In this conversation, Anke Schmidt shares her journey into public relations, beginning with an internship in France that sparked her interest in intercultural communication. She discusses her extensive experience working in Asia-Pacific as a communications leader for BASF, highlighting the cultural challenges and strategies she developed to navigate complex international environments. Throughout the discussion, Anke provides insights on indirect influence, managing global teams, and the importance of understanding cultural contexts when implementing communication strategies. She also reflects on her involvement with Global Women in PR Germany and the importance of balancing career ambitions with family priorities.
Takeaways
- Anke's career in PR began through intercultural experiences between French and German business practices
- Cultural adaptation requires both resilience and strategic thinking about indirect influence
- Understanding power dynamics across cultures is essential for effective global communication
- When managing global teams, consider resource disparities between headquarters and regional offices
- Successful international PR requires flexible approaches to planning and implementation
- Indirect influence strategies can be effective in hierarchical organizational cultures
- Building community among global team members helps overcome resource and expertise gaps
- Women need networks and visible role models in PR leadership positions
- Family should remain a priority even amid successful career development
- Effective intercultural communication often comes through lived experience rather than just training
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In this conversation, Anke Schmidt shares her journey into public relations, beginning with an internship in France that sparked her interest in intercultural communication. She discusses her extensive experience working in Asia-Pacific as a communications leader for BASF, highlighting the cultural challenges and strategies she developed to navigate complex international environments. Throughout the discussion, Anke provides insights on indirect influence, managing global teams, and the importance of understanding cultural contexts when implementing communication strategies. She also reflects on her involvement with Global Women in PR Germany and the importance of balancing career ambitions with family priorities.
Takeaways
- Anke's career in PR began through intercultural experiences between French and German business practices
- Cultural adaptation requires both resilience and strategic thinking about indirect influence
- Understanding power dynamics across cultures is essential for effective global communication
- When managing global teams, consider resource disparities between headquarters and regional offices
- Successful international PR requires flexible approaches to planning and implementation
- Indirect influence strategies can be effective in hierarchical organizational cultures
- Building community among global team members helps overcome resource and expertise gaps
- Women need networks and visible role models in PR leadership positions
- Family should remain a priority even amid successful career development
- Effective intercultural communication often comes through lived experience rather than just training
The pandemic has brought communicators a variety of challenges, greater pressure and visibility and a renewed sense of value. It also required reorganization and rethinking of both delivery and process. Just think of all in person meetings that had to move online, from team events to press conferences and autoshows.
For this final episode, we’re coming home, to Germany, to chat with Katja Bott. She’s learning the Global Communications team of Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans since October 2018 having worked with the company for more than 17 years in Germany and the US.
Women in PR
In this conversation, Anke Schmidt shares her journey into public relations, beginning with an internship in France that sparked her interest in intercultural communication. She discusses her extensive experience working in Asia-Pacific as a communications leader for BASF, highlighting the cultural challenges and strategies she developed to navigate complex international environments. Throughout the discussion, Anke provides insights on indirect influence, managing global teams, and the importance of understanding cultural contexts when implementing communication strategies. She also reflects on her involvement with Global Women in PR Germany and the importance of balancing career ambitions with family priorities.
Takeaways
- Anke's career in PR began through intercultural experiences between French and German business practices
- Cultural adaptation requires both resilience and strategic thinking about indirect influence
- Understanding power dynamics across cultures is essential for effective global communication
- When managing global teams, consider resource disparities between headquarters and regional offices
- Successful international PR requires flexible approaches to planning and implementation
- Indirect influence strategies can be effective in hierarchical organizational cultures
- Building community among global team members helps overcome resource and expertise gaps
- Women need networks and visible role models in PR leadership positions
- Family should remain a priority even amid successful career development
- Effective intercultural communication often comes through lived experience rather than just training