It’s a small world after all. And I’m not talking about the never-ending, annoying Disney ride that can drive you insane. In the global economy we now live in, you’ll eventually have to work with people from different countries and cultures. This year alone I have been in Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Singapore and Vienna working on projects and have seen first hand what a global economy looks like. Clear communication across the entire world has never been more important. As a communication professional, I often find well-meaning people commit grave errors because they don’t understand the cultural implications within a discussion. Most of the time, words alone fail to give you the true meaning of an international exchange. There are some lessons every business professional, pastor or even mission-bound volunteer should learn before they blow a deal, an exchange or, worst, start a war. Bad translations will derail any…

I travel a lot. A whole lot. Until recently most of my travel has been within the US but this year I have been all over the globe. Right now I’m writing this post somewhere over Russia. There’s an art to traveling well, even if you can’t go first or business class as is my case right now. Here’s a few thoughts on the art of travel.  Book an exit row or bulk head  seat (some airlines charge extra for those seats). The extra leg room is really helpful on a long flight.    Board as early as possible.  Boarding early secures you the overhead bin near you. They fill up quickly specially on overseas flights.     Dress for comfort. Make sure you wear comfortable clothing and specially footwear since your feet will swell up during long flights.     Wear dark colors. You never know when you or someone next…

Sometimes intelligent people surprise me with their lack of business acumen, marketing savvy and just even common sense. A Pastor friend of mine had been in dialogue with a service provider who came highly recommended to him. According to his sources, this business owner went to an Ivy League school and was running a service business helping Pastors with their message research. Negotiations were going well until my friend received the following text message: First I thought it was a joke, but he assured me this was for real. He didn’t know what to say in reply but he knew he was not going to do business with the man for sure– Ivy League pedigree or not. Incensed, I helped craft the following reply: Am I overly sensitive or is this one of the worst attempts at closing a deal you’ve ever seen?