The Seven Keys to Communicating in Brazil ─ An Intercultural Approach

The key to professional success in Brazil is understanding Brazilians. But how do you understand an unfamiliar culture? Seasoned cross-cultural trainers Orlando R. Kelm and David A. Victor use Victor's groundbreaking approach of evaluating a culture's language, environment, social organization, context, authority, nonverbal communication, and time conception to provide a framework for understanding Brazilians and show effective strategies to overcome these communication barriers. The method, referred to as the LESCANT approach makes you the expert evaluator of the culture and helps you easily navigate hurdles that can challenge business relationships.

Each chapter of The Seven Keys to Communicating in Brazil employs memorable anecdotes, business cases on each topic from business professionals, and photographs to address key topics. The authors demonstrate how to evaluate the cultural differences between Brazil and North America and include examples of common communication mistakes. Engaging and accessible, the book helps North Americans master the nuances of the Brazilian language and achieve a real experience of the Brasil dos brasileiros.

Orlando R. Kelm is an associate professor of Hispanic linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin and associate director of Business Language Education at the McCombs School of Business. His publications and consulting center on intercultural communication focus on Latin America and foreign language learning with emphasis on the use of innovative technologies.

David A. Victor is a professor of management and international business at Eastern Michigan University. Victor has consulted and run programs for more than two hundred companies and organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, governments, and NGOs. He is the author of many business communication books and the editor in chief of the Global Advances in Business Communication Journal.