As countries do business with each other, bonds are hopefully forged and so it makes sense to understand a little bit about other countries’ cultures, don’t you think? And this makes me remember that wonderful quote, ‘Great Spirit, help me never to judge another until I have walked in his moccasins. ….’
When it comes to doing business with people from other cultures, it is so easy to lose out on a really sound business deal, because you make an error which is based on a false presumption, one which could have been understood if a little effort had been put into understanding others. Why do countries think differently? Why do we have different customs and, more importantly, did I just do or say something wrong to this foreign person in front of me, without realising it?
You could get a book out of the library that tells you how life is in this country or that one, or you could watch a programme on television which gives you an idea of what goes on in this town or another. A holiday may give you a feel for what goes on but it’s tailored to what you want to get out of it and doesn’t need to include what is happening for the locals around you… So, if you want to do the job right, nothing beats wearing those moccasins.
A professional company will get it right. They’ll go down the line of a team build, a learning experience which, while it is designed to improve 
relationships within groups of people who work together closely, will also include something a little different from the norm, making people sit on the edge of their seats to ‘enjoy’ the learning curve. And, as countries do business with other countries all over the world, it makes sense to encourage an awareness of how other cultures tick.
A trip to Spain will allow those target-chasing, or promotion-seeking, professionals to feel cared for and, while they’re there, their course could include a couple of days of cultural awareness. Let’s face it, we all have opinions and getting to understand the loudness of the Spanish language (rather than taking offence by it), the real need for that siesta in the blistering heat (rather than thinking it’s just not on to sleep during the day) and a little of the lingo will go a long way to forging those important relationships that could be waiting in the wings.
As a professional organisation, UniSpain offers packages tailored to a company’s needs. What do these employees need to know about Spain and its businesses and employees? What places of interest will enhance that learning curve and what places must not be missed in that city? What business Spanish vocabulary really should be understood for successful negotiating? Why is Barcelona having a bank holiday when Malaga isn’t?
Languages are definitely the future and, with Spain being the second most spread language in the world, it makes sense that professionals from non-Spanish speaking countries take a look at what life, Spanish style, is all about.
