By Tasha M. Troy Recently I was asked what would help someone become more persuasive. The answer I gave may have seemed simplistic or counter intuitive, but I’ve found it to be essential for myself in having influence without position and persuasion without pressure, particularly in the cross-cultural settings I usually find myself in. If
Recently I decided to re-read one of my favorite novels of all time – The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. There are so many things I love about this novel, but the thing I love best is how well Tolkien created different cultures with their own histories and languages. (This shouldn’t surprise you if you know me
This past weekend, I got an emergency notice on my phone from the Korean government officially encouraging “social distancing” for the next two weeks. This seemed odd to me because, at least in the area where I’ve been living, we’ve been practicing social distancing for about a month already. As I’ve watched the US start to
In my work at George Mason University Korea, I’m in the unusual (or maybe not so unusual) position of having two sets of administrative leadership – the deans at Mason Korea and the directors at INTO Mason, my home department on the main Fairfax campus in Virginia. As the situation here in Korea has been
The global coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has inspired a wide range of reactions. Some seem quite unconcerned, not wearing a face mask in public but at least practicing good hygiene Some take moderate precautions – wearing a mask in public, washing hands more frequently, carrying a small bottle of hand sanitizer, avoiding physical contact such as
I love Korea – the country, the culture, the people, the food, all of it. I didn’t realize how much until I returned to Korea three weeks ago after being gone for 10 years. In many ways, Korea will always be “home” to me. I love teaching – interacting with hungry minds, creating a learning
This past week, I met my new colleagues for the first time. Korean culture is community-oriented, which is one of the things I love about it. What I forgot about was how community-oriented the expat community can be, too. I’ve taught at George Mason University for five years now, and in that time, I’ve gotten
As I’ve been settling into my new life here in Korea, I’ve been struck by how little I need to use precise language to communicate. Albert Einstein is reputed to have said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” This past week, my ability to explain things simply has been
By the time I graduated from high school, I had a clear vision for my career; I knew I wanted to live and work in another country. I pursued an education in teaching English as a second language so that I could be paid to live in other countries. At the age of 29, when
By Tasha M. Troy One of the key dimensions of culture is the “relationship-oriented / task-oriented” continuum. As a product of American culture, and as an element of my personality, I began my career highly task-oriented. I was focused on first, gaining the credentials and education necessary to reach my goals and second, getting as
Listening is such a neglected communication skill! One thing I’ve discovered is people in today’s world often don’t feel like anyone is listening to them everyone is broadcasting: blogs videos YouTube crazy people on the news. Everyone’s talking, and so few people are listening. Most of us feel like our perspective is never heard or