The key to professional success in Brazil is understanding Brazilians. But how do you understand an unfamiliar culture? Seasoned cross-cultural trainers Orlando R. Kelm and David A. Victor use Victor’s groundbreaking approach of evaluating a culture’s language, environment, social organization, context, authority, nonverbal communication, and time conception to provide a framework for understanding Brazilians and show effective strategies to overcome these communication barriers. The method, referred to as the LESCANT approach makes you the expert evaluator of the culture and helps you easily navigate hurdles that can challenge business relationships.
Each chapter of The Seven Keys to Communicating in Brazil employs memorable anecdotes, business cases on each topic from business professionals, and photographs to address key topics. The authors demonstrate how to evaluate the cultural differences between Brazil and North America and include examples of common communication mistakes. Engaging and accessible, the book helps North Americans master the nuances of the Brazilian language and achieve a real experience of the Brasil dos brasileiros.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Brazilian Language: That’s a Lot of Portuguese!
2. Brazilian Environment: What a Huge Country!
3. Brazilian Social Organization: Let’s Work on it Together
4. Brazilian Contexting: I’ll Call You, Really I Will
5. Brazilian Authority Conception: Show Me Some of that Jeitinho
6. Brazilian Nonverbal Communication: One Kiss Or Two?
7. Brazilian Temporal Conception: Come On Over When You Can
8. Case Study: Sitting Secure In Latin America, Brazilian Style
Notes
Index
About the Authors
Reviews
"A state-of-the-art guide for North Americans on how to interact and do business in Brazil."—Hispania
"Tackles complicated communication and cultural issues that far exceed knowing superficial details."—Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
"Kelm and Victor’s fascinating examination of intercultural communication in Brazil is insightful and a pleasure to read. More than fifty-five photographs and numerous figures add depth to the book. The real-world examples are invaluable in providing understanding and context. I highly recommend this book."—Courtland Bovee, Chairman of the Board, Neurogenesis Learning Systems
"Kelm and Victor’s book, The Seven Keys to Communicating in Brazil, offers excellent preparation for individuals conducting business, taking classes, or touring in Brazil. The authors adopt a comparative approach that encourages readers to go beyond the superficial. Each chapter provides examples, explanations, photographs and tables that respond to the needs of various learning styles. This is a handy reference book that should be tucked into the luggage of all those boarding planes for Brazil."—Margo Milleret, Emerita, University of New Mexico
"The Seven Keys to Communicating in Brazil by Orlando Kelm and David Victor is a practical guide that will be valuable to anyone conducting business with or in Brazil. It is clearly written and easy to apply to your everyday interaction with Brazilians. Especially helpful is David Victor’s LESCANT model that guides the reader through the book and serves as a helpful tool for mastering the content."—Brian Williams, Global Director, Dealer Services Group LLC, Urban Science
"Seasoned crosscultural trainers Orlando R. Kelm and David A. Victor use Victor’s groundbreaking approach ... to provide a framework in their new book for understanding Brazilians and show effective strategies to overcome these communication barriers."—The Brasilians
About the Author
Orlando R. Kelm, PhD, is an associate professor of Hispanic linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches courses in Portuguese and Spanish, focusing mainly on business language and the cultural aspects of international business communication. He also serves as the Director of the UT Portuguese Language Flagship. His research and publications center on the cultural aspects of international business and pedagogical applications of innovative technologies in language learning, focusing mainly on Latin America and Brazil. Together with coauthor David A. Victor, he published the first volume in this series, The Seven Keys To Communicating in Brazil: An Intercultural Approach (Georgetown University Press, 2016). With coauthors David A. Victor and Haru Yamada, he published the second volume in this series, The Seven Keys To Communicating in Japan: An Intercultural Approach (Georgetown University Press, 2017).
David A. Victor, PhD, is a tenured professor of management and international business at Eastern Michigan University, as well as a consultant, author, and editor. He teaches courses on managing world business communication, international management, and international business and offers a series of seminars on doing business in various countries, including Brazil. As a consultant, he has run training programs and coached the leaders of more than 200 companies and organizations, ranging from global 500 companies to governments and nongovernmental organizations. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Global Advances in Business Communication Journal. Among his many publications is the groundbreaking International Business Communication (HarperCollins, 1992), which introduced the LESCANT Model used as the framework for this book.
