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My First Experience Working With The Finns
By
Dr Deborah Swallow
The stakes were high. The pressure was on. This was a presentation that could change my life; an interview for a job with a Finnish business consultancy. I knew they would be interested in what I would present as it was based on some new and innovative research.
My worst nightmare
I made my presentation in my usual fashion, but started to get anxious the more I spoke. No one looked interested. There were no nods of encouragement – not even a smile I could latch on to. Then – horror of horrors – as I finished, I asked whether there were any question (as is common in the UK) and no one said a word!
Eventually, the boss smiled at me, out of pity I think, and asked a question. A couple of questions followed but out of politeness I thought. I left the interview not knowing whether I had done well or not. I had no way of telling. How strange the whole episode had been.
It happened again…
Two months later, I found myself presenting to a group of Finns again, as by now I’d got the job. The same strange experience was repeated – no smiles, no interaction, no questions. What was I doing wrong?
Then, some one laughed and asked, “Debby, don’t you know we are Finns?”
“What’s being Finnish got to do with asking questions?” I replied.
Explanation
The Finns are a people who love their silences. In Britain we read between the lines, in Finland you read between the silences. They don’t go in for small talk, use minimal speech and absolutely HATE hyperbole. They dislike ‘slick’ presentations which they feel are insincere. However, they do like presentations that are logical, well-argued and based on fact. They will sit and listen quietly – often with no interaction with the presenter. Don’t worry if this happens to you; it doesn’t mean they don’t like you or what you are talking about – it’s just their ‘usual’ way.
As I learned that day, they hadn’t asked questions because, as the presenter, I would have made a judgement about what was important to include in the presentation. Anything I left out would not have been necessary in the first place. So, why should they ask me to elaborate on things I didn’t think were important!
Lesson Learned?
You can so easily be thrown off guard when you do not get the type of feedback you expect. Every culture has its own way of presenting and communicating – and its ‘normal’ way of reacting and interacting, which will be different from yours. So, do your research so you know what to expect. Good communication comes from adapting ‘your way’ in a manner that can be received by another culture. Get some tips here.
