By Devan Moonsamy, CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

Effective presentation skills are vital for all who are or who aspire to be leaders. According to Forbes Magazine, certain presentations can be career defining.

Here are a few rules and tips for becoming a better speaker.

1. Never wing it! If it’s important, or even if it would simply be some good practice, ensure you are fully prepared and that you practice what you are going to say numerous times.
2. During your speech, don’t draw attention to your nervousness by speaking about it. People will quickly forgive and forget signs of nervousness, such as stuttering, if you stick to your topic. Focus on the task at hand, rather than your own shortcomings, and you will earn your audience’s respect.
3. To counter nervousness, you must also ensure authenticity. Being yourself is much less stressful and more believable than trying to be someone else, so speak from your heart. Try to convey genuine warmth and a sense of contentment in order to make the audience comfortable with you. Calmness, combined with alertness, will also go a long way to winning the audience’s confidence.
4. Ask yourself the following questions before you begin planning what you are going to say:
   What am I trying to accomplish? What impact do I want to have on my audience?
   For example, do you want to inform your team of new changes to your organisation or to motivate your clients to buy into your brand or do you need to persuade a potential employer of your ability to fulfil the role you have applied for?
   Keep the ultimate purpose and desired outcome in mind from the preparation phases right through to the delivery.
5. Simplify everything. When we write sentences down, they tend to be longer than the sentences we would naturally say out aloud. If you are writing your speech down, bear in mind that convoluted, lengthy sentences will sound irregular when verbalised. Furthermore, condense your ideas and keep them simple so that they will be easier to follow.
6. Consider the size of your audience and the context. Find out exactly where your presentation will be held and what is available for you to use. Prepare for background challenges, logistics and technical requirements.
7. You may need to vary the subject and return to it again later if necessary so that you don’t bore the audience. For example, if you need to persuade a potential client to hire you, do not concentrate on yourself too much. Refer to the client’s needs, to the product or service and to the company you work for. Ask questions if possible and address the listener’s concerns.
8. Use props sparingly, including PowerPoint slides. You need to hold the audience’s attention and keep their focus mainly on you. Make sure your slides do not diverge from what you are saying, or you will confuse your audience. All slides must be precise and easy to read, even for those who are right at the back of the room.

Record Yourself
A great way to make sure you are on the right track is to record yourself delivering the presentation. You will quickly pick up on problems you would not otherwise have noticed. You could do this for the next speech or presentation you need to give or as an exercise to practice and identify problems now. In the latter case, select a topic that you know quite a bit about.
Remember that the audience will notice your facial expressions, gestures and how you stand and move. When you watch the video, identify areas where you can use gestures or points at which you may lose the attention of the audience. Correct this by varying your vocal tone and adding some appropriate and tasteful humour and wit. If you slouch, the quickest way to correct this is the dancer’s trick of aligning the hip and pubic bones vertically.

Record yourself again and check that you are implementing the changes effectively.

Devan Moonsamy runs the ICHAF Training Institute, and he is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, AND My Leadership Legacy Journal available from the ICHAF Training Institute.
ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za | www.devan-moonsamy.com

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

The view that someone is a threat because of their being a foreigner, and should therefore be pushed out of an organisation, and out of the country, is based on fear. Such fear may be understandable because unemployment is very high in South Africa, and it is also fair that South Africans expect the government and companies to prioritise them. Unemployment is a source of frustration, conflict, poverty, a loss of self-worth and self-confidence, and socioeconomic exclusion. However, this is as true for South Africans as it is for anyone else. Despite our problems, South Africa is among the most stable nations on the continent in terms of our demography, society, economy, and our cherished democracy. Many other Africans live under dictatorships (such as the socialist and oppressive ZANUPF party under Mugabe until November 2017, and now under Mnangagwa) and other oppressive rulerships which have tyrannised the people and plundered the national economy. National stability is partly measured according to the rate of human flight, refugees, and displaced people. Less stable nations, where there is much suffering and poverty, have an outflow of their labour force. Economic and political refugees may have no choice other than to flee to a country where they will be safer. South Africa is still such a safe haven in many respects, and immigrants are afforded temporary or permanent residence and protection. Organisations in South Africa are also employing refugees and immigrants, indicating that there is space for them in the economy. Some Africans are happy to work in South Africa for the most meagre wages rather than return to worse conditions in their home country, which may be war torn or bereft of the most basic human rights.

What seems to make this problematic is job scarcity, particularly for the lower wage categories. Some feel they have everything to lose from an influx of non-South Africans, and it is understandable that they will be defensive of their jobs, workplaces and communities. Chasing out foreigners will not solve the unemployment problem, however. This is because there are not as many immigrants as people think there are. People just notice them more because they appear different from South Africans. Furthermore, ‘international migrants in South Africa have much lower unemployment rates than others. This is unusual. In most other countries, international migrants tend to have higher unemployment rates than locals’ (Wilkinson, 2015).

Why then has South Africa needed to call in its army to deal with xenophobic violence in recent years? Anthropologist Dr Zaheera Jinnah from the African Centre for Migration and Society says there is a disconnect between reality and perceptions about immigrants. A mere 4% of the working population is composed of immigrants. ‘A lot of what has been said and reproduced is based on hearsay and anecdotal evidence or myths,’ Dr Jinnah explained (quoted in Alfreds, 2017). The major reason for hostility against non-South Africans is thus found in the name ‘xenophobia’. It the fear or phobia, and not the reality, surrounding foreigners which leads to violence. Underlying anger is fear. Yet such fear may not be justifiable, especially when it degrades into brutality.

Immigration is a necessary and inevitable phenomenon. People have been migrating around throughout history and they will continue to do so in the future. South Africa has not closed its boarders to foreign labour, as well as to foreign students, despite nationwide outcry and violence against these individuals in recent years, because of the big picture factors. If South Africa tries to prevent all legal immigrations, it will isolate the country economically, especially from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as well as from other nations. South Africa is a dominant SADC member, providing leadership and guidance, having considerable sway in decision making, and a valuable foothold in the region which we can’t afford to lose. Regional and international trade is a large source of employment, revenue and economic growth. Xenophobic discrimination and violence are not justified because we are members of international communities of cooperation and sharing. We cannot afford to alienate ourselves from the rest of Africa, but this happening, with nation such as Nigeria being enraged by the terrible treatment of their people in South Africa. We must never think we have nothing to gain from other nations such as Nigeria, or that it is no longer our duty to show kindness to strangers.

Bilateral and multilateral country agreements are highly advantageous for South Africans, but xenophobia places these agreements at risk. These have to be relationships of give and take. We can’t send South Africans overseas to be educated, to work, trade, showcase their talents and projects, or to engage in cultural exchanges, and then return here with the fruits thereof, while denying all these to foreigners. There has been much concern over brain drain in South Africa, and our major means of combating this are brain exchange and brain circulation (see Nyarko, 2011; Fourie, 2006). The significant loss of skilled human capital is a reality. We need to replace these lost workers. While the government is pushing education as hard as possible, we have also lost educators and experts to train and mentor South Africans before they can replace lost the human capital. To make up the deficit, foreign expertise has been brought in, and should, ideally, be warmly welcomed as well. In the example of Oba at the beginning of this section on race and ethnicity, we can see how important he is in the context of scarce skills. Oba has superior expertise and he can find a job just about anywhere he wants to in the world. That his co-workers won’t listen to him, learn from him and are pushing him out of the organisation is their and our nation’s loss, not his.

It is easy to see how much we need experts like Oba from around the world to come and share with us their knowledge and help us work towards a better society. It is much harder to talk about that elephant in the room: the vast majority of non-South Africans living here are not as highly skilled as Oba and many are illegal immigrants. During his tenure as Home Affairs Minister, Malusi Gigaba described the situation in an enlightening way: ‘many of them [immigrants] don't stay permanently in South Africa‚ they come and go out. Some of them stay permanently and commit crimes, but they are no different from South Africans who were born here‚ live here‚ commit crimes and also have malicious intentions to society in general.’ Gigaba said that most immigrants from Africa enter the country using legal, legitimate documents and they conduct transactions with South African businesses, thus supporting jobs in South Africa. The use of legal documents should ensure that immigrants are ‘just as safe as South Africans and also contribute to the diversity and social cohesion of the country’ (Gigaba, quoted in Goba, 2016).

There are many different types of legal and illegal immigrants in South Africa, and it is hardly fair to lump them together. There are many who contribute to the economy, the education system, and social change. There are some who have malicious intentions, but it is up to our police and state authorities to deal with this group. If citizens become involved, by means of what would be termed ‘vigilante’ or ‘mob justice’ in communities and in the workplace, we face numerous problems. The proper legal channels and processes, part of our precious democracy (which needs to be protected), are undermined and weakened. For example, undue interference in a case of crimes committed by an immigrant muddies the waters, making the investigation harder to conduct and control. If vigilantes take action, it will undermine the balance which officials work hard to maintain in the justice system, and it prevents the authorities from prosecuting criminals to the full extent of the law.

Xenophobic vigilantism is discrimination and, at best, it is a nuisance for law officials in trying to fulfil their duties, as well as an impediment to organisational and national progress. At worst, it is unjustifiable violence, victimisation and harassment of any non-South African with complete disregard for their real character or activities. It casts South Africans in a very poor light: as narrow-minded, selfish, prejudiced against our fellow Africans, and lacking an understanding of what it means to be citizens of the global village.

Devan Moonsamy runs the ICHAF Training Institute, and he is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be addressed. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.

ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za | www.devan-moonsamy.com

By Devan Moonsamy, CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

On the one hand, we have massive unemployment, on the other, we have a skills shortage. How can we balance these? The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) in South Africa explains how we should view the skills shortage in some detail in an article from some time ago. It is still relevant as so many problems have still not been addressed fully and gets to the heart of the unemployment and skills crises. The CDE says, “we are short of skills across the board, including people with the skills to create more jobs.”

This is very true, as I have found. At ICHAF, we don’t simply hire people and put them to work as trainers. We conduct “Train the trainer” initiatives, besides other related activities, so that trainers learn best practices, can do the admin tasks required, and don’t let students who need extra help down. This is critical to increasing the number of skilled workers in SA.

This is also true in another sense. We need job creators – entrepreneurs who create businesses and hire and train staff. Entrepreneurship is pretty daunting for some. It’s not easy for a youth to take on without the drive, skills, and especially the ability to take on the risks involved. Entrepreneurial training helps a lot, as well as experience gathered in the relevant field.

Thus, we also need to realise that, if we have the aptitude for it and can take on the responsibilities and risk that come with a new venture, we should spread our wings and fly. If we have had some good training and experience (including learning some hard lessons too) pretty soon, we will find we can make a livable income running our own business and hopefully offer employment to others too.

Youth entrepreneurs exist, and that’s great, but it is also great when older people upskill themselves, engage in workplace learning, and start to run businesses drawing on their experience, knowledge and maturity. People at all levels and in all fields can be trained, and I have heard time and again managers of recently trained staff say “I can see a difference in their work!”

This makes the manager’s role easier and gives the staff member much more confidence and the ability to meet customer’s needs in a more professional way. We know how frustrating it is to work with someone who, even through no fault of their own, just doesn’t know how to do their job.

Companies that don’t train their staff end up forcing the customer to do so! Or they take their business elsewhere! Companies with good staff get customers in the door and repeat business, which fuels the economy and uplifts people’s livelihoods.

If a company is willing to get their employees into learnerships, or even for short-term intensive interventions, we can fix another problem identified by CDE: “many young people are unemployed because the education system has failed to provide them with the literacy, numeracy, and life skills they need to meet employers’ requirements.” This is so true!

And we mustn’t forget that we are still living with the legacy of apartheid. Thus, older staff members also deserve to be trained, and from experience I have seen that it is not correct that older people struggle to learn. Initially, they may feel overwhelmed and think they won’t manage, but very quickly they get into the swing of things, and they do just as well as the youths. Older people also can tend to take their studies more seriously.

Their maturity is also extremely valuable. In some cases, people prefer to deal with an older individual when their needs are quite specialised. For example, parents will tend to be happier dealing with a school principal who was a good teacher for a number of years and knows a lot about school administration too. A school principal needs quite a lot of training and experience, and that can only come with time. This is not discrimination against anyone; it just means that the education system works better. Beating unemployment means training every one of all ages and all employment levels.

It is true that as businesses grow they tend to diversify their offerings and need more staff with different skills for a variety of roles. Big businesses also seem to have the time and budget to dedicate to training. Small businesses thus tend to neglect training.

It doesn’t pay to cut corners, however, and if a small business wants to grow or even just to tick over, they must take into consideration that client expectations are increasing as other companies start to offer better deals with better-trained staff. SA is becoming increasingly competitive, often with several companies vying for tenders and customers’ money. You have to stay ahead of the game, and the best way to do that is to have a capable team on your side.

Why not start just one or a few staff members you think have potential on a learnership? Investigate the process – and the awesome tax rebate you will get which makes it practically free – and contact a reputable training company that can upskill your staff member with the exact skills they need. You won’t regret it.
ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, learnerships and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za | www.devan-moonsamy.com

Devan Moonsamy, CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

As we turn our attention to Women’s Day this week, we should consider how far we have come in helping women and girls reach a more secure and empowered situation. What are some of the initiatives being conducted for women and girls?

I am closely involved with the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) of South Africa in my work as a trainer and manager. All SETAs are concerned with education and they all strive to priorities women and people with disabilities in their activities.

The great thing about working with the SETAs is that they ensure training companies meet quality and equity standards. If a company offers SETA-accredited training, you can be confident it will make a real difference to trainees and interns. So how do the SETAs help women?

We can look to the Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA) for examples of some excellent initiatives. The PSETA focuses on training public servants and it’s very important that we have equitable representation within the public service so that a variety of voices are heard and taken into account into the everyday governing of the nation. The same is of course true for all the SETAs.

Many companies hold the Cell C “Take a Girl Child to Work Day”, which has been going strong for 17 years! This year 700 organisations took part. This year’s theme was “Facing Fear, Embracing Ambition”. The event gives learners the opportunity to gain exposure in the workplace, and they are also assisted in planning their future career. Thus these girls have a wonderful opportunity to get to know what really goes on in the working world, something schooling systems have long not really addressed.

Companies need not wait for “Take a Girl Child to Work Day” each year, or focus only on girls. Women, people with disabilities, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds should also be given an opportunity, even if only for one day, to gain insight into the working world. Sometimes they lack confidence or exposure and just need a window into the possibilities open to them. Being in an office environment and observing business executives and managers in action in the workplace can give a person more confidence in entering this world.

Many business operations and processes can be explained and observed so that people will better understand what will be expected of them in the workplace, and how various business departments and professionals work in unison. It can trigger their interest in a certain profession and help them upskill themselves to fit that role.

Why not use this Women’s Day to bring women from disadvantaged backgrounds into your workplace and show them how your company operates and discuss the types of skills your company needs? (Similar initiatives can be held on World Disability Day on 3 December, SA Youth Day on 16 November, etc.)

This is just the beginning, however. With confidence-building comes the desire to act on one’s dreams. Training makes many dreams come true such as financial independence, self-actualisation, career satisfaction, and the ability to pay it forward.

There are a number of ways to do this. I will focus on the role of Further Education and Training (FETC) specifically. FETC is important because it hones specific skills needed in specific occupations. There are so many FETC accredited courses which ensure that professionals in all types of industries know their duties and follow correct procedures. This is for everything from insurance brokers to occupational safety and HIV/AIDS awareness training.

FETC colleges are great because they give women so much scope to explore the field that most interested in. If done as part of accredited staff training, it comes with SARS tax incentives so that companies’ expenditure on training ends up being very low. Accredited training companies can offer training which pretty much pays for itself.

Some important skills for women and girls to learn are in IT and computer use, particularly Microsoft (MS) programs and also coding. Concern has been expressed that the more male-dominated fields, including IT, can lead to women’s needs being neglected. This is because technology now pervades almost every facet of our existence but women’s needs can differ, while men might not realise that they have not taken this into account in their algorithms and coding. If too few women are involved in IT, it will disadvantage them.

There are thus initiatives such as “Girls Who Code”. These and other STEM-related initiatives and training show women and girls that they don’t need to be stuck in archaic roles where they are beholden to others and have little decision-making power.

One of the most awesome PSETA initiatives is “Help a Learner Apply” whereby people are assisted in applying at education institutions. Training companies also often come into the workplace at the application stage so that staff and managers are taken through the process and everything goes smoothly.

A critical IT foundation is office-related technology. Training in the MS office suite is very useful and helps people work faster, stay organised, and present their work in a more professional manner. Programs such as Word, Excel, Outlook, web browsers, and similar programs do need to be taught at some stage, whether at school or in the workplace. In-depth MS training makes for very efficient and confident employees and it should be noted that women tend to dominate in administrative roles.

Employees who struggle to use the tools available will be less productive and stressed. Sadly, companies do still neglect staff training and have too high expectations of employees, placing them in roles they are not equipped for. There is also a perception that youths know everything about IT. This is not true. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds, especially girls, do not have as much access to technology. They are most in need of employment, but they do need training.

Devan Moonsamy runs the ICHAF Training Institute, and he is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be addressed. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.

ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za | www.devan-moonsamy.com 

By Devan Moonsamy, CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

The Cape Winelands is facing a severe eviction crisis. A few days ago the Supreme Court of Appeal threw out an application from a property developer to allow the removal of two families. This is only a temporary victory as the property developer still has other options. Not all tenants in these circumstances have been even so fortunate.

The May family of 13 people were evicted last week from a wine farm where they had been living for almost 40 years. Their possessions were dumped on the side of the road and they were forced out by armed security guards. About 20 000 people in what many people think are the tranquil surrounds of the Cape Winelands are also facing such prospects. It truly is a crisis.

There are a number of issues and misunderstandings about the tenant-landlord/lady relationship which have contributed to this problem and which require attention:

1. Tenants often have to pay for background checks to reassure the landholder of their good standing. They also must provide references. But a landlord/lady is not required to do the same. This means that tenants have no such safeguard against a landholder who will not treat them fairly.

2. There is no reporting and background checking system for landlords/ladies. There is not even an informal system, website, or online forum where tenants can report a problem landlord/lady. Potential tenants should have a way to check reviews by past tenants. If we do this for restaurants and other business, how much more important is it for people who must blindly enter into an agreement with a landlord/lady? It is advisable for communities, locally and nationally, to set up a forum with a rating system. This is not just to identify problem landholders, but to help prospective tenants find one they can trust.

3. Few people understand what the (poorly termed) ‘squatter’s rights’ are. There is much confusion about how these rights actually work and when they apply. They do not privilege squatters in the way many people believe they do. Squatters do not have a legal right to indefinite occupancy, regardless of how long they have lived in a place. No person has the lawful right to occupy a property against the permission of the owner – unless a court order sanctions it. Essentially, it is up to the court to decide if and how an eviction may proceed.

4. What squatters do have is the right not to be forcibly removed. This protects occupants’ constitutional right to dignity and to a home. A court will not sanction a landholder taking matters into their own hands and forcibly evicting an occupant, as happened to the May family in the Cape. Occupants and landholders must both be allowed to plead their case in court. Depending on the individual case, the court may grant the eviction with specific terms.

5. An expired lease does not give the landholder rights to evict the tenant. They also may not lock tenants out, disrupt the supply of electricity or water, among other actions that would affect the tenants’ rights to shelter and amenities. Rent is excessively high in the Cape Town area, which further adds to the problem. Nevertheless, if the tenant has not been paying rent they may be ordered by the court to do so.

In the end, it is up to the court to decide on these matters. Occupants may stay in a home, and landholders may not remove them until the judicial process has run its course. To protect tenants, it is advisable that communities start a forum or website to report problem landholders and to help people find better ones.

Devan Moonsamy runs the I Can Help Africa Foundation (ICHAF), a charity created to build confidence, communication and life skills to children, and to help the many SA teachers who are overloaded with work.
Devan also runs the ICHAF Training Institute, and he is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.
The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be addressed. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.
ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.
Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

Brenton Tarrant attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, just a few days ago, murdering 49 people. He filmed it, he is proud of it, and we know he is a white supremacist from the disturbing manifesto he posted online just before the attack.

Wajahat Ali of the New York Times places the blame for the Christchurch Massacre on non-Muslims’ shoulders. He writes just two days after the attack, ‘All those who have helped to spread the worldwide myth that Muslims are a threat have blood on their hands.’ But does playing the victim in this way help? Both sides – all sides, in fact, because the issues are far from cut and dry – are to blame and not to blame.

People are terrified of terrorism – that is the goal it continues to achieve. People voice concern about it from their point of view, and that is understandable, especially considering that we are all at the mercy of news media reporting and sensationalism. We all fall prey to fake news and shock tactics from time to time. Our humanity demands that we feel angered and condemn the work of such criminals. Stopping ourselves from spreading the kind of ‘myths’ Wajahat Ali warns about it not an easy thing to do when we are confronted by the horrors of terrorism. Awareness of what is happening to us is critical. We have to talk about what we are doing to add to the problem without realising it.

We are easy prey to fear. In South Africa, white people fear-monger among themselves about the threat of genocide. People roll their eyes. Don’t be silly, it will never happen. Yet BLF’s president Andile Mngxitama recently urged supporters to kill white people (and their pets too). This is madness; it is hate speech. So who is justified? How do we simply ignore the BLF’s sinister agenda, and acknowledge the frustration of black people who have long been excluded from the wealth of the nation? We have to respond to both.

Wajahat Ali calls white nationalism ‘white ISIS’. He further says, ‘Thoughts and prayers are not enough. These attacks are the latest manifestation of a growing and globalized ideology of white nationalism that must be addressed at its source — which includes the mainstream politicians and media personalities who nurture, promote and excuse it.’

This is a finger pointed at Trump, among others. From the beginning, Trump wouldn’t reject the many white supremacists who supported his presidential campaign. That is tantamount to agreeing with their agenda. Suspicions about him have proved true, according to proof put forward by Ali. But is this because Trump fears for the safety of the western world, in which he is justified, considering the agenda of some terrorists? Or is he simply a white supremacist? There are no easy answers; it seems both are true.

Considering the broader Muslim community, there are many factors to take into account. To begin with, did you know that Muslim-dominated nations have a significantly lower level of murders compared to non-Muslim populations? And that fewer Muslims in the US believe violence is a solution to any problem compared to other demographic groups?

So why has there been almost 300 Islamist terrorist attacks worldwide over the past four decades (including those in more than 10 different African nations)? The reason is that the attacks are by extremists, and they are not true Muslims. They do not follow the path laid down for them by Mohammed and their forbearers as the way to serve Allah.

Simply put, they are criminals, and we cannot equate them with the rest of the Muslim world. Likewise, we cannot equate Andile Mngxitama with black people in general, nor Brenton Tarrant with white people in general. These people are not the model that the vast majority identify or agree with.

What can we do to resist such people and their evil agenda? Firstly, we have to stand together united as humans, not divided by our demographics. We cannot place blame on an entire group and fear monger about them. Terrorists seek to divide us; they are very good at it. But we must pull together and do more than just ‘thoughts and prayers.’ Secondly, however justified we may feel at the time, we have to stop spreading myths about one another, such as that Muslim people condone terrorism. And finally, we have to use our vote in the upcoming South African election very wisely, refusing to support anyone who uses fear mongering to control and divide us.

Devan Moonsamy is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be addressed. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.

ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.
Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za | devan-moonsamy.com

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

Cross-cultural competence involves the knowledge, skills, and motivation to adapt to diverse interactions. It is a major way in which we can contribute to intercultural cooperation. Some aspects of our behaviour are critical in terms of the values of a culture. However, certain key abilities and attitudes enable us to adapt to any culture effectively.

Cross-cultural competency is among the most important skills for the future workforce, according to the Institute for the Future, a global research body based in California. Tim Rettig, author on interpersonal struggle and success, explains, ‘Research has long shown that diversity of thought increases creativity and, with it, the innovation potential of both teams and corporations.’

In future and now, organisations are compelled to work more with people and partners from faraway places. This does not mean emailing and Skyping with them. No, they are right there in the office with us on a daily basis. Sometimes we are the cultural outsider, and we need to adapt while trying not to be too sensitive to what would be inappropriate back home. We need to be able to explain our views as well, allowing others to understand our needs better. 

Benign terms?
Conflict will happen in cross-cultural encounters. In itself, it may not be such a major problem, provided it leads to mutual understanding. As an example of how cross-cultural competency doesn’t happen, consider the following: An overseas client visits the workplace. They know little about SA. In chatting with a company employee, they hear that their accent is distinct, and ask, ‘Are you a Boer?’

The employee is indeed Afrikaans, but they find the term Boer offensive. Some Afrikaans people do not mind the term, but others feel that it has been used in a derogatory way. The employee becomes angry and says, ‘You can’t speak to me like that!’ The visitor is taken aback and feels insulted and confused.

In such a case where the person knows little about our complex history, and even in cases where a South African uses a term such as Boer, is it necessary to become angry and retaliate? The person may think that the term is an acknowledgement of a proud heritage, for example, as in the case of terms such as African American as used by some in the US.

Not everyone knows that the term has become offensive to some Afrikaans people because it has been used in slogans and songs such as ‘Kill the Boer’, as started in 1993 by Peter Mokaba, president of the ANC Youth League at the time. Indeed, if we are not involved in such behaviour and threats, we may not know of their existence.

Terms such as jeez, girly or my girl, monkey, umlungu and Dutchman can be offensive, depending on the circumstances in which they are used. Avoiding the use of slang and colloquial language in the workplace is thus a safe option. We also want to avoid being overly familiar with our colleagues, especially if we don’t know them well. We don’t know how some words can hurt others, even if they have no negative meaning to us.

We should thus show cultural competency by confining our conversation to terms that are neutral and commonly accepted as referring to specific objects and ideas relevant to the working environment. We should avoid ambiguous or potentially controversial topics. It is also advisable to avoid terms which we are not familiar with.

Conflict transformation can still be achieved in problem cases if employees are willing to learn, listen and reconcile. Team members need time to reflect on each other’s’ different points of view, and ultimately find a way to create synergy and a novel solution to a problem.

Ways to achieve cross-cultural competency

Tim Rettig says that problems can be curbed when team members display cross-cultural competency. He suggests a number of ways, and some are stated below.

• Placing oneself in the position of the other person and striving to see from their perspective.
• Understanding the different values, beliefs and assumptions of the other side. 
• Listening carefully from a neutral stance with a view to gaining a deep understanding of the person’s culture and personal beliefs. 
• Communicating one’s point of view effectively but kindly to the other side. 
• Working towards integration of the different perspectives in order to create a new solution to the problem. 
• Resolving conflicts in a productive way as opposed to allowing negative emotional reactions to overtake a situation and set a precedent for future interaction.

People behaving strangely
One final word to be said on this topic of cultural understanding comes from psychology. Sometimes people say and do strange or offensive things, and we think, ‘That’s odd,’ or ‘I never expected that from them.’ We may also become angry at them for this.

But at times people are so worried about not doing the wrong thing that they become preoccupied with it. This is often accompanied by intense fear. They keep thinking about this bad thing they shouldn’t do to the point where, especially when they are stressed or on ‘autopilot’ and simply trying to cope in a difficult time, they end up doing the exact thing they didn’t want to.

We jump to take offence, not realising that, for that moment in which they fell short, there were hundreds of other times when they did the right thing and mastered their prejudices and fears.

It is thus important to consider whether a person has shown a pattern of discriminatory behaviour towards other cultures, genders, races etc. Or have they not rather made a mistake which should be forgiven? No one can say they are perfectly unbiased and perfectly behaved. If there is a pattern of behaviour, however, combined with an unapologetic attitude, then the person certainly deserves discipline.

If we are looking at an isolated case, and the person shows genuine remorse, it can be an excellent opportunity to implement conflict transformation and teach cross-cultural competency. We thereby build more closely-knit cooperative teams who better understand one another, have increased respect for one another, and have learnt to weather storms together and come out united.

Devan Moonsamy is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be addressed. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.

ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.
Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za | devan-moonsamy.com

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

How much do you know about Nomalizo Leah Tutu (86), the wife of Desmond Tutu (87)? The dynamic couple have been married for almost 65 years. Mrs Tutu has always been a stronghold for the Archbishop. She is highly accomplished and has devoted her life to workers’ rights and education, among other causes.

Nomalizo’s half century of activism has seen tremendous success and brought relief to the lives of others. It has also empowered and inspired others to keep pushing the workers’ movement forward. How so?

Fighting for domestic workers’ rights
In 1981, Nomalizo Tutu co-founded the SA Domestic Workers Association. The organisation grew into the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union (Sadsawu). Sadsawu is part of the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) which operates in 20 countries.

The seeds sown by Nomalizo and her comrades almost 40 years ago have flourished and now form part of an organised global labour movement. What is more, an exciting development in domestic workers’ rights is taking place in South Africa now.

The Second IDWF Congress was held in Cape Town in November last year. Keynote speaker Shawna Bader-Blau stated, ‘South African domestic workers are about to win equal standards for health and safety and wages. When we stand together, South African domestic workers will win.’

Bader-Blau is referring to an amendment to the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (Coida). The legislation excludes domestic workers from its definition of an employee. This encourages the harmful view that domestic work is not ‘real’ work.

Thus, in the case of an occupational injury, illness or death, domestic workers cannot claim from the compensation fund. Sadsawu correctly highlights that this exclusion of domestic workers is ‘irrational and unconstitutional’. We currently await the amendment to the Act, which will be a landmark victory for workers’ rights, and we are truly grateful to the Tutu matriarch for engendering activism for domestic workers.

The Tutu legacy continues
Nomalizo received an honorary doctorate from the National Louis University based in Chicago, a university that has a long history of success in education rights and the education movement. She also worked as a teacher and her children are highly educated and have followed similar paths of dedication to serving others as their parents did.

Eldest daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe is a researcher in HIV treatment, and runs various charity foundations. Second daughter Nontombi Tutu is a human rights advocate and leads the Christ Church Cathedral in Nashville in the US. Mpho Tutu-Van Furth, the youngest daughter, runs the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, is a trustee of Angola University, and has co-authored two books about her father.

There is a rose cultivar created by Peter Beales in the UK named ‘Leah Tutu’ after Mrs Tutu. The rose flowers into a dense arrangement of golden yellow-orange petals. These colours fittingly symbolise joy, endurance and success. The rose itself is a symbol of hope, while its thorns represent protection. What a wonderful way to think about the sterling woman Nomalizo Leah Tutu.

Devan Moonsamy is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be addressed. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.

ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za | devan-moonsamy.com

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

A dynamic public speaker is someone who can deliver a talk or lead a discussion successfully according to the needs of the context and the audience. It doesn’t mean that you need to put on a show or pretend to be someone you are not. Fear of public speaking is the most common phobia that people have.

How do we overcome this fear? It was something I needed to do, and which many people have done already. You too can overcome your fear of speaking in front of groups of people. This phobia is not abnormal. Speaking in front of others is daunting because we feel they are judging us. But this can be used to our advantage. If we do well in our speech or discussion, we will make a major positive impression on the audience and promote us in our career.

To deliver a dynamic presentation, there are three broad categories of aspects to master.

The body: Focus on slowing your breathing and taking deeper, more full breaths. Breath management is key to helping you stay calm and speak well. Experts also say that we need to control nervousness, not eliminate it. Nervousness is an ally if we redirect it. It gives us an extra spurt of adrenaline that we need to give us the edge in public speaking. The secret is in learning how to control it, not trying to get rid of it because that is a losing game.

Use diaphragmatic breathing and avoid upper chest breathing. This helps amplify your voice. You don’t have to open your mouth too wide. Rather use a medium closed mouth which creates resonance and medium volume which is preferable. There is no need to shout or raise your voice too much; it puts people off.

If you are using a microphone, don’t speak too close to it. Hold it at a 45° angle at least 10cm from your mouth. Remember that people’s ears can be hurt if you speak too loud. If you speak too close to the microphone, it creates a ‘boom’ noise and the sound engineer will have to reduce the volume considerably or it will hurt the audiences’ ears. In such cases what you are saying will be garbled.

The mind: You must plan your speech thoroughly. Write it down in as much detail as you need it to be. Some actually do well with undetailed notes, others need more detailed notes, and that is fine. It may help to write out the overall structure and memorise that. Then write down a few key phrases which you really want to say in specific words in a specific way, and which you can even read out to the audience.

Practice and know your topic very well. Failure to practice will lead to major problems during delivery. Nancy Daniels, who writes a lot about public speaking, says that even if it means staying up all night, your preparation should be thorough. She says that ‘Your adrenaline will get you through it and you can crash later.’

I would advocate for a middle road. Practice as thoroughly as possible, even into the night, but you know your body and how much sleep you need. For some, being less prepared is not as much a problem as being exhausted.

Reading through your speech only is insufficient. Nancy Daniels says, ‘Your audience is there to hear you speak to them. If you plan to read it, why not copy it, pass it out, and then everyone can go home!’ You must practice several times over until you can move from one sentence or idea to the next without checking your notes each time.

The social: Nancy Daniels says that the secret is ‘the ability to treat your audience just as if you were having a conversation in your living room… we think we should be something or someone we’re not. I want you to be you. The best speakers are those who are themselves.’

This sounds great, but it’s very hard when you are nervous, under pressure to perform, or your thoughts are scattered. To connect with your audience in an interpersonal way, you first must master the two categories discussed above. Once you have control of your breath and body, and if you know what you are going to say in depth, you are then ready to engage with people in a way that ensures they get your message across successfully and in the way you intended to.

To master the social or interpersonal aspects of your speech, there are a few critical but very simple things to do. These are:

• Make eye contact with your audience from time to time, as appropriate. Don’t speak only to certain people, but give general attention across the room, focussing on different groups or even single people for short periods.
• Nancy Daniels says, ‘You will discover that you will feel more comfortable if you zoom in on your smilers.’ This is especially helpful if it’s a tough audience. In such cases look and speak to those people who are showing positive reactions. Other people might be tired, distracted or even not interested in what you are saying. You want to connect with everyone and give everyone some of your attention. 
• You will make mistakes, so just recollect your thoughts and keep going. If you are making a lot of mistakes, however, it is due to lack of preparation and practice. 
• Add some emotion or feeling. Change your voice from time to time to suit your topic. Don’t use a monotone voice or a repetitive tone. Also, use appropriate and varied facial expressions and body language. ‘Color is not only heard in the voice, but it is also seen in your facial expression as well as your body language,’ Nancy Daniels explains. 
• It is difficult to show appropriate emotions if you are unprepared and your nervous energy is uncontrolled. Confidence and the ability to show your personality and emotions will blossom like flowers if planted in a well-tended garden of preparation and practice. Nancy Daniels says, ‘Learning to control your nervousness means allowing yourself to be expressive.’ 
• Have a test run in front of someone who can give you useful feedback. Ask them to offer advice on what would make the speech better. For example, maybe you haven’t explained a certain point as clearly as necessary. Practising with someone can help identify these problems.

If you are challenged, even intimidated, by a cold audience, continue trying to speak to them, not at them, and see if they don’t thaw a bit. Being well prepared helps tremendously in such cases because you can focus on your topic and making a good delivery. Even if the audience reactions are disappointing, they cannot fault your delivery. You will know exactly what to do, keeping your talk flowing from one point to another, and not getting stuck. This gives you a chance to create a good impression, even if the audience is frigid.

Devan Moonsamy is author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us with Bronwyn J King, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be overcome. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.

Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates.

To book a seminar with Devan, please use the contact details below.
Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

By Devan Moonsamy, CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

Diversity is everywhere. Nations across the globe, big and small cities and towns are all either highly cosmopolitan or fast getting that way. In China, for example, a country that has been somewhat closed to the outside world, there are over 50 distinct ethnic groups who all need to be accommodated in employment and society in general.

South Africa has a similar situation in terms of the sheer number of ethnic groups, as well as increasing numbers of people with very mixed heritages. We need to be alive to this and display flexibility in how we approach and accommodate all kinds of staff members and customers. We must remind ourselves that each individual’s needs and norms can differ, and each one is equally valid.

If we aren’t careful and thoughtful in how we approach people of cultures, languages, races, ethnic, sexuality or gender groups different to our own, we will land up with many unhappy people and endless friction. In business, we will be less productive, and employees will be disengaged at work. It is too much of a risk to ignore the realities of diversity in terms of employee and customer satisfaction, profitability, business risk, and company reputation.

Nobody wants a PR nightmare, but it happens all the time, and to the big players one would expect to be the more progressive among us. Some of the biggest PR disasters last year include Google’s gender pay gap, sexism in the African Union, and H&M’s racially offensive advertising. Diversity is a reality, but it will not be a blessing, and we will not reach an equitable situation whereby people of all demographic groups are afforded equal rights and treatment unless we put in the effort.

Equitable diversity is not a myth or an unachievable goal. It may be difficult to get everyone on board at first, but a strong diversity strategy tailored to your company or department is a powerful tool. To get anywhere worth going, one must first have a plan, a roadmap or a set of guidelines to follow which speak to the conditions of your industry and your office politics as well.

If you are in the education sector, you need to ensure that people of all demographic groups benefit from the learning experience and that your staff know how to help students of different abilities. In many instances, we still see too many white male managers and too many black employees in low-paying entry-level positions.

Women are still locked out of senior management and not taken seriously in some organisations. People with disabilities are also too rarely seen in the work environment compared to the number of people with disabilities who can work.

The way to change this is through a BEE recruiting system and training up people of colour (this term is used to refer to black people as well as coloured and Asian people who have been all been historically disadvantaged) and other minority or marginalised groups to fill management and decision-making roles where they, in turn, can mentor other people of colour, and further drive equitable recruitment processes.

Once a company attracts more diverse employees into positions at all levels, we have to make sure they want to stay. We cannot lose good employees who represent a variety of demographic groups due to maltreatment from fellow staff members or a lack of opportunities. This is simply unacceptable, and we must thus work actively to protect their interests.

Some of the most successful companies in the area of diversity have so much to teach us. In my recent book, Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, we analyse the methods used by various companies to achieve equitable diversity. I include an adapted extract here on a highly successful method that can be implemented in any company.

Task forces and project teams have been found to be the most effective means of managing diversity and maximising its value, especially when the teams are self-managed as much as possible. Task forces or project teams are created to address obstacles related to diversity and to increase equitable representation in the company. Some focus areas for a task force can be ‘recruitment and mentoring initiatives for professionals and middle managers, working specifically toward measurable goals for minorities’ (Dobbin & Kalev, 2016).

Corporate diversity task forces help promote social accountability, and they can go much further than recruitment. They can also monitor the progress of women, black and other groups that can be side-lined to ensure they are trained, well treated and thus retained. Mentorship programmes also work well when a mentor is assigned someone to assist rather than allowing them to choose their own mentees. This ensures that those who need mentoring most get it.

As an example of what task forces can do, Deloitte created a task force a few years ago which found that driving for transparency in decision-making was a key way to get positive results for diversity goals. IBM also launched hugely successful task forces in the mid-1990s, each focused on a different group including a specific task force dedicated to help promote lesbian and gay people in the workplace. ‘The goal of the initiative was to uncover and understand differences among the groups and find ways to appeal to a broader set of employees and customers,’ and thus, ‘the IBM of today looks very different from the IBM of 1995’ (Thomas, 2004). Diversity task-forces became a pillar of the company’s HR strategy. The number of IBM female executives worldwide increased by 370%; ethnic minorities by 233%; LGBT executives rose by 733%; and those with disabilities more than tripled.

We can thus see the incredible value that dedicated task teams can achieve. It is these types of diversity initiatives which have kept progressive companies such as IBM and Deloitte going strong through the decades.

Devan Moonsamy is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, available from the ICHAF Training Institute. 

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be addressed. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.

ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za