[Baynet] Infopeople's "Customer Service Skills for Culturally Diverse Communities" workshop

[Linda Rodenspiel]

Since some people who may be interested in 
attending might not receive this notice directly, 
we would appreciate it if you would print and 
post or route this announcement to staff and colleagues. Thanks!


Title:  Customer Service Skills for Culturally Diverse Communities

Dates and locations:

Thursday, April 26, San Francisco Public Library
Friday, May 18, Los Angeles Public Library
Friday, June 8, San Jose Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
Wednesday, June 27, Buena Park Library District
Friday, July 13, Fresno Woodward Park Library
Thursday, August 16, San Diego County Library Headquarters
Wednesday, August 29, Alameda County Library
Monday, September 10, Belle Cooledge Library (Sacramento)

There will be an additional session schedule in 
San Bernardino.  When the location and date have 
been confirmed, an announcement will be sent.

To register for this workshop:  Use the online registration form at
http://infopeople.org/workshop/322

Fee:  There is a $75.00 fee for this workshop.


Do you ever have difficult or unsatisfying 
interactions with library users from other 
cultures? Do your customers ask for services in 
languages you don’t understand? Do your excellent 
customer service skills seem to fall short with 
diverse library users? Would you like to be able 
to communicate effectively with any customer who comes through the door?

Providing exceptional customer service to library 
users who share our general values, norms and 
expectations is easy. Demonstrating sensitivity 
and respect to customers from cultures other than 
our own ­ and fulfilling their service needs - 
requires a different set of skills that can use 
almost every communication channel we have.

This workshop will enhance your customer service 
skills when serving library customers from 
diverse communities, and can help you feel less 
frustrated and more comfortable in unusual intercultural interactions


Workshop Description: This all-day training will 
provide the skills you need to offer excellent 
customer service to library users from many other 
cultures. Through discussion, individual and 
group exercises, video examples, and simulations, 
participants will explore the notion of culture 
and practice simple verbal and nonverbal 
interactions to welcome and effectively 
communicate with multicultural library customers. 
The instructor will provide cheat sheets, charts, 
checklist, a bibliography and webliography, as 
well as practical, useful tips that can be applied immediately.


Preliminary Course Outline

Key Customer Service Competencies in Multi-cultural Communities
--Effective cross-cultural communication skills
--Sources of intercultural misunderstanding
-Assumptions we make about our multicultural 
customers (and they make about us)
--How to help diverse library users feel welcomed, respected, and well served

Verbal and Nonverbal Ways to Express Excellent Customer Service
--Cultural sensitivity and appropriate responsiveness
--How cultural norms and values relate to customer service
--Interaction strategies for helping people find what they need
--Paying attention to differences in personal 
space, body language, and tone of voice

Difficult and Unusual Customer Service Situations
--How to bring an extra measure of sensitivity to multicultural interactions
--Resources ­ internal and external ­ that can help

Finding Good Translators and Translations
--What needs to be translated for the multicultural library user?
--Signage, rules/policies, how-to’s, schedules, and displays
--Plan verbal, nonverbal and written communications

Instructor:  Jean Crossman-Miranda.  Jean has 
been in the field of Training and Development for 
over twenty years. She is a licensed 
psychotherapist who has served as Director of San 
Francisco City and County's Employee Assistance 
Program (EAP) since 1993. In her role as 
Organizational Development specialist in the 
City, she has trained, coached and supported many 
City departments in sponsoring, implementing and 
managing a variety of organizational changes, 
large and small, due to budget cuts, downsizing, 
outsourcing, merging, scattering, restructuring, 
general upheaval and daily adjustments. 
Additionally, she is currently Faculty Chair for 
Psychology at the University of Phoenix.

Who Should Attend: Anyone from the California 
library community who provides services to 
library users of any age who are members of a 
cultural community that is different from their own.

Prerequisites: None

Other Logistics:

*On-site check-in is from 8:30-9:00 AM;  instruction is from 9:00 AM-4:30 PM.

*Maps, directions, and parking information are 
available on the Infopeople Web site at 
http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Directions. 
Infopeople does not validate or pay for parking.

*Infopeople does not provide refreshments or 
lunch.  Since some training locations do not have 
in-house or convenient food service, Infopeople 
recommends that participants bring a sack lunch.

To view a complete list of Infopeople workshops 
and for general information about Infopeople 
training opportunities, go to the main Infopeople 
Workshops page at http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop

If you have questions about registration or 
scheduling of workshops, please contact Linda 
Rodenspiel, the Infopeople Project Assistant, at 
assist at infopeople.org or by phone at 650-578-9685.