Seminar: Day 2

Day two of the seminar began with less trepidation that the first.  The weather was nice and the success of the first day seemed to indicate that most would return for day two.  Indeed, everyone came back.  One of the business owners even brought his son along for a quick lesson in business.  We were proud that everyone valued the seminar enough to return and we were excited about getting the chance to learn from all of them.

As the day progressed, it became clear that much of what was being taught was sinking in.  The comments and suggested solutions presented by the participants began to include echoes of previous lessons.  When we first presented brainstorming with every level of employee, some business people questioned whether including apprentices and lower level employees in important meetings would not be culturally accepted.  However after some convincing along with some words of encouragement by Ajay Patel, most appeared poised to add brainstorming to their arsenal of business practices.

When the day began to draw to a close, the participants selected a member to come to the front and speak on the group’s behalf.  A small seamstress approached the microphone and began to thank us for coming to Benin.  Although she thanked us for all of the new business tools the participants had been introduced to, I thought the most important area of thanks revolved around our teaching methodology.  She thanked us for our approach.  She said that we had respected their culture, their ideas, and their time.  Our sincere and repeated efforts to build relationships and introduce new concepts in an interactive format, appears to have been successful.

There is no doubt that the seminar model can be successfully executed in countries across the world.  We had just as much success, if not more, in Benin as we had in Nicaragua.  As Babock enters a new phase of its life, I can’t help but think that giving business students more chances to teach and learn from some of the brightest small business owners around the world could help Wake Forest stand alone as offering the most impactful and rewarding set of international experiences in the country.