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Deep Cultural Rift: Presenting in Japan, the US and Europe―Polar Bear in an Office Chair (Episode 6)

Cool new year's resolution

A few years ago, I left my public sector job in Switzerland and moved to Japan. From there, I drifted around from language learning to a few part-time gigs, until finally landing my first full-time job here at the Japanese tech firm Cybozu, the parent company of U.S. software provider Kintone.

Moving from the highly-regimented slow-moving public sector to the ferocious breakneck world of start-ups was in and of itself a fish-out-of-water experience. Doing so in Japan added a thick layer of mystery to the bedrock of unknown. Now that I'm finally starting to get used to my surroundings, I wanted to share with you some of what I've been through. Here are a few—perhaps slightly exaggerated—examples of what I've seen and felt in my life as, essentially, a polar bear in an office chair.

Europe: Preached from the altar of Hegelian dialectics

Step 1: Show off those credentials
 the professor introduces himself as Alex Icebjor of the Business and Enterprise Academy of Reykjavik
Step 2: Clearly define your topic
 Alex says he will start by explaining the mechanisms by which teamwork enhances productivity
Step 3: Make a comprehensive, logical argument
 next, Alex breaks down the importance of teamwork in 12 points
Step 4: Offer all the counterarguments you can find
 Alex presents the caveats to his theory
Step 5: End with nuance
 Alex concludes without a clear answer after the presentation, Japanese presenter Dan is confused and American presenter Chad is bored
Alex
Alex
While European cultures are quite different from one another, most European presenters thrive with complexity and nuance. A good presenter is someone who can make a detailed argument, assail it with a barrage of counterarguments, then wrap everything up nicely into an accurate yet insightful conclusion. All too often however, that conclusion will be: "needs further research."

America: Clear, concise and star-spangled awesome

Step 1: Get straight to the point
 Chad starts in front of a big slide with the word TEAMWORK
Step 2: Offer a personal connection
 Chad has been thinking about teamwork since he was 3
Step 3: Give colorful examples
 Chad gives a vivid example of a poultry farmer from Kentucky
Step 4: Come up with memorable catchphrases
 Chad explains that the three Ts of Teamwork are Trust, Truth and Together
Step 5: End on a high note
 Chad lays out a vision of greater teamwork for all after the presentation, Dan is entertained and Alex is unconvinced
Alex
Alex
Presentations in America are all about the listener. The best presenters are clear, concise, and entertaining. They've mastered the psychology of how audiences consume and retain information. That's why people around the world will avidly listen to American-style presentations for fun! Be careful however, as these presentations are usually light on counterarguments, so you tend to get only one side of the story.

Japan: See the whole mountain before looking at each stone

Step 1: Make a polite entrance
 Dan, mic in hand, greets his audiences
Step 2: Give a formal introduction
 Dan introduces himself with his CV on the slide behind him
Step 3: Start with the big picture
 Dan shows a cluttered and confusing slide
Step 4: Anticipate every possible question
 Dan begins to explain the difference between Teamwork and each of its synonyms
Step 5: Go full circle
 Dan returns to his initial slide after the presentation, Alex is confused and Dan is overwhelmed
Alex
Alex
It took me a while to understand the method to Japanese presentation madness. You usually start by looking at all the information on a single slide, then proceed to weave in and out of extreme details, with very few examples to help along the way. The idea is to start by visualizing the topic as a whole, then break it down and inspect each part with great precision, and finally conclude by building the big picture back together. A good presenter is someone who is so thorough, nobody will have any questions.

Written by Alex Steullet. Illustrations by yummi. Edited by Mina Samejima and Ade Lee.

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Alex Steullet

Alex is the editor in chief of Kintopia and part of the corporate branding department at Cybozu. He holds an LLM in Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham and previously worked for the Swiss government.

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yummi

After gratuating from the Nihon University College of Art, yummi began working as a freelance artist. In 2015, she received an honorable mention at the 2nd The Gate competition for her work "Sanpei-sensei No Jikan" (In Her Class), as well as an excellence award at the 69th Tetsuya Chiba competition for “Himitsu No Hanazono-san” (“The Secret Girl”).

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