Cultural Differences Hit Everyone: Why Does He Have To Shout?
3:45 PM PDT, April 10, 2009
Queen Elizabeth II’s semi-serious rebuke of Silvio Berlusconi was a cross-cultural incident. New York Times Opinion Today: SCHOTT'S VOCAB: A Miscellany of Modern Words and Phrases “A minor diplomatic incident took place at the “family” photo call of G20 leaders, when the Queen of England became irritated at the Italian Prime Minister’s booming voice. After Berlusconi shouted ‘Mr. Obama!’ just a few feet behind her, the Queen turned round, raised her hands in exasperation, and asked ‘What is it? Why does he have to shout?" Somewhat inevitably Berlusconi was criticized for another gaffe, and the Queen was described as ‘not amused.’ But a spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace played down the incident: ‘It was loud and jolly and very jovial, there were no gaffes and no offence taken. These are both cultural and preference issues: The Brits appreciate a modulated tone of voice. Additionally, based on my limited knowledge of her from the movie, The Queen, she learns best when moving (she talks with the Prime Minister while going for a walk), then she likes to see things (like scripts) and then hears. When hearing is your least favored way of taking in information it can be painful to hear loud voices. See video here. |
Bio
After a business career spanning twenty years at ARCO Oil and Gas Company (now part of BP), Ashland Oil, famous for Valvoline, and wonderful experiences in high school and college teaching, I settled into a joyous experience as a free-lance global consultant specializing in executive coaching and assessment. Most recently I spent ten years living in Hong Kong, London and The Hague working with diverse companies and their executives.
With two degrees in Linguistics and a PhD in Human Resources Development I do enjoy research and study. To meet the needs of real people I make my writing and my work simple and accessible. |
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