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Laos is a beautiful, mountainous and laid-back country. More naturally, the Laotians have a more relaxed and easy going way of life, unlike the kiasu and fast-paced lifestyle of typical Singaporeans. This made me curious as to how a Laotian teenager would look at life and if it would be vastly different from my outlook at life at that age. I look forward to learning more about them in person during  the engagement sessions.

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Laos has progressed economically in the past decade and is still continuing to grow. It is unfortunate that many do not have access to full education like how we are in Singapore and any opportunity to aid the Laotian community is beneficial. It is crucial that we understand the culture and background of those we interact with to forge better relationships with them.

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i think i've learnt a lot about the laotian culture. There are many aspects that surprise d me actually, especially their more relaxed attitude towards time and punctuality. Im glad Ive learnt about several aspects of their culture and hope to continue to do so. I think thats important so that I can be respectful to them.

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Learning more about the Laotian community made me realise how similar they are with some of our other southeast asian neighbours when it comes to culture. I understand what are the goals that the country has set for themselves, and I hope that I will be able to contribute a bit to their society and goals. This lesson today has helped me realise certain habits/ norms that i should practice when communicating with our Southeast asian neighbours. I look forward to learning more about the Laotian people and culture in person.

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I got to find out more about Laos such as the culture, life of the Laotians, infrastructure etc. I also gain a better understanding of which city our target audience is from.
With this understanding, it will ensure that we remain respectful and not do things that might be offensive in their culture during the CSP.

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I learnt more about how to communicate with the Laotians, as well as the context of their country and their environment. This will aid us in better presenting ourselves during the course of the project so that we can be more engaging and have a bigger impact on them. It will also aid us in planning the programme as we can identify the differences between Laos and SG more effectively. Accordingly, we can tailor the programme to their needs to better serve them.

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Laos is a very beautiful place. Learned lots about their culture and now I know how to act more appropriately with them. I realised we are very fortunate and I hope we are able to help them by imparting knowledge that would be useful to them for a long time even after our run is over.

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I've learnt about the different goals to be achieved by the Laos community and I wish to be a part of a project that benefits them and learn from each other!

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I have learnt that the people of Laos lean more towards femininity despite common patriarchal norms, and are generally more patient and less confrontational when interacting with other.

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Today I learnt the importance of verbal and non verbal cues when communicating with Laotians. When greeting it is important to bow and put your palms together but not above going above your nose. The higher your palms, the greater the sign of respect to the person.

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I’ve learnt a lot about Laos’ culture (following the Hofstede’s framework) and now I’m more aware about what to do and what not to do! It was a very informative session and I hope the knowledge can be put to good use in the future. I also am tempted to visit Laos to help with their economic growth, after learning about how much they suffered during the Second Indochina War. They have come a long way and I believe that with our efforts, we can help further improve the lives of the Laotian community :)

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To be honest I never had much knowledge of Laos other than it is landlocked LOL... but today I learned that Laos has a very unique culture and how we carry ourselves before the locals is pertinent in building a strong relationship with them.
-> be careful with our non-verbal communication
-> be patient and understanding about cultural differences

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Laos is a chill country who doesn’t rlly strict schedules and busy routines like Singaporeans do - we can also learn some things from them during the interaction with them :-)

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I have learnt more about the Laotian community and their culture. I am more mindful of how I should be interacting with them during this CSP projects based on the discussions that we had today :D

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It was an eye opening experience to learn about different cultures, and now I better understand the Laotian’s way of life which differs greatly from our culture here in Singapore. Since Laotians are generally more conservative and easy-going, we should not be too direct especially on things like punctuality or conflict.

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speaking to them in the correct manner > less direct

greeting them appropriately > bow, hands etc

very hierarchical community > respect elders

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1. a. We should pay attention to their social cues as their culture is more reserved compared to ours. We should be professional and respectful to them. For e.g. they are less confrontational. They prefer to preserve peace and minimize the possibility of losing face.
b. Their work culture is slower paced than in Singapore. Therefore, we should try to avoid rushing them. We should be more flexible with our timings.  Hence, we should exercise patience!
c. We should be communicate in a slower and simpler way. It may require more time for them to understand us since we are communicating in different languages.

2. Our lesson will help one another develop global awareness about each other's culture.

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1a) When we greet Laotians, we need to put their palms together and it must not be higher than nose level. But, the higher the more respect shown.
1b) It is important to be on time for business meeting.
1c) Live and let live.

2)  Better self-awareness, helping them to reach their personal goals, feeling good and doing good.

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1. Due to the great emphasis on social hierarchy, when we interact with the seniors in the communities, we need to take note of our verbal and non verbal communication.
-> eg. bow, hands dont go above the nose, dont point at ppl
2. Since they are conservative, the Laotian people are usually soft spoken and use non verbal cues. Such as facial expression and body language
-> dont be too direct, wear proper clothes (dont wear singlet), be in a quiet environment when taking the calls
3. In Laotian culture, time should be seen as more of a suggestion, than something to be strictly adhered to. Hence when we want to meet on time, perhaps we can give them a timing that is 5-10 min earlier.

Being financially literate is important in this day and age. WE want to teach them important concepts of saving and organisation of money. It would be good if they could learn how to grow their wealth. eg. investing in their soft skills aka side hustle.

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Instructions:
Please name your posts (G1/G2/G3)

Questions:
1. Having understood Laos's dimensions of national culture and it being a high-context culture, what are 3 specific things you would pay particular attention to when interacting and communicating with the locals?

2. How your respective lesson topic will help the students