NCOS | Terminology Training II-23
Preparatory course at national level in relation to NATO in order to be able to converse, introduce yourself and represent the Swiss Armed Forces internationally.
During 5 days we had the opportunity to get to know the amazing dimensions of NATO with the outstanding support of MWO Kobel.
The lessons as well as the group work, called 'Work in syndicates”, were in English. The simple introductory exercises helped participants overcome their initial nervousness about the lessons being in English.
Additionally, the formative test analysis with some NATO questions was a successful start. After the personal introduction it was clear what was or wasn’t “English-approved'. The recommendations of the language department were then directly implemented in the presentations
that followed. The course called "Terminology Training" fully justified its name already by the start of the second day when the presentation “NATO” was on the agenda. The volume, complexity and diversity of NATO was then made clear to us. This is a beast!
After the introduction to NATO, we had the opportunity to get to know NATO and its partners better by working in small groups and then presenting our findings.
The next morning, we started with the introduction to the reference curriculum with MWO Marcel Waser. That was really impressive! The day’s focus was Switzerland and more specifically how to present it abroad. This included the preparation of the presentation documents for a possible deployment or training in an international setting.
Thursday gave us an insight into the cultural differences that exist between the individual countries in and around NATO. Especially the values/norms and habits were explained with practical examples.
Additionally, our knowledge of English was again put to test and we were given the possibility to work on improving our grammar, vocabulary and presentation skills with the help of the language department.
On Thursday, we all realized once again how complex and comprehensive NATO is. The acronyms were on the program. OMG! A good 100 acronyms (only a small excerpt) which we, the 7 participants, had to decode in advance and prepare for presentation were discussed and explained in detail for two hours. MWO Kobel had useful hints for almost each abbreviation as well as concrete, practical examples.
On Friday morning we were given the opportunity to improve our English skills by discussing different questions in two groups using the knowledge we had gathered. The discussions were held in an informal setting and followed by the presentation of the key points.
Before the end of the course, we did the same test as at the beginning. The results were logically, and fortunately, better than at the start of the week.
During the whole week the focus was on two things: Getting to know NATO in the international environment and improving our English skills.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
To conclude with, I allow myself a sentence in Swinglish:
Our recommendation for every professional military who wants to move "usserhalb vom gärtli": - Just do this course! -
Thank you very much for offering this outstanding course.
