It's my pleasure
Living Stone Centre proposes an intercultural discovery experience of Belgium (Flanders) for investors and first time visitors to Europe, for official delegations and trade missions, for exchange and municipal twinning programs, for expats and their families, for international scholars and students, for new and old immigrants ...
The Living Stone ‘Gateway to Belgium’ package comprises workshops and site visits, touring in Belgium and in the neighbouring countries, the organization of meetings and events, of formal and informal networking. We also support our clients with speech writing, translation services, hospitality services, communication training and coaching, etiquette and protocol issues …
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Intercultural discovery aims at establishing an emotional bound between the visitor and the Belgians (Flemings) in an hour, a day, a weekend, a week ... The key to success is turning a ‘low context’ event into a ‘high context’ experience. Low context refers to the planning and implementation of the visit according to the book : transport, meals, tickets, guides, documentation … are delivered on time and with the expected quality. ‘High context’ requires a considerable amount of input to see ‘the other’ in a variety of manifestations at the personal as well at group level, and treat the person accordingly: age, sex, education, ethnicity, customs of food and drink, religion and beliefs, language skills, status and rank, health, … Transforming a ‘low context’ program into a ‘high context’ experience is rewarding for both host and guest. It has the potential to turn an encounter of as little as a one hour into a heartily remembered momentum.
SENSITIVITY TRAINING
When arriving in a unknown place, when meeting new people, we often experience feelings of uncertainty and anxiety. How to communicate appropriately and effectively with people who speak, act and look different. Although the personal experience of international visitors varies, they have many perplexities in common. For instance, what constitutes socially appropriate behavior in a Belgian context? How to open a conversation, build trust and make friends ? And if our ways of behaving differ, how to manage the differences or negotiate conflicts?
Intercultural competence is a life-long learning process that enables an individual to generate appropriate and effective behaviour in a given context. It comprises four components: awareness, knowledge, attitudes and skills.
Workshop Being Belgian
And among them, cultural awareness is the eye opener to make a guest's stay in Belgium joyful and fruitful. We propose a cultural awareness workshop ‘Being Belgian' ('The Flemings') designed for international visitors and students who want to deepen their understanding of Belgians and by extension Western Europeans.
In this workshop, we abundantly use visuals and stories to illustrate:
- how culture shapes different ways of thinking and behaving
- the factors that contribute to 'we vs. them', or in-group/ out-group mindsets and how these mindsets affect our perceptual lenses in an intercultural encounter
- mindful intercultural verbal communication styles and nonverbal communication rules
- about living in the Belgian multicultural community
- how to make friends with locals.
- (Paralled training programs are presented in the Training section of this website)
TOURING
From culinary delights to cultural sights, haute couture to heady romance and farm tourism, Belgium (Flanders) will tempt every one of a visitor’s senses. A Gateway to Belgium (Flanders) starts in Brussels at the Atomium, a world class landmark. Other bases for exploration are Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Liège. Their unrivalled architecture holds the clue to understand Belgian society and the very special place Belgium and its inhabitants may claim to occupy in Europe.
A strength of Belgium is its geographical position: a 3 hour drive brings major European capitals as London, Amsterdam, Paris, Bonn within reach. Other must see places include romantic Luxemburg, Cologne - the metropolis on the Rhine, and the Champagne region in north-eastern France, home to the finest bubbly in the world.
CONTACT
Please contact Living Stone customer service for what promises to be a truly unique and significant intercultural experience.
Living Stone Centre's strategic alliance with Joker, pioneer of sustainable tourism in Belgium, guarantees a professional approach to customized touring and travel arrangements (Licence A 1679).