SAUDI ARABIA
AND OTHER ISLAMIC MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES


Participants in training environments in Saudi Arabia & other Islamic Middle Eastern Countries may exhibit some of the following behaviours:

    Attentive.
    Prefers formality and adopt ‘formal’ posture and mannerisms.
    Responds quickly to questions and other training activities.
    Prefers ‘bullet point’ background of information presented.
    Will have a preference to being lectured to
    Very respectful of each other and the trainer
    Have a laid back attitude to life
    Will use humor when appropriate

Some of the core values and beliefs that may be ‘running this behaviour’ are:

    Religious values and practices usually strictly adhered to.
    Prefers hierarchical management structures.
    Respects authority and experts.
    Unlikely to get stressed.
    Personal integrity.
    Proud but not afraid to admit areas to develop.

Some Do’s may be:

    Expect religious practices and customs to be followed and adhered to
    Show respect for the individual and their cultures
    Read up and be aware religious values and practices and abide by them
    Use clear oratory style of address and be expressive.
    Stress your own credentials and experience.
    Connect at a one on one level
    Give background/ theory and regularly reference all work presented
    Regularly summarize key learning points.
    Nominate 'volunteers'
    Allow silences.

Some Don’ts may be:

    Try not to be too informal.
    Make inappropriate jokes.
    Expect behavioral spontaneity (e.g. impromptu role-plays, etc.)
    Be flippant
    Do anything that can appear to be patronising