Professor Michael Goodman Delivers Keynote Speech to Beijing University on Global Communication Challenges for Corporations

Michael B. Goodman, PhD, professor and director of the MA Program in Corporate Communication at Baruch College, spent a week in China in May with the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) in Beijing. Goodman, who has given presentations in China in previous years, was invited by the dean of the School of International Studies at UIBE to present the keynote speech at the National Conference on Intercultural Business Communication, the first of its kind in China.

Goodman’s professional background in international business communication has made him a known entity in the field. When he signed on to become a full-time faculty member at Baruch College three years ago, he also brought with him an entire corporate communication research center, Corporate Communication International (CCI), of which he is the founder and director. Students in the MA Program for Corporate Communication at Baruch take courses that capitalize on the resources provided by CCI.

At UIBE, Goodman spoke about strategic decision-making in business communication and also led a workshop titled “Work with Anyone, Anywhere,” based on a chapter from a book he’s currently revising for its second edition. “We had an interesting hour and a half talk on American values, business practices, and corporate cultures,” he said. “China is developing a growing interest in international business communication.” Many of the University attendees were professors of business English and had studied in the United States.

Goodman, too, continues to learn more about business communication with each of his international experiences. His most profound takeaway from this most recent trip was a more in-depth understanding of Chinese business-relationship-building. “What we call networking they call connections—but these are connected with the concept of personal relationships,” he noted. “For them, our networking is sort of about acquaintances. Theirs are much deeper. They are slow to make relationships but grow much stronger bonds.”

During his time in China, Goodman was also presented with a certificate of recognition as an “International Member of the Academic Board of the Center for International Business, Chinese Education, and Resources” on the UIBE campus at the Opening Ceremony of the Hanban Center, a nonprofit public institution within UIBE that works to develop Chinese language- and culture-teaching resources.