Connect mid-month RAP: 9/13/23 ~ Walking & talking across cultures

Greetings and Happy Midweek!

And since it’s almost mid-month, it’s time for another of our RAP sessions (Review And Process, deeper and wider). Each RAP revisits a cross-cultural theme or topic from a previous Connect. This month we are going to revisit the topic of “walking the talk” *, and focus in on which comes first. This fits neatly into the PROcess component of Global SKILLs PROACTive Framework, since through life’s seasons and what they bring, it is an on-going process of exploring and discovering how to both walk and talk appropriately, right?! **

Having experienced western perspectives from birth and in comparison spent decades living and working within other cultural orientations, I propose that Western education is broadly based on the assumption that you need the talk before you can walk. Teacher-oriented, rote or memory based learning and classroom contexts all lend themselves to a lot of talk. Then, it is assumed, once you go through the required training (primary, secondary and higher ed’s degrees, certificates, etc), you are ready to undertake the walk for which you are now qualified.

On the other hand, many worldviews and cultural systems start with the walk. At a tender age, children begin to learn future responsibilities through hands-on apprenticeships. Walking into tasks before any ‘real’ words are spoken happens daily, whether it’s toddlers poking sticks into the cook fire as needed or youngsters helping to keep the fields clear of pests in whatever way they can (chasing birds, targeting monkeys with sling-shots). I’d even venture to propose that their talk develops based on their walk, taking as just one example how children and young people are often expected to be silent in the presence of their elders, but to participate fully in the walk and work of life surrounding them.

In the big picture, I think both dynamics can prepare one adequately. But ideally, everyone would have access to both at times in their lifelong learning adventures, because different approaches definitely benefit all concerned.

How about you ~ what is one walk and one talk experience as a young child you remember and treasure?

Share about that with a friend or note it here.

And check out the Global SKILLs LINKs below for more on both walking and talking.

Thanks for being part of this Connect community.

Until next week,

Betsy

Global SKILLs LINKs

~ a global mission, business culture-wise: https://www.zrgpartners.com/divisions/walking-the-talk/

~ get out and DO it: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2023/09/17/default-calendar/walk-the-talk-new-york-2023

~ or shop for both approaches:https://www.walkthetalk.com/

Notes

* Related Connects: the original Connect on this topic was 5/24/23 - Walking the cultural talk; others include 9/9/20 - greetings; 2/24/21 - cultural awakenings; 3/9/22 Milestones; 2/28/23 - circumlocution (scroll down here to the date to find these)

** Through my business Global SKILLs and several partner subsidiaries I offer unique cross-cultural consulting and training including:

3 Dimensional Dynamics Model: 1st dimension = HOME ; 2nd dimension = HOST ; 3rd dimension = HARBOR)

PROACTive Learning Strategies:

PRO = PROfiles, PROcess (which we explored this week) , PROgrams

ACT = Application, Collaboration (which we explored this week) and Transformation

~ contact me for more information on this model and these strategies and how you might use them in your current programming: betsy.barbour@gmail.com

2023 ~ Celebrating 40+ years of working in

intercultural communications and global community building

“It takes a community to build a community”

Please Note: this is copyrighted content.

Please do not reproduce or share without my permission (betsy.barbour@gmail.com)