Tips and advice
When people of different groups interact, it’s good to have an idea of the protocols that each of them follow. When Australian business men and women do business in other countries they first learn something of the ‘protocol’ of business people in those countries. And when business men and women from those countries come here, they do the same.
It’s important to note that many Indigenous organisations are run by a small but dedicated team and they often don’t have the resources (financial or staffing) to respond quickly to requests from organisations. When approaching organisations this should be kept in mind. For example of the five state reconciliation councils only three receive state government support, the others rely entirely on the goodwill of volunteers.
Indigenous people have their own protocols and they in turn have needed to learn and adjust to non-Indigenous protocols over the years. But it helps enormously if this understanding is two way – you should know something of the protocols that work for Indigenous people in order to offer good customer service and partnership. This will help make Indigenous customers and partners feel as comfortable as others do in using your service.
Protocols will vary in different areas. If you are going to be working with people from traditional and remote communities you will need locally based training or advice. However, in most areas there are some general protocols – appropriate behaviours – that are worth remembering.
- What might be starting points for building relationships with Indigenous people?
- What are some things I might need to know about communicating well with Indigenous people?
- Begin with a relationship of trust
- Use preferred local name for Indigenous people
- Acknowledge Country
- Ask; don’t tell.
- Seek more than one opinion
- Relationship before business
- Acknowledge all the problems and solutions (not just the ones you think are relevant)
- Accept cultural obligations
- Speak and listen well
- What are some keys to serving Indigenous customers well?
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