Blog | Stephen O'Keefe

Why You Should Get a Prada Suit Instead of Speech Therapy

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:16:00 +0000

Imagine that you're walking on the sidewalk, in a hurry, and late for an appointment. A dishevelled man with a three day stubble and ripped clothes steps towards you and asks for directions. His speech is a bit slurred, and he might be drunk. How hard would you try to understand what he says? Now, imagine that a man steps towards you who is wearing a Prada suit and asks you the same question in the same way. Would you try harder to understand him? Why?

Maybe it's because you are labelling the person. Here's my experience of being on the receiving end of labelling:

Running With The Bulls In Pamplona, Spain

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:55:00 +0000

It is 7:58 am on a cool morning in Pamplona Spain, and in a couple of minutes, I am going to be running with several tons of angry bulls.

Talk about a mid life crisis. Other middle aged men find themselves a new sports car or a trophy wife. Mine is to collect new experiences, and here I am about to run with the bulls in Pamplona.

I am standing cheek to cheek with other bull runners, waiting for the start. We are packed like sardines, or rather…perhaps like a herd of cattle about to be led off to slaughter. Many of us come from all over the world to join the local bull runners. Numerous bull runners are in their early twenties, and reek of stale alcohol and smelly sweat, as they have been up all night drinking and partying.

Cultural Background: Ignore at Your Peril

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:51:00 +0000

Why should you worry about cultural background?

There’s lots of reasons why you should worry about cultural background – a few examples:

To avoid offending people without realizing it - You may inadvertently be doing a taboo act. For instance in parts of Asia it is taboo to point at someone with your finger, or to pat a child on the head.

To be able to prevent, manage and resolve conflict more effectively - many workplace conflicts can stem from simple cultural misunderstandings.

To become an effective communicator - if you can factor in the cultural context, you can understand where the other person is coming from a lot better.