Teaching Americans How to Behave Abroad
Fearing Anti-U.S. Backlash,
Big Companies Team Up
To Offer Advice to Executives
Trying to combat anti-U.S. sentiment abroad, a campaign is under way to give the "ugly American" a makeover and improve the manners of business travelers overseas.
Employees and executives of some big corporations who are bound for other countries will receive a "World Citizens Guide" brochure with 16 tips to improve the image of the U.S., such as trying to speak a little of foreign languages and refraining from too much talk of wealth, power, status or American pride. The program starts next month and will expand in the fall to include a one-day seminar.
"We are broadly seen throughout the world as an arrogant people, totally self-absorbed and loud," said Keith Reinhard, chairman emeritus of DDB Worldwide Inc. who is leading the effort through a group called Business for Diplomatic Action Inc., a nonprofit organization that tries to get U.S. companies to work to improve the reputation of the U.S. in the world.
AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, Lowe's Cos. and Novell Inc. have all signed up for the program, the group says. Exxon Mobil Corp., Microsoft Corp., McDonald's Corp. and Weyerhaeuser Co. have officials on the board of Business for Diplomatic Action, and are expected to join the campaign, which is being funded by the National Business Travelers Association, a group of corporate travel managers. More than 40 large companies have been approached so far, according to NBTA, and about half expressed interest in participating.
Of course, major U.S. foreign-policy decisions and events like the Iraq war far outweigh manners when it comes to shaping the perception of Americans overseas. Some companies, in fact, cringe at the suggestion that their employees and executives are in need of "Miss Manners"-style lessons, and Mr. Reinhard's group runs into doubters who say personal interactions will do little to greatly shift the perception of U.S. citizens around the world. Indeed, a State Department effort to enlist Madison Avenue to boost America's image globally fell flat shortly after Sept. 11, 2001.
Business for Diplomatic Action has held discussions with the State Department about distributing its World Citizens Guide to every U.S. passport holder and putting it on the State Department's Web site. The group met in December with Karen Hughes, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. No decisions have been made yet on the pamphlets.
The group's advice includes tried-and-true international travel suggestions, such as reminders that in Japan it is considered rude to look directly in the eye for more than a few seconds, and in Greece the hand-waving gesture commonly used in America for goodbye is considered an insult.
But it also goes after stereotypical American traits such as boastfulness, loudness and speed. The guide urges travelers to eat slower, speak slower, move slower and dress up when abroad since casual dress can be a sign of disrespect. Tone down talk of religion, politics and national pride, as well as your voice. "Listen as much as you talk," the guide says, and "save the lectures for your kids."
"Anger, impatience and rudeness are universal turnoffs," the guide says, imploring employees to "Help your country while you travel for your company."
Mr. Reinhard, a prominent advertising executive who created slogans like "You deserve a break today" and "Two all-beef patties..." said he started looking for ways to polish the image of the U.S. when he heard President Bush express dismay shortly after Sept. 11 that "people did not like us" in other parts of the world.
Believing this was potentially a major business issue for U.S. firms selling goods and services abroad, he launched a research effort inside his advertising agency, a unit of Omnicom Group. A polling firm sent questionnaires to people in 130 countries asking how America was viewed and what Americans could do to make a better impression overseas, and task forces from Omnicom studied results and interviewed business executives around the world.
The positive results were as expected: post-Sept. 11 sympathy for the nation, and a view that America is a land of wealth, opportunity, innovation, creativity and benevolence.
But the negatives were consistent and strident, centering on a belief that Americans have a lack of respect for other peoples and are concerned only for themselves. People interviewed for the survey, some videotaped, talked of Americans never listening and showing little regard for local customs. A corporate executive from Düsseldorf, Germany, expressed dismay that Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s employees gather every morning to recite a company cheer, something that may build team spirit in U.S. stores, but comes off as offensive and arrogant to German workers. A Wal-Mart spokeswoman says the cheer is optional in Germany, and some stores don't participate.
The nonprofit Business for Diplomatic Action was started in 2004, using the research interviews to draft a list of suggestions for Americans traveling and working abroad. Last year, BDA began distributing 200,000 passport-size guides at no cost to college students heading off to study abroad, created with help from advertising students at Southern Methodist University. Now, the focus has turned to business travelers. "Business has a role to play in the reputation of the United States," Mr. Reinhard said.
Along with other travel groups, Business for Diplomatic Action and the National Business Travelers Association have also been lobbying the State Department for improved processing of foreign visitors to the U.S. Travel to the U.S. from other countries is still below 2000 levels, in part because tighter visa and border procedures have made it more difficult to enter the country.
A push to promote the image of the U.S. has backfired before. Shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks, Madison Avenue executive Charlotte Beers was confirmed as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and produced an advertising campaign showing Muslims integrated into American society. Many target countries declined to show the campaign, and Ms. Beers resigned.
Instead of advertising the virtues of America, Mr. Reinhard thinks the U.S. will be better served by getting Americans who make the approximately 60 million trips abroad each year to be more virtuous -- simply behaving better. His effort, however, has drawn some criticism in the corporate world as being perhaps too politically motivated and critical of the Bush administration -- charges he denies.
嗨，美国人，举止要得体！
为了消除美国人在海外遭遇的敌对情绪，一场声势浩大的活动正在酝酿之中，其宗旨就是改变外国人心目中“丑陋美国人”的形象，改善赴国外出差的美国人的行为举止。
一些大公司准备到国外出差的普通员工和高级管理人员将收到一份《全球公民指南》(World Citizens Guide)，里面提供了改善美国形象的16个小窍门，比如试著说点当地语言，不要对财富、权力、地位或者美国骄傲等夸夸其谈。这项活动将于下个月正式展开，一直延续到秋季，其中包括召开为期一天的研讨会。
“大体上，我们在世界各国人眼中都是傲慢自大、自私自利而且夸夸其谈的人，”DDB Worldwide Inc.的荣誉主席基思?莱恩哈德(Keith Reinhard)说。他正通过外交行动商业组织(Business for Diplomatic Action Inc.)推广这项活动。这是一个非营利机构，旨在联合美国企业界共同提高美国在全世界的声誉。
该组织称，AMR Corp.旗下的美利坚航空公司(American Airlines)、Loews Hotels Corp.和网威公司(Novell Inc.)都已经签约参加了这个项目。埃克森美孚(Exxon Mobil Corp.)、微软(Microsoft Corp.)、麦当劳(McDonald's Corp.)和惠好(Weyerhaeuser Co.)都有高管担任外交行动商业组织的董事，也都有望参加这次活动。外交行动商业组织由全国商旅人协会(National Business Travelers Association, 简称NBTA)出资创办，这是一个企业差旅经理组成的团体。NBTA称，目前它们已经接触了40多家大公司，大约一半公司都表示颇有兴趣。
当然，在塑造美国人的形象方面，伊拉克战争等外交政策的影响力远远超过海外美国人的行为举止。实际上，有些公司对自己的员工需要接受礼仪培训颇感尴尬，NBTA也常常遇到怀疑派，他们认为人际交流对改变美国人的海外形象无异于杯水车薪。也的确，美国国务院通过麦迪逊大道(Madison Avenue)提升美国全球形象的努力在911后很快宣告失败。
外交行动商业组织一直在与国务院讨论能否向每一位美国护照的持有人分发一份《全球公民指南》，并将它刊登在国务院的网站上。该组织去年12月曾与国务院副国务卿休斯(Karen Hughes)会面协商，但至今尚无定论。
该组织提出的建议都是一些经过实践行之有效的窍门，例如在日本，如果你直视对方超过几秒钟，就会被认为是无礼的行为；在希腊，如果你像在美国一样挥手告别，则会被看作是侮辱对方。
指南也直指一些美国人的典型特点，如自负、喧闹和疾速。指南敦促游客们在国外吃得从容些、说话慢一点、行动起来和缓一些，穿得严肃点，因为休闲装束会被看作不敬。少谈宗教、政治和国家骄傲，说话声音也要放低。指南教导说，要尽量多听别人说话。
“愤怒、急躁和粗暴在全世界都不受欢迎，”指南说，恳请公司员工“在为公司出差途中帮国家做点事。”
长期从事广告业的莱恩哈德创作过不少脍炙人口的广告词。他说，911之后听到布什(Bush)总统神情黯然地说，世界其他国家的“人不喜欢我们”，从那时起他就想做点什么，擦亮美国的形象。
莱恩哈德相信这对那些在海外市场销售产品、提供服务的美国公司来说是一项重要的商业事宜。为此，他在自己的广告公司内部发起了一场调查。他们向130个国家的人们发出调查问卷，询问他们怎么看美国人，美国人怎样做才能改善海外形象，并从Omnicom Group抽调人手分析答卷，约见世界各地的商业高管。莱恩哈德的广告公司是Omnicom的子公司。
调查的正面结果不出所料：911之后世人普遍同情美国，认为美国是财富、机会、创新、创造和仁爱之地。
但负面结果更加集中、尖锐：世人普遍认为美国人不尊重其他国家的人、只关心自己。调查中访问到的一些人谈到美国人从来不听别人说话，对当地风俗置之不理。德国杜尔塞多夫的一位企业高管对当地沃尔玛连锁公司(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)员工每天早上集合朗诵公司信条深感不满，这在美国是培养团队合作精神的一种方式，但在德国员工看来则是一种无礼和傲慢。沃尔玛发言人对此表示，公司并不强迫执行这种做法。
外交行动商业集团组建于2004年，这个非营利组织基于一系列调查采访，草拟有关美国人出访海外或在海外工作的行为建议表。去年，在Southern Methodist大学广告系学生的帮助下，该组织编辑了只有护照大小的大学生行为指南册，并向即将赴海外就读的大学生免费发放了20万册。现在，他们将注意力转向了商业旅行者。“企业肩负著维护美国形像的重任，”莱恩哈德说。
外交行动商业集团和全国商旅人协会与其他旅游组织一道，一直在就改善外国人赴美条件游说美国国务院。由于签证审批严格、入境程序繁琐，美国的海外游客始终低于2000年水平。来自麦迪逊大道的夏洛特?比尔斯(Charlotte Beers)被任命为主管公共外交的副国务卿后，政府展开了一场试图展示穆斯林人已被纳入美国社会的宣传攻势。不过很多目标国家并不买帐，比尔斯最终引咎辞职。
莱恩哈德则放弃了宣扬美国的价值观，他认为只有让每年出访海外的6,000万美国人更有操守－－更加注重自己的言行，才能为美国赢来更好的声誉。不过，他的努力也遭到美国企业界的非议，企业界称其存在政治动机，对布什政府不满－－而莱恩哈德本人则否认这种说法。
