The biggest difference is probable a way of organizing meetings.
The first of all, the purpose and goal should be clear. Sometimes I get mails about a meeting that those aren’t written. In the most terrible case, I don’t to know whether I should attend or not. Regarding a meeting space, all people who receive the agenda from the organized are not impossible to come there, because the space has a small table with 5 chairs. On day a coworker David form North Carolina sent me a funny email. It said “Is it a chain mail?” It isn’t incredible for him that over 20 received people concerned with the meeting. If you knew a fact that many people save the mail without reading it, you would be amazed. Once I asked one of them the reason, he said that it was written in English.
Second, each of attendee has a role in a global meeting. Each role is different. In other words, everyone represents a profit in their business. To realize their objective, they discuss and discuss. In Japanese meeting, you might see some people who have kept silence from the start to the end. It seems as if monks are training. They are never interested in the meeting, because the purpose is to share the information among attendees. Even though a children is invited the meeting, he or she has a right of showing an opinion.
Finally, discussion in a global meeting is to get better choice. Younger Japanese are likely to hesitate to discussion. Expressing an own view is considered as an immoral manner in old Japanese society. Additionally, some of old Japanese .the result is changed by discussion. They think that the progress should be scheduled carefully and the result should be already defined before starting the discussion.
If you are planning to work for Japanese domestic company, you have to be patient. These days a lot of the domestic companies impose TOEIC score for a promoting or define English as an official language. However, even if they spoke in English, they don’t always follow the global meeting manner.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Next step
今日から、Job Interviewの準備を始めることにした。正確に言うと、すでにResumeの準備は始めていたが、GabaでのLessonにも、取り入れることにした。言い出すのには、思いのほか勇気が必要だった。
実際に(英語での)Job Interviewが行われるかどうかは、未確定だが、いつ必要になるかわからないので、早めに始めることにした。LPAが近付いており、受けるかどうか迷ったけど、LPAはしばらく延期にすることにした。
まずは、早速は自己紹介から、これまでにも自己紹介は、沢山やってきたが、Job Interview
となると勝手が違う。
緊張のあまり、ResumeのSummaryを一気に読み上げるような、自己紹介にInstructorのEdからは、「分割しなくちゃね」と促される。自分の経歴もさることながら、Job Descriptionに如何にマッチした人物かアピールする。訓練していくしかないよなあ。
他の人には、取るにも足らないことなのだろうが、私にとって今の立ち位置は、１年前には夢に事見れ、自分とは縁がないと思っていたところなのだ。
実際に(英語での)Job Interviewが行われるかどうかは、未確定だが、いつ必要になるかわからないので、早めに始めることにした。LPAが近付いており、受けるかどうか迷ったけど、LPAはしばらく延期にすることにした。
まずは、早速は自己紹介から、これまでにも自己紹介は、沢山やってきたが、Job Interview
となると勝手が違う。
緊張のあまり、ResumeのSummaryを一気に読み上げるような、自己紹介にInstructorのEdからは、「分割しなくちゃね」と促される。自分の経歴もさることながら、Job Descriptionに如何にマッチした人物かアピールする。訓練していくしかないよなあ。
他の人には、取るにも足らないことなのだろうが、私にとって今の立ち位置は、１年前には夢に事見れ、自分とは縁がないと思っていたところなのだ。
Sunday, August 18, 2013
"Thick Sash"? Japanese imagine a sumo wrestler
今日は、思い切って浴衣でLessonに行ってみた。
ちょっと前に担当の先生に、「クライアントが来ない時間はどうしているの？」と訊いたら、「漢字を勉強しているんだ」といって分厚い単語調を見せてもらったことがある。とても丁寧で美しい筆跡だったのをほめたら、「とても時間がかかるんだ」と謙遜したので、「（謙遜するなんて）日本人みたいだね」といったら、とてもうれしそうだった。よその文化にあこがれるっていうのは、こういうことなんだなあ。
ということで、スモールトークは、当然話題は着物の話。
「帯が厚いものと薄いものがあるけど、どう違うの」
「厚いって、ああ広い幅と細い幅ね。厚いっていうと相撲取りの回しのように日本人は思うんだ。」
とお互い大笑い。バックグラウンドの違いは面白いね。
風呂敷にも興味津々だったようで、泥棒の話をしてみる。
漫画やコントでは日本の泥棒は、唐草模様の風呂敷で包んだ大きな荷物を背負っている。唐草模様の風呂敷は、緑地にワイヤーの模様で、布団などを包む大判もので昔はどこの家にもあった。江戸時代の庶民は貧しく、盗めるものと言ったら布団ぐらいだったので、こういうアイコンになった。という持論を展開。どこまで正確に伝えられたかな。
たまには、共通認識をもたないことを、時間をかけて表現するのも面白いなあ。
ちょっと前に担当の先生に、「クライアントが来ない時間はどうしているの？」と訊いたら、「漢字を勉強しているんだ」といって分厚い単語調を見せてもらったことがある。とても丁寧で美しい筆跡だったのをほめたら、「とても時間がかかるんだ」と謙遜したので、「（謙遜するなんて）日本人みたいだね」といったら、とてもうれしそうだった。よその文化にあこがれるっていうのは、こういうことなんだなあ。
ということで、スモールトークは、当然話題は着物の話。
「帯が厚いものと薄いものがあるけど、どう違うの」
「厚いって、ああ広い幅と細い幅ね。厚いっていうと相撲取りの回しのように日本人は思うんだ。」
とお互い大笑い。バックグラウンドの違いは面白いね。
風呂敷にも興味津々だったようで、泥棒の話をしてみる。
漫画やコントでは日本の泥棒は、唐草模様の風呂敷で包んだ大きな荷物を背負っている。唐草模様の風呂敷は、緑地にワイヤーの模様で、布団などを包む大判もので昔はどこの家にもあった。江戸時代の庶民は貧しく、盗めるものと言ったら布団ぐらいだったので、こういうアイコンになった。という持論を展開。どこまで正確に伝えられたかな。
たまには、共通認識をもたないことを、時間をかけて表現するのも面白いなあ。
Do you like a fixed work schedule? Why or why not?
If my job goes along a fixed schedule, how calm a day is. I wouldn't debate whether pick up ringing call or continue speaking to organize a meeting. I wouldn't drink a cup of cold café latte that was extremely hot 3 hours ago in the closest Starbucks.
If you are interested in Japanese national character, you may know “Yotei Chowa”. “Yotei” means a word “schedule” and “Chowa” is a word “harmonize”. “Yotei Chowa” means that people harmonize with a result that was already scheduled carefully. In old Japanese styled meeting, the result was still decided and there is no discussion among attendees. This is an extreme case of “Yotei Chowa”, but I’d like to work along fixed schedule a little more.
I manage over 15 member technical support team that receive and send several hundred mails a day. My job is far from the fixed schedule.
Every morning I go to office with Starbucks coffee and start reading mails that reached while leaving my office with drinking it. It is my morning ritual in these 3 years. The almost all mails are from US. I wish I would receive a mail that some need my help. Unfortunately when I find the unlucky, I have to rush multiple tasks at a time. In an hour, the US engineer who sent me trouble shooting mail would probably go home. Till them, I have to consider the situation and the next activities and to share them with the engineer. The delicious coffee disappears out my view. While considering the solution for US, mails and calls keep coming. At 10 o’clock Asian market is opened. The office is as if it wakes up from a sleep.
Every when new staff join my team, I ask them. “Do you like tumbling a dice” If they answer “Yes”, I’ll tell them “they will be good support engineer.” My working day is filled with a lot of unexpected things.
If you are interested in Japanese national character, you may know “Yotei Chowa”. “Yotei” means a word “schedule” and “Chowa” is a word “harmonize”. “Yotei Chowa” means that people harmonize with a result that was already scheduled carefully. In old Japanese styled meeting, the result was still decided and there is no discussion among attendees. This is an extreme case of “Yotei Chowa”, but I’d like to work along fixed schedule a little more.
I manage over 15 member technical support team that receive and send several hundred mails a day. My job is far from the fixed schedule.
Every morning I go to office with Starbucks coffee and start reading mails that reached while leaving my office with drinking it. It is my morning ritual in these 3 years. The almost all mails are from US. I wish I would receive a mail that some need my help. Unfortunately when I find the unlucky, I have to rush multiple tasks at a time. In an hour, the US engineer who sent me trouble shooting mail would probably go home. Till them, I have to consider the situation and the next activities and to share them with the engineer. The delicious coffee disappears out my view. While considering the solution for US, mails and calls keep coming. At 10 o’clock Asian market is opened. The office is as if it wakes up from a sleep.
Every when new staff join my team, I ask them. “Do you like tumbling a dice” If they answer “Yes”, I’ll tell them “they will be good support engineer.” My working day is filled with a lot of unexpected things.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
WSJ:How to Be a Better Conversationalist
How to Be a Better Conversationalist
Small Talkが苦手だ。だって社交性に乏しく、シャイな日本人なんだもん。何度この言い訳をしだんだろう。
でも、この記事を読んで安心した。「こうすれば、雑談なんかこわくない」ってことは、雑談が苦手なアメリカ人っていうのも結構いるってことね。
出会ってから二言三言会話して打ち切るまでの流れとちょっとしたヒントがイラスト入りで描かれている。
Small Talkが苦手だ。だって社交性に乏しく、シャイな日本人なんだもん。何度この言い訳をしだんだろう。
でも、この記事を読んで安心した。「こうすれば、雑談なんかこわくない」ってことは、雑談が苦手なアメリカ人っていうのも結構いるってことね。
出会ってから二言三言会話して打ち切るまでの流れとちょっとしたヒントがイラスト入りで描かれている。
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Talking a little about my background / 自己紹介でのちょっとした一言
それにしても暑い。気温は連日35度を優に超える。
気象観測史上初めての猛暑らしい。まあ、気象観測の歴史は、120年程度だから、まあそんなもんだろう。日本で生まれ育った私ですら、結構堪えるだけど、欧米出身の先生たちはかなり辛そう。能動汗腺は、3歳までに決まるというので、体調の管理が難しそうだ。暑さ以上に、外気と室内の温度差がつらいんだよねとこぼしていた。
でもって、今日のLesson自己紹介。まあ、自己紹介って中学の1年からやるんだけど、いまだにうまくできたためしがない。前にも教科書のロールプレイが余りにも唐突で不自然だったので、今でも鮮明に記憶していると書いた。結構同じことを思っている人は多いようで、検索すると、かなり出てくる。
自己紹介で、臨機応変に自分のバックグラウンドについてちょこっと追加して話す。プレゼンや会議に比べると、Textbookだけ見ていると一見簡単に見えるけど、実際はその場の状況を読み取って話さなくちゃならないので、効果的な自己紹介っていうのは、それなりに難しそう。
GabaのTextbookは、よく練られているのだけど、今回だけは面白いのがあった。"I used to work for XXX as a computer engineer. I've got a PhD. in economics."んー。経済学の博士号を取ったけど、それでは食べられないので、コンピュータのエンジニアをしてましたってこと？深読みしすぎかも。
気象観測史上初めての猛暑らしい。まあ、気象観測の歴史は、120年程度だから、まあそんなもんだろう。日本で生まれ育った私ですら、結構堪えるだけど、欧米出身の先生たちはかなり辛そう。能動汗腺は、3歳までに決まるというので、体調の管理が難しそうだ。暑さ以上に、外気と室内の温度差がつらいんだよねとこぼしていた。
でもって、今日のLesson自己紹介。まあ、自己紹介って中学の1年からやるんだけど、いまだにうまくできたためしがない。前にも教科書のロールプレイが余りにも唐突で不自然だったので、今でも鮮明に記憶していると書いた。結構同じことを思っている人は多いようで、検索すると、かなり出てくる。
自己紹介で、臨機応変に自分のバックグラウンドについてちょこっと追加して話す。プレゼンや会議に比べると、Textbookだけ見ていると一見簡単に見えるけど、実際はその場の状況を読み取って話さなくちゃならないので、効果的な自己紹介っていうのは、それなりに難しそう。
GabaのTextbookは、よく練られているのだけど、今回だけは面白いのがあった。"I used to work for XXX as a computer engineer. I've got a PhD. in economics."んー。経済学の博士号を取ったけど、それでは食べられないので、コンピュータのエンジニアをしてましたってこと？深読みしすぎかも。
An importance of first implreesion
How important are first impressions when meeting new people?
A psychologist says first impression is decided in six to thirty seconds.
Another study is reported that visual information makes up 83% of all information when a human collects information to judge something. From viewpoint of speech, it is heard that context of speech is only 7% of the elements that decide the speaker's impression to listeners.
These studies show that it is hard to correct the impression once it is concreted. Today a lot of companies have a corporate dress code to improve the impression based on the study.
My company has dress code that employees have to follow. Illustrated dress code description is pinned up on the wall near the door. Since there are a lot of prohibit matters, it has bad reputations.
As the prohibit matters have been added to long time, some of them are out of date at now. Generally trendy outfit is likely to prohibit. Two or three years ago, Crocs exploded in popular and were added on the list. On the other hands, do you know "mule"? It's kind of backless female shoes. Employees don't allow wearing due to safety. However, even now few people know what mule is.
I'd like to share with you a good example that the first impression is conveniently used in business. Another reason why it is difficult to change the first impression is thought that it expresses a part of the nature. Especially, the first impression is an important element in job interview.
Do you see young people wearing business suit in black? They are job seekers. They are worried that they give bad impressions in job interview and choose almost same business suit. I guess it is not good idea, because the outfits hide candidates' character and difference among them. I’m afraid that their impressions don’t remain the interviewer’s memory.
Speaking of succeeded case, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are famous entrepreneurs in US and control their first impression. Just after they started their small company, they look to be real geeks. Older generation funders might doubt they are possible to succeed in their business. Now they give quite different impression to others. I suppose they trained to improve their first impression.
The first impression is an important element, it is hard to change it once it is concreted. However, these days it is easy to find business books about effective clothes or such kind of information on web site. We can improve and control it.
A psychologist says first impression is decided in six to thirty seconds.
Another study is reported that visual information makes up 83% of all information when a human collects information to judge something. From viewpoint of speech, it is heard that context of speech is only 7% of the elements that decide the speaker's impression to listeners.
These studies show that it is hard to correct the impression once it is concreted. Today a lot of companies have a corporate dress code to improve the impression based on the study.
My company has dress code that employees have to follow. Illustrated dress code description is pinned up on the wall near the door. Since there are a lot of prohibit matters, it has bad reputations.
As the prohibit matters have been added to long time, some of them are out of date at now. Generally trendy outfit is likely to prohibit. Two or three years ago, Crocs exploded in popular and were added on the list. On the other hands, do you know "mule"? It's kind of backless female shoes. Employees don't allow wearing due to safety. However, even now few people know what mule is.
I'd like to share with you a good example that the first impression is conveniently used in business. Another reason why it is difficult to change the first impression is thought that it expresses a part of the nature. Especially, the first impression is an important element in job interview.
Do you see young people wearing business suit in black? They are job seekers. They are worried that they give bad impressions in job interview and choose almost same business suit. I guess it is not good idea, because the outfits hide candidates' character and difference among them. I’m afraid that their impressions don’t remain the interviewer’s memory.
Speaking of succeeded case, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are famous entrepreneurs in US and control their first impression. Just after they started their small company, they look to be real geeks. Older generation funders might doubt they are possible to succeed in their business. Now they give quite different impression to others. I suppose they trained to improve their first impression.
The first impression is an important element, it is hard to change it once it is concreted. However, these days it is easy to find business books about effective clothes or such kind of information on web site. We can improve and control it.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
How are you? / 元気ですかぁ？ 天気ですよ
少しずつ上達をしているものの、まだまだへんちくりんな私の英語。
今日はのっけからやってしまいました。
Tony:How are you? お元気ですか？
Mina:It’s fine. お天気ですよ
日本語に訳してみると、受け答えのとんちんかんな感じが際立ちますね。
ちょっと前には、”I’m credible”というのを推敲中のエッセイで見つけて、あわてて直しました。
「ほんと、信じられないのはお前の方だろ！」
と自分で突っ込んでみました。
*** ***
今日は夏休みも近いので、Tonyにお盆の話をしてみたのですが、どこまでうまく伝えられたのかな？
牛と馬にのって先祖の霊が帰ってくる話をしてみました。先祖の霊は、子孫が不幸に見舞われないよう見守っていることやお盆が終わると霊は再び帰るのだと告げると、
「なんで（子孫の元に）留まらないの？」
と。改めて言われてみると、よくわからなかったりします。これだから、自分と違う人は面白いのです。
今日はのっけからやってしまいました。
Tony:How are you? お元気ですか？
Mina:It’s fine. お天気ですよ
日本語に訳してみると、受け答えのとんちんかんな感じが際立ちますね。
ちょっと前には、”I’m credible”というのを推敲中のエッセイで見つけて、あわてて直しました。
「ほんと、信じられないのはお前の方だろ！」
と自分で突っ込んでみました。
*** ***
今日は夏休みも近いので、Tonyにお盆の話をしてみたのですが、どこまでうまく伝えられたのかな？
牛と馬にのって先祖の霊が帰ってくる話をしてみました。先祖の霊は、子孫が不幸に見舞われないよう見守っていることやお盆が終わると霊は再び帰るのだと告げると、
「なんで（子孫の元に）留まらないの？」
と。改めて言われてみると、よくわからなかったりします。これだから、自分と違う人は面白いのです。
Advice for young people
What advice would you give to a university student who is going to graduate this year?
Consider by yourself and what you’d like to be shall come true. There are two reasons why I believe it.
First, though a lot of young students might insist that they always think for them, students aren't aware of the true meaning of it.
About two months ago, I took a lecture in my university that I graduated from 20 years ago. The lecture was about how to build the carrier and how to learn during the university days. After 60 minutes speech, I discussed with 215 students.
Amazingly, they showed more conservative thoughts that I expected. It looks like older generation people. Of course, they didn’t agree with the thoughts. Rather they seemed to think what they should do to go beyond the old world. For example, a female student asked me whether women are possible to go on the main career streams. It was really incredible that she lives in 21 century. I’ve never been crossed my business by a reason why I am a woman. I have no experience during my 20 year business.
After a while my considering, I found that it was caused by a kind of imprinting. Newborn chicks think moving objects as their parent. People whom young students meet are very limited. Since many of them are far older generation people like their teachers or their parents, the world that students think is very similar to the one that older people think. I hope they win their own world by their consideration.
Second, the advice is based on my 20 year experience. It is very hard to find that there are no world-wide accidents and no paradigm shift. In other words, we definitely meet big changes and have to change ourselves to fit the changes that surround our society.
When I started my business about 20 years ago, both cell-phone and internet are not poplar. The first day when I started to work for the computer science labs, the first task was to decide my log-in account for computers. The internet existed at the time, but we couldn’t see a word ‘internet’ in any dictionary. Business people used to wear a white shirt and to knot a tie every morning. Almost of all office workers spent all their business life in a same company that they started to work for. How about today? Dismissal and moving are getting popular and structure of the society has been changing dynamically.
Have you ever been to a center of a typhoon? It is fine and quiet. You might forget you are in the storm. It is a true nature of the storm. When people are in a storm, they can’t see where they are. I’m sure that it’s important to consider by one self and believe it. There are no textbooks for changing day. Only what you’d like to be is a compass beyond paradigm shifting.
In a decade, I experienced September 11, Lehman Crisis, big earthquake in east Japan and other accidents. During two decade, the yen rate has repeated decreasing and increasing. However, I know my happiness of my business has been free from changes and accidents. The biggest deciding factor of the happiness is an effort and a way of thinking.
Now, some people insist that it’s a time for a change. A famous professor at London Business school, Lynda Gratton says in her book “The Shift: The Future of Work is Already Here" that the way of working have been changing dramatically till 2025. She also predicts the management without diverseness will die and the meaning of leadership will differ from the current.
So I’d like to tell you again. Consider by yourself and what you’d like to be shall come true.
Consider by yourself and what you’d like to be shall come true. There are two reasons why I believe it.
First, though a lot of young students might insist that they always think for them, students aren't aware of the true meaning of it.
About two months ago, I took a lecture in my university that I graduated from 20 years ago. The lecture was about how to build the carrier and how to learn during the university days. After 60 minutes speech, I discussed with 215 students.
Amazingly, they showed more conservative thoughts that I expected. It looks like older generation people. Of course, they didn’t agree with the thoughts. Rather they seemed to think what they should do to go beyond the old world. For example, a female student asked me whether women are possible to go on the main career streams. It was really incredible that she lives in 21 century. I’ve never been crossed my business by a reason why I am a woman. I have no experience during my 20 year business.
After a while my considering, I found that it was caused by a kind of imprinting. Newborn chicks think moving objects as their parent. People whom young students meet are very limited. Since many of them are far older generation people like their teachers or their parents, the world that students think is very similar to the one that older people think. I hope they win their own world by their consideration.
Second, the advice is based on my 20 year experience. It is very hard to find that there are no world-wide accidents and no paradigm shift. In other words, we definitely meet big changes and have to change ourselves to fit the changes that surround our society.
When I started my business about 20 years ago, both cell-phone and internet are not poplar. The first day when I started to work for the computer science labs, the first task was to decide my log-in account for computers. The internet existed at the time, but we couldn’t see a word ‘internet’ in any dictionary. Business people used to wear a white shirt and to knot a tie every morning. Almost of all office workers spent all their business life in a same company that they started to work for. How about today? Dismissal and moving are getting popular and structure of the society has been changing dynamically.
Have you ever been to a center of a typhoon? It is fine and quiet. You might forget you are in the storm. It is a true nature of the storm. When people are in a storm, they can’t see where they are. I’m sure that it’s important to consider by one self and believe it. There are no textbooks for changing day. Only what you’d like to be is a compass beyond paradigm shifting.
In a decade, I experienced September 11, Lehman Crisis, big earthquake in east Japan and other accidents. During two decade, the yen rate has repeated decreasing and increasing. However, I know my happiness of my business has been free from changes and accidents. The biggest deciding factor of the happiness is an effort and a way of thinking.
Now, some people insist that it’s a time for a change. A famous professor at London Business school, Lynda Gratton says in her book “The Shift: The Future of Work is Already Here" that the way of working have been changing dramatically till 2025. She also predicts the management without diverseness will die and the meaning of leadership will differ from the current.
So I’d like to tell you again. Consider by yourself and what you’d like to be shall come true.
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