Diversity Archives
Thursday, April 11th, 2013
Rand Paul’s Howard University Speech Lesson: Know Your Audience
Monday, July 30th, 2012
Diversity Damage at the Olympics
Monday, April 9th, 2012
Passover is not to be Passed Over
Usually when I blog, I talk about media or presentation styles and techniques. Every now and then, I like looking at cross-cultural communication and the role it plays in business relationships. After a true awakening of my own, this weekend, I decided my next blog would be just that. Recently, I went to a video equipment warehouse in New York City with the goal of upgrading all of the Lothery & Associates equipment. I arrived at 10 a.m. that Friday and started shopping. I tested and tried everything and asked no fewer than 100 questions, and the staff was knowledgeable and pleasant.
After about 2 hours of milling around, and picking out everything, I actually bothered to notice the large number of Orthodox Jewish men working in the store. There had to be about 25, at least. In New York, it’s no big deal to see an Orthodox Jew, but so many working in one store stood out for me. It was at that time I also noticed that there was a flood of customers shopping in a mad frenzy! I had never seen so many people in a store at one time. Upon check out I asked the cashier if they were always that busy. She said, “I think it’s because we were closed yesterday.”
What if I had traveled all the way to Manhattan on that Thursday and found it closed for a religious observance? Would I have been tolerant? Would I have been frustrated at the fact that I felt “I had been inconvenienced, or would I have been respectful of their holiday?”…(more)
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
Merry Christmas! Or is it?
Happy Chanukah? Merry Christmas? Happy Kwanzaa? Happy Holidays! What are we supposed to say in this time of year? The easy one is coming up…Happy New Year! As for the rest, we can debate that ad nauseum. I’ve decided to venture away from strictly communication tips this time, and work a little cross cultural communication into the blog.
Monday, July 18th, 2011
Mandela Day of Service
Have you heard? It’s Nelson Mandela’s 93rd birthday!
The world renown leader and notable symbol of the civil rights struggle for all Africans, and African-Americans everywhere is worthy of a birthday party of epic proportions. Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and sentenced to life in prison for having the audacity to try and change the system that rendered him, and all others of his race powerless, second-class people, without hope of being able to earn a better future for themselves. He ultimately served 27 years in jail before being released. Despite this somewhat tortured past, his story and life inspired the nation to ultimately elect him President in 1994, this after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. If you’ve seen the movie Evictus, you saw the story of how he went on to unite a sharply divided nation through sport.
Sunday, May 1st, 2011
Let the Political Games Begin: Obama & Meyers 1, Trump 0
At the risk of sounding redundant, please check your red, blue, and tea party hats at the door. We’re talking communication today, not politics. One can’t help but comment on the White House Correspondent’s dinner, Saturday night. It’s the best dinner of the year, and an annual event where every sitting President gets the opportunity to poke a little fun at themselves, and their critics. It’s the most “real” you’ll ever see any of the Presidents (and in some cases, their spouses) as they’re allowed and, in fact, encouraged to let the sarcasm roll, the cheap shots fly, and the pure acceptance of the successes, failures, criticisms and challenges they’ve faced for the previous 12 months. It is in fact, to borrow a phrase from Fox…a no spin zone.
Saturday, January 8th, 2011