EMDC Workshop Testimonials
by Samantha Chang Deck, Community & Culture, SIL International
Dr. Sunny Hong and Samathan Chang Deck, photo credit: Samantha Chang Deck
In June 2024, I had the privilege of being the assistant trainer for a four day intensive workshop on Cross Cultural Mentoring. My mentor, Dr. Sunny Hong, was the lead trainer. This workshop was one of many offered at the yearly EMDC (Eurasia Media Distribution Consultation). The 15 participants, from 10 different nationalities and a variety of ages and backgrounds, were engaged and willing to share their own personal stories, which brought the subject matter to life.
The first day began by contrasting the expectations for a mentoring experience from Western and Eastern perspectives. We then went on to cover a wide variety of cultural frameworks to show that there is a wide spectrum of human perspectives and approaches to communication, relationships, and life. Much like someone might learn general linguistics to understand the possibilities of human speech sounds or different grammars possible, we shared different cultural frameworks so that participants could recognize what preferences they might have. These frameworks also gave the participants a sense of the worldviews and mindsets others might come with. With the many backgrounds of the participants, we were able to quickly move from theory to real stories.
We considered how these different perspectives could shape how people enter mentoring relationships and possibly lead to confusion, misunderstandings, or conflict. Participants were invited to reflect on their previous and current mentoring relationships and consider how these different cultural approaches might help them see interpersonal situations in new ways. Through exercises, discussions, and reflection, participants considered how they could adapt to better connect with those they mentor currently or in the future.
Here is an account about the experience of the workshop from the perspective of one of our participants, DSeq, an International Director of South Asia in his organization.
DSeq with Dr. Sunny Hong, photo credit: DSeq
“Attending the Cross-Cultural Mentoring Workshop was the highlight for my leadership training this year. In 2023, I attended a workshop led by Dr. Sunny at EMDC Thailand and I was thankful to have the chance to hear her deep knowledge.
When I saw that she was teaching a whole track on mentoring, this appealed to me. Since this is her PhD topic that she is speaking from in the sessions, her examples from the Eastern context were very relatable to my Indian context. For a very long time, I knew my leadership style was different from my culture. Sitting in these sessions, I was able to put it down on paper. There are things I do not do well, as a low context person. I have always felt that I was misunderstood by the leadership of high context people. And now, for the first time, I am able to become a chameleon adapting to the social norms. This greatly helps the work that I am doing on the field.
This course has helped me to alter my style of leadership to my teams’ needs. I am no longer looking with a one mindset framework, but I am now a listener to the dynamics in the group and then changing my style accordingly.
The effort Dr. Sunny Hong put into developing the workshop (showing the western mindset and then transposing this onto an eastern mindset) gave me many things to reflect on.
Her style of applying biblical principles to everyday contexts gave me ideas in my work with cross cultural partners. Samantha’s method of leading small group discussion in different cultural frameworks, helped me re-look at my marriage and parenting style as a father. This is something that I will always use in my walk with Him.
Consider taking this course if you feel that you are a fish out of water or a person who wants to know how to fit into a system without changing who you are. This course gave me that freedom to be me when others have different expectations.
I could see where I fit into [different cultural frameworks] and adapt, so that I can work better as a leader and as a dad.”
Here is another participant testimony by Justin Randolph, Associate International Ethnomusicology and Arts Coordinator, EthnoArts Consultant, SIL International.
“My experience in the cross-cultural mentoring training track at EMDC was eye opening. I was exposed to so many different cultural frameworks that people may be operating from as well as identify where I am on each of them. I am so grateful for language to identify conflict or other quirks in my mentoring relationships.
I am already planning meetings with my mentees to discuss their specific cultural context, and how they experience me as a mentor in terms of the various frameworks. This will help me learn what my blind spots are and serve them better.”
If you are interested in attending this workshop when next offered, or requesting custom training on cross-cultural mentoring for your team, please visit this page for an overview of content topics and contact Dr. Sunny Hong to learn more.
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