The London weather and I have not been getting along well this week.

I am really looking forward to flying to New York tomorrow for a meeting. I don’t mind if it is going to be super hot there. I just need a change of scenery.

I have been working hard on my book this month.

I surfaced early this week to have a lunch meeting. When one of the people at the lunch asked me what I was writing about, I realised that I had to condense all the thoughts I had had over the past weeks in one sentence.

I did some more quick thinking while chewing my French fries and then I started telling the story of my book.

I am writing about new approaches to business communications.

Multinationals from emerging economies have been extremely active in acquiring businesses all over the world. The ownership structure of many industries is changing. If you have been doing communication for a German company in Denmark, you might wake up one of these days and realise that you have been bought by a Chinese group. Starting from Monday, you will be arranging communication between the new owners in Shanghai and their Danish employees.

This is the backdrop to my story.

One of the main messages of the book is that multicultural intelligence is going to be the most important skill for the communicator of the future. I talk about how to develop a mindset that enables you to tune into other cultures and understand their communication patterns.

People say that writing is a lonely business. And in part it is.

But for me, one of the most exciting aspect of this experience has been meeting new people. I am so happy to have made new friends from China and the Middle East, and I am so grateful for their support and all the good ideas they have been giving me.

This makes me feel less lonely when I am stuck in my study writing and contemplating the bird who has made a nest on a tree right outside my window (that also has been keeping me company…).

It is going to be 27 degrees in New York on Saturday and I can’t wait!

Photo: thanks to pierrecotton.files.wordpress.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 11:18 am and is filed under China, Silvia's Book. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

2 Responses to “So, what are you writing about?”

1. Daneeta Loretta Saft says:

   June 20, 2008 at 10:31 am

   I am really loving reading about the progress on your book. The topic is fantastic. I’m excited about this new multicultural communicative business model. I hope it is a positive step forward.
2. Silvia Cambie says:

   June 20, 2008 at 11:02 am

   Thanks, Daneeta, for your support. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.