When and where can flapping one’s arms like a chicken result in one being served an egg?  If you have already read the first post in the TESOL community discussion titled The Impact of Culture on Effective Communication in ESP Contexts, you know the answer. 

The month-long discussion hosted by the English for Specific Purposes Interest Section (ESPIS) and the Intercultural Communication Interest Section (ICIS) was a historical first such collaboration in TESOL with more than 70 posts and 3,000 views generated from 2–30 November 2011.

As the fourth in a series of professional development discussions launched by ESPIS in 2011 (and the first joint discussion), the TESOL community discussion on culture in academic and occupational contexts has had broad appeal due to the interesting posts from participants in various countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, China, Turkmenistan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Taiwan. 

The leaders of the discussion, who were also listed as the future presenters in the ESPIS-ICIS intersection session at the TESOL 2012 convention in Philadelphia, USA, included Kevin Knight (Kanda University of International Studies, Japan), Annette Bradford (The George Washington University, USA), Kay Westerfield (University of Oregon, USA), Geoff Lawrence (Ryerson University, Canada), and Ken Hyland (The University of Hong Kong, China).  

Although the purpose of the discussion was to collect stories of “culture bumps” to be addressed in the intersection session at TESOL 2012, the participants raised many important issues through their generous sharing of personal anecdotes, publications, and online resources on topics ranging from principled ESP and intercultural communicative competence to genre analysis and professional communication research.

The specific resources shared included:

• an ESP PowerPoint (Knight, Lomperis, Westerfield, van Naerssen)
• a prepublication chapter on language and intercultural communicative competence (Fantini)
• a plenary speech on genre analysis and academic writing in specific disciplines (Hyland)
• a list of new books and a journal on professional communication and discourse (Candlin, et al.)
• collections of various print and online resources related to cultural awareness and competence
• links to other ESPIS community discussions on English for Medical Purposes (EMP; Janjua) and on best practices and the implementation of ESP programs (Kertzner). 

As participants discussed the problems and issues presented by their colleagues around the world, it was interesting to see the various interactions. For example, a problem with a professional being trained in Canada was addressed by respondents in Turkmenistan and Japan, whereas a culture bump in the workplace in Turkmenistan was the focus of comments from the United States.

The timeliness of the cases presented also became an interesting aspect of the discussion.  A participant from the United States conducting training in Japan commented on a situation that had just happened to him that day. In another post, a participant in Japan shared a story about an event that had recently taken place in a university classroom.

Moreover, the depth of experience of the participants was revealed in their posts. The discussion provided valuable insights into conducting various classroom activities and professional communication research. 

One of the most interesting aspects of the discussion was the challenges posed (directly or indirectly) to existing views. Is an ESP trainer required to be bilingual and bicultural? Is genre analysis a “robust pedagogical approach” in the case of academic writing? Is professional communication research a required part of a needs assessment and material creation? Is the consideration of culture necessary at each stage of instructional design? The discussion raised many important questions that were left unanswered by the participants, but these unanswered questions were valuable in promoting self-reflection and awareness.

Finally, the personal stories unrelated to ESP were well-received. These focused on the raising of children, cultural values, and various cultural practices in different countries. It was fun to learn from colleagues around the world.

In summary, the posts, which were all thoughtful, both educated and entertained the readers, and connections were drawn between seemingly unrelated comments as the discussion proceeded. The vast number of ideas introduced and the desire to retain the valuable posts for future reference were also reflected in the comments of the participants. Not surprisingly, the number of views of the discussion continues to increase. 

The discussion may be accessed by clicking on this link. I hope that you have the opportunity to enjoy the discussion (if you have not already done so), and I look forward to seeing you at the ESP and IC intersection session at TESOL 2012 on 29 March from 10 am–11:45 am in room Franklin 8 of the Marriott. 

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Kevin Knight (PhD Candidate, MBA, MPIA) teaches ESP, business, and organizational leadership in the Department of International Communication and the Career Education Center of Kanda University of International Studies. He has worked for private, public and academic sector institutions including Sony and the Japan Patent Office. His doctoral research is on leadership communication and development.

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