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Humour is one of the most challenging parts of mastering a new language, and of learning a new culture. It is used differently from culture to culture; what is entertaining in one culture may be frowned upon in another. The right time and setting to use humour is also different from one culture to another. Some cultures will use humour in serious settings at work, to make a difficult message easier to convey, while other will absolutely refrain from using humour in such situations. When you lead teams that are spread across countries and are diverse, this is one of many aspects of communication that you need to be conscious of in order for your message to be understood as intended.

The picture is from the streaming of a digital lecture that I gave in May 2026 for the employees of a multinational company operating in 100 countries. Illustration: Elise H. Kollerud

Humour is one of the most challenging parts of mastering a new language, and of learning a new culture. It is used differently from culture to culture; what is entertaining in one culture may be frowned upon in another. The right time and setting to use humour is also different from one culture to another. Some cultures will use humour in serious settings at work, to make a difficult message easier to convey, while other will absolutely refrain from using humour in such situations. When you lead teams that are spread across countries and are diverse, this is one of many aspects of communication that you need to be conscious of in order for your message to be understood as intended.

The picture is from the streaming of a digital lecture that I gave in May 2026 for the employees of a multinational company operating in 100 countries. Illustration: Elise H. Kollerud

Trust (tillit in Norwegian) is a cornerstone for businesses, relationships and leadership. Here explaining the cultural aspects of how trust is built around the world and across cultures. I always start my lectures with relatable and observable aspects of culture including non-verbal communication and body language (kropsspråk in Norwegian, 2nd picture). May 2026, Norway.

Trust (tillit in Norwegian) is a cornerstone for businesses, relationships and leadership. Here explaining the cultural aspects of how trust is built around the world and across cultures. I always start my lectures with relatable and observable aspects of culture including non-verbal communication and body language (kropsspråk in Norwegian, 2nd picture). May 2026, Norway.

Oslo, Mai 2026. Speaking for a large Norwegian bank with international offices about how culture influences how to lead effectively, communicate and collaborate.

Oslo, Mai 2026. Speaking for a large Norwegian bank with international offices about how culture influences how to lead effectively, communicate and collaborate.

Mai 2026. We travelled to Skellefteå, Sweden again today to hold a course about aspects of collaboration across culture for Boliden, a large Swedish multinational metal, minning and smelting company.

Thank you for the invitation @bolidengroup and to @athenas_talare for facilitating my contribution.

Mai 2026. We travelled to Skellefteå, Sweden again today to hold a course about aspects of collaboration across culture for Boliden, a large Swedish multinational metal, minning and smelting company.

Thank you for the invitation @bolidengroup and to @athenas_talare for facilitating my contribution.

Expectation is an important concept when discussing cultural differences. In this short extract from one of my lectures, I explain in Norwegian how the perception of the same situation changes depending on the culture of the person experiencing it. Here, talking to someone without an obvious reason.

In some cultures, talking without an obvious reason in a public space is normal and expected. In these cultures, conversation comes before purpose. In other cultures, communication is expected to have a clear reason, or a “frame,” as I call it.

It is easy to misinterpret someone’s intentions if the behaviours you observe are in conflict with your own cultural expectations. I use this story to introduce the concept of “expectation” and to illustrate how simple situations can easily be misinterpreted.

The contrast in the story is provided by cultural expectations of behaviour within the Norwegian culture. Scandinavian cultures are a good example of a group of cultures where a well-defined frame is often required for communication. If this frame or reason is missing, Scandinavians may easily wonder why you are initiating a conversation. The same logic applies to socialisation and to how meeting dynamics unfold.

Expectation is an important concept when discussing cultural differences. In this short extract from one of my lectures, I explain in Norwegian how the perception of the same situation changes depending on the culture of the person experiencing it. Here, talking to someone without an obvious reason.

In some cultures, talking without an obvious reason in a public space is normal and expected. In these cultures, conversation comes before purpose. In other cultures, communication is expected to have a clear reason, or a “frame,” as I call it.

It is easy to misinterpret someone’s intentions if the behaviours you observe are in conflict with your own cultural expectations. I use this story to introduce the concept of “expectation” and to illustrate how simple situations can easily be misinterpreted.

The contrast in the story is provided by cultural expectations of behaviour within the Norwegian culture. Scandinavian cultures are a good example of a group of cultures where a well-defined frame is often required for communication. If this frame or reason is missing, Scandinavians may easily wonder why you are initiating a conversation. The same logic applies to socialisation and to how meeting dynamics unfold.

“Illustrating how language affects perception by surprising the audience by speaking with English, French, Spanish, and Norwegian from stage. Perception, expectation, and intention are three pillars of communication that I explore in my keynotes about "Culture and Communication". April 2026, Norway

“Illustrating how language affects perception by surprising the audience by speaking with English, French, Spanish, and Norwegian from stage. Perception, expectation, and intention are three pillars of communication that I explore in my keynotes about "Culture and Communication". April 2026, Norway

Lecturing in Norwegian about how communication is influenced by language, behaviours, cultural norms, and the use of verbal and non-verbal clues. Drammen, Norway, April 2026

Lecturing in Norwegian about how communication is influenced by language, behaviours, cultural norms, and the use of verbal and non-verbal clues. Drammen, Norway, April 2026

Green stage today in Sweden.

Green stage today in Sweden.

Lecturing in Norwegian for the Norwegian University of Science and Technology @ntnu in Trondheim, Norway about what cultural differences mean when welcoming students and academics from around the world.

I samarbeid med @athenas_foredrag

Lecturing in Norwegian for the Norwegian University of Science and Technology @ntnu in Trondheim, Norway about what cultural differences mean when welcoming students and academics from around the world.

I samarbeid med @athenas_foredrag

March 2026, "Cultural lenses", DNB Bank, Oslo.

March 2026, "Cultural lenses", DNB Bank, Oslo.

Stage highlights from 2025. In 2025, Elise and I held keynotes in Germany, Luxembourg, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and in the USA lecturing in French, English, Norwegian and with some parts in Spanish. Last year topped 2024 as our best year on stage. Thank you to the best partner Elise H. Kollerud who draws all illustrations and does a lot of the idea gathering and preparatory work.

Behind the scenes, we invested considerable time refining our illustrations and further strengthening the robustness of our approach to explaining global cultural differences, including our work on cultural dynamics in Scandinavia. Our illustrated approach is proving very effective in engaging and inspiring audiences across borders.

Some of the companies we lectured for in 2025 include Visma, Kid-Hemtex, TopDanmark, Abbvie, Accenture, Nammo, Høyre, Banque du Luxembourg, Wolt, DoorDash, Green Mountains, Gard, Aon, Equinor, The Norwegian Army, Coface, Promon, Subsea 7, Riverty, Nordfersk and a number of universities in Norway and Sweden. I also had the pleasure to be the host for the Nordic Growth Forum and SHIELDCON 2025, and to hold keynotes at a number of conferences.

Most clients contacted us when making acquisitions abroad, when multinational teams operating across countries need stronger collaboration, and when leaders seek to proactively strengthen cultural understanding within culturally diverse teams before challenges arise.

Our vision stays unchanged - to bridge cultures by providing practical tools to better understand what culture and cultural differences are so that those expanding abroad and those working in a diverse workforce are better equipped to tackle the challenges a multi-cultural working environment brings.

Thank you to all of you who invited us to speak last year, we are looking forward to what 2026 will bring.

https://www.juliensbourrelle.com

Julien and Elise

Stage highlights from 2025. In 2025, Elise and I held keynotes in Germany, Luxembourg, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and in the USA lecturing in French, English, Norwegian and with some parts in Spanish. Last year topped 2024 as our best year on stage. Thank you to the best partner Elise H. Kollerud who draws all illustrations and does a lot of the idea gathering and preparatory work.

Behind the scenes, we invested considerable time refining our illustrations and further strengthening the robustness of our approach to explaining global cultural differences, including our work on cultural dynamics in Scandinavia. Our illustrated approach is proving very effective in engaging and inspiring audiences across borders.

Some of the companies we lectured for in 2025 include Visma, Kid-Hemtex, TopDanmark, Abbvie, Accenture, Nammo, Høyre, Banque du Luxembourg, Wolt, DoorDash, Green Mountains, Gard, Aon, Equinor, The Norwegian Army, Coface, Promon, Subsea 7, Riverty, Nordfersk and a number of universities in Norway and Sweden. I also had the pleasure to be the host for the Nordic Growth Forum and SHIELDCON 2025, and to hold keynotes at a number of conferences.

Most clients contacted us when making acquisitions abroad, when multinational teams operating across countries need stronger collaboration, and when leaders seek to proactively strengthen cultural understanding within culturally diverse teams before challenges arise.

Our vision stays unchanged - to bridge cultures by providing practical tools to better understand what culture and cultural differences are so that those expanding abroad and those working in a diverse workforce are better equipped to tackle the challenges a multi-cultural working environment brings.

Thank you to all of you who invited us to speak last year, we are looking forward to what 2026 will bring.

https://www.juliensbourrelle.com

Julien and Elise

Elise and I are taking a few weeks off stage to work on two new books. This year, we traveled back to Tanzania and Zanzibar were we spent months writing many years ago before the pandemic.

Elise and I are taking a few weeks off stage to work on two new books. This year, we traveled back to Tanzania and Zanzibar were we spent months writing many years ago before the pandemic.

Lecturing at the Norwegian Business School @binorwegianbusinesschool for the international business students that just arrived to Norway for the winter semester. We continue the tradition to provide the students with a crash course on the Norwegian culture that ease their adaptation to Norway. Followed with a dinner in Oslo with @elisekoll :) January 2026

Lecturing at the Norwegian Business School @binorwegianbusinesschool for the international business students that just arrived to Norway for the winter semester. We continue the tradition to provide the students with a crash course on the Norwegian culture that ease their adaptation to Norway. Followed with a dinner in Oslo with @elisekoll :) January 2026

Our first international lecture in 2026 was in Brussels last week. We had the pleasure to speak for Zoetis team in the Benelux, Ireland and the Nordics. We held a lecture on various aspects of culture followed by a large workshop and plenary discussion.

We touched upon many aspects of culture, among others: What does silence means in conversations and in meetings? What is humbleness and how can it be misinterpreted across cultures?

Our first international lecture in 2026 was in Brussels last week. We had the pleasure to speak for Zoetis team in the Benelux, Ireland and the Nordics. We held a lecture on various aspects of culture followed by a large workshop and plenary discussion.

We touched upon many aspects of culture, among others: What does silence means in conversations and in meetings? What is humbleness and how can it be misinterpreted across cultures?

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Bilder fra Julien S. Bourrelles Instagram

@juliensbourrelle

BILDER

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