon emissions?

All the money, net of tax, contributed by customers to offset their CO₂ emissions funds the purchase of carbon credits that reduce, or avoid, greenhouse gases. 

 

Air New Zealand takes no administrative or other fee.

 

What carbon credits is Air New Zealand currently purchasing?

Air New Zealand pre-purchases carbon credits to ensure that they are available for this online carbon offset programme.

The carbon credits we are currently purchasing are Emission Reduction Units from TrustPower's Tararua windfarm. The New Zealand Government awarded these Kyoto

carbon credits as part of its Projects to Reduce Emissions programme.

How can I see how my money is being spent?

Each year, the information about what carbon credits were purchased, their cancellation and other information about how much they cost will be published and readily available to contributors.

Leader or Baddie – You decide?

We would like to pose the following questions to help you decide:

• Do you think Air NZ is taking a leadership position on sustainability? Why is that?
• Is their pay as you go carbon credit off-set scheme a compelling offer for you? Has anyone used this service yet?
• Are the current initiatives enough?
• Would you prefer to use Air NZ over a rival based on their sustainability practices? Why is that?

If Paris can then we all can!!!

Hello from France.

I read with interest in the International Herald Tribune on Friday December 14, 2007 that Paris Hilton has become climate friendly! I kid you not!!

If it is in the newspaper it must be true?

It quotes darling Paris as stating "I changed all the light bulbs to energy-safe light bulbs and I am buying a hybrid car right now"

So who would of thought that Paris Hilton would lead the way on being environmentally sustainable.

Good on you Paris Hilton!

Led Zep, Air Quality, Smart Hotels and Electric Vehicles!

Hello from Genova Italy.

It is Friday and the end of the week. This week I have been moving North in Italy using trains to arrive in Genova.

Some observations for this week!!

First Led Zep, The reunion concert by Led Zep was all over CNN this week! They even interviewed some of the crowd and guess what they found a concert goer from NZ!! I am sure there will be a CD and DVD released soon for all of us who missed out!! I was thinking what the carbon foot print of a rock concert is? Maybe it is time to offer a service to the rick industry to measure GHG emissions from events!!

Secondly there is Air Quality. The weather has been kind on the trip so far many fine calm cool days. But boy talk about air pollution!!!! The air quality is bad there is a brown orange haze and later in the day it gets bad enough to make you cough!! So all those small cars the Italian drive add up to a lot of CO2 emissions. Thank goodness for New Zealand,s good air quality.

Thirdly, Smart Hotels. I visited Pisa this week and stayed at the Sanranieri Hotel in Pisa. Pisa Hotel

Check out the web site - what a cool place! It is a smart building and the thing I noticed was the number of light sensors. The lights come on as you move about the hotel and your rooms. I has about the Hotels carbon footprint but it was lost in translation! I think they thought I was from Mars!! There was a lot more the hotel could do to be really SMART. Such as grey water recycling, not changing towels and linen every day, using solar power to name a few.

By the way the Sanranieri Hotel is 10km from the Pisa railway station and guess what I walked to the hotel!! Yes it is true!! No carbon produced on that journey!

Lastly, electric vehicles. In Florence I observed a number of electric scooters, small electric buses (so the could fit down the small streets) and electric delivery vehicles. The Florence council is also introducing a light rail system starting next year. I could not find any English information to identify how the electric vehicles are charged or if the electricity is produced sustainability.

I have had a great week in Italy - lots of food for thought!

Next week it is back to France to spend some time in the Normandy region.

Green Issues in Europe

Hello from Sienna Italy.

I am on vacation and on the second week in Europe I have visited England, France and Italy.

The climate change conference in Bali is on the TV and in the newspapers, when I booked a flight from Milan to Paris I was offered a pay as you go carbon credit by Easyjet.

I have also been observing the vehicles here in Italy and guess what? They are mostly small to medium vehicles and a lot of them are diesel cars. I filled my 1.4ltr Ford Festiva with petrol today at the price was €1.37 a litre - VERY expensive in world terms.

But get this the price of bottled water is less than €1 a litre!!

The reduction of carbon emissions here is called carbon positive! And it seem just like in New Zealand business are struggling to understand that being carbon positive can bring competitive advantage. I just read in the Times newspaper that most CEO,s in Europe see the carbon debate as a cost to the business!!

Boy do they need some consulting advice or what!!

Time to wake up I think!

Voluntary Carbon Off-sets - Update

In my blog post of 3rd November I was talking about the effect of air travel on the environment and asked why some airlines do not offer voluntary off-sets for carbon emissions.

As a frequent flier with Air New Zealand I decided to contact the CEO Rob Fyfe and ask him why Air New Zealand was not offering carbon off-sets to its customers.

I have had a positive response to my email this morning.

I asked Rob Fyfe the following: "I have one question. When will you offer pay as you go carbon credits to offset the impacts of the journeys we make? I note that Qantas has announced what seems to be a great offering to their customers. I applaud you and the team on the announcement of the Bio Fuel project but as one of your loyal customers I want the option to make the difference now when I travel."

Rob's response this morning was:

"We plan to introduce Voluntary carbon off-setting next year – we wanted to wait for the launch of TZ1 – the New Zealand climate exchange so that we could support this initiative and if the Government policy proceeds as planned we will be required to off-set all our domestic emissions."

It is pleasing to know that I will have the option next year to take up carbon off-sets as I travel.

Taking time out

I am writing this entry from Motueka a small town at the top of the South Island of New Zealand.

I am taking time out with family to enjoy some family time. However with all of the technology we have at our finger tips I am able to log on and clear emails, update the blog and continue to work for clients while I am taking time out.

As we get close to the Christmas silly season I want to say to you all that you need to take time out, have some fun and recharge your batteries.

While sitting here in the bright blue sky day with sun on my back I realise how lucky we are to have time to spend with family and freiends.

Today I am spending time with my Gransdson Ryan who is three and it gets me thinking that it is our role to leave New Zealand and the planet in a state that will allow Ryan to grow up in a world that is safe and sustainable.

More than ever we need to take responsibility for the actions we undertake that affects the legacy we leave for our children and granchildren.

To use a phrase that Green Peace use we NEED TO BE THE CHANGE!

The future of our planet is in our hands!

What about all of those carbon emissions when we fly?

I am writing this as I sit in the comfort of the United Airlines Red Carpet club in San Francisco Airport of 1 November 2007.

I look around at my fellow travellers and wonder if the impact of our flying and the CO2 emissions the airplane that we are about to travel on enters our conscious thoughts!!

So I asked one of my fellow lounge guests. I spoke to a guy flying off on vacation to Span and France.

He would like the opportunity to purchase pay as you go carbon credits but has never been offered the option of doing so. He also stated to me that he wants to purchase a green car.

So there you go, not a scientific poll by any means bit the first person I asked was aware of the impacts of air travel on our world.

Like the guy I spoke with I too was not offered a pay as you go carbon credit by Air New Zealand.

So I ask you all to lobby your preferred airline partner on this issue so they pull finger and offer us pay as you go carbon credits!!

I will now go and draft an email to Rob Fyfe the CEO of Air New Zealand.

If I had been offered the option I would have taken it!!

To my surprise when I asked him “does he think about the impacts of airplane carbon emissions when he travels” he said YES!