Participants in training environments in Singapore and Malaysia may exhibit some of the following behaviours:

• People on courses, unless they are from the older generation, expect and want to participate.
• They are sensitive about 'face', though, and do not want to be embarrassed in public.
• In both countries people are very friendly, polite and have extreme tolerance of foreigners and their cultural blunders.
• Participants may hesitate to 'show off' their knowledge or expertise as humility is considered a positive trait.
• In both countries, people are proud of their national achievements since independence from Britain in the early 1960s.

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

• In the period since independence the trainer's role has shifted from a relationship of 'ascribed status', where the trainer is respected just because they are the trainer, to one of 'achieved status' where respect is based upon ability. This is very much a result of the influences of more Western global business practices.
• The pace of business is very fast and what people want from training is practical tools that they can use straight after the course.
• Both are hugely developed countries with a very well educated, hard working, multilingual workforce. What may surprise foreign trainers and consultants is that in many areas they are more advanced than the UK or other countries in Europe.

Some Do's may be:

• The training must be short, relevant, practical and applicable within the local cultures and environment.
• Focus on competency and skills development.
• Use small groups and suggest they 'choose' a leader/representative to report back.
• Encourage participants to use a 'note-taking' process when working in pairs or groups and give them time to prepare and debrief each other after an activity in order to allow them time to seek consensus and make use of appropriate language strategies.

Some Don'ts may be:

• Sudden surprises
• Over complicated simulations where the context is far from local experience.
• Use first names unless asked specifically to do so.
• Nominate without warning, especially older male participants.
• Search for deeper Western theoretical structures behind training concepts.
• Assume only one religious group is represented in the training room.