SinhCity: Bouquets and singing energisers

Meetings in Laos are not what I expected. Apart from looking, sounding and feeling unfamiliar, they seem to be strange machines running along unfamiliar tracks with engines fuelled by strange ideas. Strange to me, anyway. But pretty fabulous too! There is singing, flowers, tropical fruit, coffee and butchers' paper. A recipe for success if ever I heard one.

A conference

In my somewhat limited experience in my small corner of this town in this small country I have noticed several things about local meetings and conferences. Some of these things I think we could adopt at home.

There are not many ordinary, everyday, "let’s have a quick meeting to talk about that" types of meetings like the ones I am used to. They are mostly formal dos with agendas and participant attendance lists. Most start with a ceremonial introduction from a higher authority figure – like a vice president or an ambassador – even if they can’t stay past morning tea.

Florists must do well in Vientiane. Conferences have tables draped with lustrous fabric and large bouquets, vaguely reminiscent of wedding party tables. Sometimes there are flowers on participants tables, too, but at smaller meetings the bouquets are just for the important folk at the front.

Drapery and Bouquets

And then there’s the singing. At most meetings and conferences I've been to, someone has entertained us with an a capella folk tune. Often as a starter to a larger meeting someone will volunteer to sing a tune from their village, microphone in hand. Everyone claps along. It’s the warm up icebreaker. After lunch it’s on again – one or two people volunteer to start us off with a tune. Sometimes it sounds to my ears like warm, smooth chocolate. Other times it’s like a metal box of sharp nails (but then I don’t really like Chinese opera, either). Once someone told a joke (in lieu of singing) that had the men laughing and the women groaning.

Click here to watch an icebreaker in action

Seating arrangements in conferences use the good old U shape. Smaller meetings have the look of an old style classroom with tables for two set in even rows facing the front. And the curtains! Wow. I have certainly seen some dapper drapes in conference rooms over the past few months.

Dapper drapery

Some of these meetings are called conferences but underneath it all they are about teaching somebody something. Sometimes they have defined objectives and sometimes I have seen organisers' expectations exceeded. Always a good thing! I have seen democracy, People's-Democratic-Republic-of-Laos style - which means everyone who has a vote gets to discuss, comment and say their piece until we cooked up something we could possibly call "consensus". Last time this took 2 days. We ended up with what the boss wanted (phew) and I had agreed I could work with.

Some scenes seem universally familiar

Everyone uses a microphone like a professional. Lao people seem more familiar and less shy with them than most Australians I know. I think it’s all the karaoke singing – and having had one shoved in your hand since you were three – that makes them so comfortable crooning into a mike.

And here's another little video of an energiser energising the crowd

Opening and closing formalities are, to my ears, gorgeously ceremonial. Even sitting in the spacious, carved wooden chairs in the bosses office I’ve sat politely through long speeches filled with decorative, official introductions and pronouncements. Of course I don’t understand most of it unless there is a quietly whispering translator in my ear (how I long for a TARDIS telepathically-based universal translation system).

There are often formal group photos at conferences, and sometimes I am in them.

Pick me, pick me!

It's not all vastly different to what I know. Agendas and attendance lists and fussing around making slide projectors work are the same everywhere. Perhaps there are some things that are universal. I am happy to report that butchers' paper is in regular use here (being a fan of the butchers' from way back). And there are bored people scribbling doodles, whispering with their mates and answering their phones, just like at home.

Flip charts - flippin' great

Lunches and tea breaks are a little different. Apart from them being 60, 90 or even 120 minute breaks dividing the day and allowing short powernaps, there's also the food! Ahh! the food. Pastries in the morning and tropical fruit in the afternoons. There is always coffee or tea and sometimes it's REAL coffee made in a sock.

There are coffee breaks: