DELIGHTS AND SURPRISES

John Mole, author of a very good cross-cultural book on the EU called 'Mind your Manners', said 'Any time something amuses you, annoys you or surprises you, you may be in the presence of a cultural phenomenon.'  Dominique Vouillemin at IH LONDON has turned this into a great interactive cultural activity:

Students in pairs ask each other what delights them about the UK, US etc. and what surprises them. Then they exchange their ideas with the rest of the class. They don't need to have actually visited. The exercise is aimed at drawing out opinions. At the end of the exchange, elicit the information the class has gathered and correct any misunderstandings. It's a lively and interactive way of bulding knowledge about  a country and it's one of the techniques we teach on the Business Cultural Trainer's Certificate.

Another tip in tomorrow's blog.