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Ask "The Protocol Lady"
Do you have a protocol question? Just click here and submit your question.
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National Days
March 3 - Bulgaria
March 6 - Ghana
March 12 - Mauritius
March 17 - Ireland
March 20 - Tunisia
March 21 - Namibia
March 23 - Pakistan
March 25 - Greece
March 26 - Bangladesh
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On the Shelf
The Protocol Red Book: The Complete Handbook of Diplomatic, Official and Social Usage
By: Mary Jane McCaffree, Pauline Innis and Richard M.Sand
This is a new edition with updated information and chapters on diversity, military and more. It remains a must have resource for anyone working in protocol.
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Cross-Cultural Corner:
Why isn't the gift wrapped?
Namibia celebrates its national day on March 21st so I wanted to share this experience. During a trade mission to Namibia, then Mayor of Houston Lee Brown met with representatives of the port of Walvis Bay. After the meeting he was presented with a gift. It was not wrapped instead it was presented in clear plastic. We were told that Namibia had passed a strong anti-corruption law. So to ensure transparency gifts were not wrapped.
Need to learn more? Garza Protocol can advise you and your team on appropriate gifts and how to present them as well as other key cross-cultural issues and subtle nuances that will help you succeed in today's global market.
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Last month's newsletter generated quite a few responses. It seems that many of our readers have had experiences with speakers who go on too long. I also learned that sometimes, those we have asked to help keep programs on schedule and running smoothly, our emcees and moderators, contribute to the problem. So, when using an emcee or moderator, apply the same guidelines the Protocol Lady provided: brief them in advance, so they know what's expected, and try to choose those who have experience in this role, and if possible, those who you have personally seen do a good job at it in the past.
It's rodeo time in Houston, when visitors from around the country and from every corner of the globe come to do business and experience a bit of our western heritage. It's a good time to host international clients.
Sonia Garza-Monarchi
Garza Protocol Associates, LLC.
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Ask the Protocol Lady:
What's a good way to entertain international clients?
President Obama and the First Lady Entertain French President Francois Hollande at Dinner
Photo by: Pete Souza
I get this question all of the time! There's something about hosting international visitors that makes many people nervous. Some people get so apprehensive that they just don't extend an invitation. This is a shame. They miss out on a great opportunity to break down barriers, get to know people a bit better, and build closer ties. An invitation to spend time away from the conference table, factory, or head office is nearly always perceived by visitors to our country as a great honor. For the host, time spent being social and building a friendship nearly always pays off when you return to business.
Most cities have something special that they like to promote. So I always recommend that you start there, when you think of ways to entertain an international visitor. It could be a cultural activity, a festival, or a local attraction. If you don't know your city well, contact the local convention and visitors bureau. There are over 1400 such offices in the U.S., and they are usually a great source for ideas of things to do in their cities.
Depending on the nature of your relationship with your guest, there is often no greater honor than opening your home to international visitors. You can also add some local flavor here. In Houston, we are very fortunate to have an honorary consul who generously hosts a barbecue on his ranch for all of the consular corps. It's a very casual event with beverages in tubs of ice, games of horseshoes, picnic tables, and bluebonnets in buckets as centerpieces. Dessert is a local favorite, Blue Bell ice cream. I cannot tell you how much people enjoy themselves, and the amount of goodwill generated by this event cannot be overstated.
Even the President of the United States opens his home. We have all seen media coverage of state dinners hosted at the White House. Most recently President Obama and the First Lady hosted French President Francois Hollande. Like a barbecue, a dinner party, or a trip to the rodeo, a state dinner brings hosts and guests closer together. As business leaders, you can apply your own form of corporate diplomacy through entertaining to accomplish your company's objectives, while honoring your guests and showing them a bit of local culture. It's a win-win.
According to the Protocol Red Book:
"The basic purpose of official entertaining is to help achieve United States policy objectives, domestic and foreign, and to further United States interests at home and abroad. Entertainment is an indispensable tool for developing satisfactory relationships with the diplomatic and consular corps and the cultural, political, economic, and social communities. A friendly conversation at a dinner party may do more to resolve differences of viewpoints between nations and officials than weeks at a conference table."
While there are protocol points to consider when you host someone from another country or culture --dietary sensitivities, seating, invitations, etc. -- in the end, how you choose to entertain isn't as important as the fact that you are doing something. As Preeti Singh, the wife of the first consul general of India in Houston once told me, "I don't care if you give me a sandwich, I just want to get to know you." Thanks to her, the Protocol Lady found the courage to entertain consular officials in her home for small dinner parties and brunches. So whether you open your home or entertain at a restaurant or local event or attraction, the important thing is to take this opportunity to build relationships.
See you at the Rodeo!
The Protocol Lady
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Case Study: This Isn't My First Rodeo
I recently had the opportunity to attend the Tucson Rodeo, which is such a major event for the people of Tucson that children get a couple of days off from school. It was a wonderful experience full of local color.
While I was there, one of my protocol colleagues shared this amazing story. He's from another state that also has rodeos, and he had been to one in his hometown. He was hosting some students from Mexico, and he thought they would enjoy this traditional experience. He took the students to the rodeo, and everything was going well, when suddenly there was a big staged shootout in the rodeo arena, and the cowboys began shooting the Mexicans. Not only were they killing all of the Mexicans, but they dragged them around the arena.
My colleague was mortified, and apologized profusely to his guests and kept apologizing. He offered to leave immediately. Fortunately the students were young, and thought it was all good fun. The next year, when another group of Mexican students arrived, they were sad to learn that the rodeo was no longer on the program. My colleague's genuine dismay and heartfelt apologies had won his guests over, and they had told the next delegation of students how much fun the experience had been. He had managed to salvage a potentially disastrous situation. It was a tough lesson on why it's important to always advance a site but also what to do when things go wrong.
Since the rodeo in Houston is such a major event, during my years as chief of protocol we often entertained the consular corps as well as visiting ambassadors, and on one occasion, a president. We also arranged a special rodeo performance during the Economic Summit hosted in Houston. When planning such a special event, there are a few things you can do to make it more enjoyable for your guests. Depending on your budget, it's thoughtful to provide any special attire needed: hats, bolo ties, boots. Hats and bolo ties are available at all price points, so can easily be given even to large delegations. We reserved a gift of western boots for the most senior officials, and only when it was culturally appropriate.
Events like the rodeo (and even some sports, like baseball or American football) can be hard to understand if you've never been exposed to them before, so have someone available who can easily explain to the guests what is happening. If animals or people could get hurt, explain the heritage of the event, why the risks are taken, and everything that is done to prevent and protect. Look at the event with critical eyes to try to determine what might present a cross-cultural or protocol stumbling block, so that you're prepared to address it.
If you are hosting an event and entertaining international guests, always do a practice run. Pay an advance visit to the site, because even if you have been to the venue many times, things change. Ask lots of questions, and pay attention to the details. It will pay off in a better experience for you and your guests. If you need help coordinating a global event or hosting international clients, Garza Protocol Associates can help.
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Garza Protocol Associates, LLC gives clients a competitive advantage in the global market, helps build rewarding relationships, coordinates productive international visits, and manages successful events and trade missions, while avoiding costly cross-cultural misunderstandings.  |
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