Local Consultant and Trainer Partners with Internationally Renown Publishing Company to Offer an Innovative Resource that Provides Expertise in Building Intercultural Intelligence TM.

Brightwaters, NY — March, 2005 – If you are planning for ongoing professional growth and success in today’s increasingly global business arena, Intercultural Communication—a new, innovative book developed by Susan Eckert in tandem with Thomson/Southwestern Publishing—is one to add to your list of business success tools.

“It doesn’t matter whether you work for a large international organization or you are the sole employee of your own small business,” says Susan Eckert. “Intercultural Intelligence is quickly becoming a key component of interpersonal effectiveness, and therefore, professional success.”

In particular, the author advises those whose professional effectiveness ultimately depends on the ability to build positive working relationships with others can no longer ignore the critical combination of skills, knowledge and abilities that comprise Intercultural Intelligence. “Psychologists, educators and healthcare professionals stand out in my mind as individuals whose long-term effectiveness increasingly depends on the development of intercultural intelligence.”

Susan Eckert points to the healthcare community as an example of things to come. “The New York Commissioner of Health has spoken of the growing importance of cultural competence. As a result, all hospitals are now required to consider this competency area a critical requirement for staff.”

Susan shares that the greatest challenge she has encountered when discussing the importance of this competency is the pervasive yet misinformed belief that attention to matters of diversity is something we do to help or benefit others rather than ourselves. “That is just not so!” she says. How can we be successful when our clients or customers leave because we can’t relate to their unique needs? How can we hope to survive professionally, when our labor market is changing and more and more Americans are finding themselves competing with savvy, world-traveled individuals from other countries for jobs?”

Dedicated to supporting Americans in the development of the important survival skills that comprise Intercultural Intelligence (i.e. understanding of culture, self-awareness about one’s own culture, ability to communicate and resolve conflict inter-culturally) Ms. Eckert relocated to Long Island and launched her consulting, training and coaching practice in 2003. Her 15+ years experience working and consulting in Human Resources and Organization Development within a wide range of organizations, including Ernst & Young, has provided her with a strong base of knowledge and experience. As a result, she now supports individuals in their professional development and collaborates wit]h businesses in the development of organizational cultures that facilitate engagement of all employees, which she is quick to indicate, is a powerful means to a growing bottom line.

“Business professionals have been inspired by my work and so I wanted to share these new approaches with the broader business community. Intercultural Communication can now serve to support professionals in realizing individual and business success.”

Susan Eckert’s mission is to undo the damage that she believes has been done by old approaches to diversity. She confesses, “I actually try to limit my use of the term diversity. I’ve learned that so many individuals have such a negative association with diversity training programs, diversity trainers, anything diversity related, that it makes it difficult for people to understand what I’m talking about, which is in essence, learning about yourself and how you can be more effective given the realities of today’s world.”

This approach is precisely the one taken in her book Intercultural Communication and judging by the feedback received on the book so far, readers are finding that this approach works. Consultant and Trainer James Williams said, “Susan Eckert's book provides individuals with an exceptional opportunity to explore sensitive interpersonal issues. In her chapter on Constructive Feedback, Susan offers valuable insights that can benefit everyone.” Andrea Edwards, an Editor, said, “The book is truly a ‘workbook’ and you cannot do a chapter without an activity or thinking through the activity. Each chapter builds on the next and this is key to helping with the sometimes difficult steps involved in understanding our own tolerances toward others. I felt that as an author you were not only professionally prepared to write this book, but personally as well. The combination added a very personal touch to very sensitive topics.”

Susan Eckert is a member of several professional HR, OD, Coaching and business associations, and partners with Hofstra University’s College of Continuing Education to deliver professional development workshops and seminars. Since launching her business in 2003, she has collaborated with a diverse group of organizations to deliver professional development programs that support forward-thinking business strategies.

Dedication, commitment and passion are unique and differentiating aspects of Ms. Eckert’s consulting and training services. “Participants in my workshops actually have fun while they learn,” Susan proudly shares. “Now how often do you hear the words ‘fun’ and ‘diversity’ training in the same sentence?”

For information: www.susaneckert.com or
For additional information or a free consultation contact: susan@susaneckert.com
Phone: 631-666-3224 or 631-968-4449