I’ve just come across this brilliant ad from IBM. Have you ever worked in an organisation where brainstorming was as painful as this?

Getting back to Copenhagen from the US has been easier this time around. And it’s all thanks to the Danish stores. This year, instead of posting UDSALG signs in the departments trying to get rid of last year’s goods, they’ve gone for SALE. Jyllands-Posten remarked on it in yesterday’s paper, ironically warning the locals not to get confused by the signs.

Magasin looks just like the Macy’s in New York.

I imagine it’s helping to boost business with international customers.

But how do the Danes feel about this? Is it ok to go 100% Anglo? Or should they make an effort with bilingual signs?

Last week, our Party Planning Committee dished out a real gem of a Christmas party. And it all started with a tango lesson that taught us copy people a lot more than fancy footwork.

It taught us the importance of knowing how to communicate without words.

For the last dance, we had to move in complete silence. It wasn’t easy, but our moves (at least mine) improved dramatically. And it was even better with eyes closed. Imagine what a challenge that was for people whose jobs depend on language!

Our very cool instructor, Linus Aabye, made fun of us a bit to get us going. “You walk around and say ‘Did you feel that?’ or ‘Was that OK for you?’ and apologizing for every wrong step. But on the dance floor, in a competition, you can’t do that. If you trip up, you have to keep going, keep reading your partner’s signals.”

Admittedly, it was hard and a bit odd to suddenly be so close to our colleagues - yet not be allowed to say a word. I felt a bit rude, even - but then just gave into it and realized that the tango world is on to something with this silence. At work and at home, we constantly hear how important it is to use words to communicate. Not physical language - words. But maybe we’ve gone a bit extreme with all that talking. Maybe some things are best expressed without our voices.

Be that as it may, I’ve got to admit: in the Sing Star karaoke competition that followed the tango, it was our voices that ruled. What we had to give up in silent dance we gained right back with the mics in our hands.

I’ve stopped being surprised by how well Danes speak English. I’ve even stopped comparing them to my former Russian countrymen, who can hardly speak any. (It’s so bad, it was apparently impossible to cast a real Russian in the new mafia flick Eastern Promises. It required speaking both Russian (fluently) and English (with an accent) - and such an actor was nowhere to be found.)

But I digress. What DOES surprise me is that, according to Dansk Industri, every fourth Danish company has English as its operating language. That is truly astounding - and impressive. I get the feeling that the world has much to learn from Denmark, which manages to gracefully blend its strong traditions (we can especially see them now, at Christmas time) with such openness to foreign things. The philosophy seems to be: If it’s good for Denmark in general, then let’s do it - without following any archaic, arbitrary rules.

How the Danes feel about this trend is another question. What do YOU think?

For years, I’ve been a devoted reader of DailyCandy - a very snappy, well-written (and free) email service that infuses my often dull email inbox with a daily dose of trends, news, and deals for big cities (with editions dedicated to Boston, New York, Washington DC, London and many others - and versions focused on travel and kids).

I love DailyCandy. From weekend activity suggestions to the latest fashion trends to the invention of new words, it never ceases to entertain and enlighten. So imagine my excitement last week when my favorite trend-spotter spotted Copenhagen!

In Denmark’s the Spot, Copenhagen is all charm, style, and activity that makes you come back for more.

Sometimes, after spending the majority of our time on practical or work-related matters that don’t leave much time for sitting back and enjoying, it’s good to be reminded that we live in “Copenhagen — where dreamy bohemian meets cutting-edge modernism.”

Over the last few months, I’ve seen a lot of media buzz about Copenhagen’s status as a “creative capital.” In other words, a hot-and-happening European city that attracts creative, cosmopolitan professionals from around the world in much the same way that London, Paris, and New York have done for quite a while.

Sure, it’s been nice to hear that we’re surrounded by driven, adventurous, and international peers - whether they’re foreigners who’ve relocated to Copenhagen or Danes who’ve lived abroad. But now (finally!) we can actually meet each other.

Custom House - the collective of French, Italian and Japanese restaurants on the waterfront by Nyhavn (appropriately created and managed by London-based Conran Restaurants) - is taking on the task of gathering creative expat minds over tapas and wine.

Check out the invitation here. The upcoming event will be Custom House’s third - and the first two seem to have been a hit.

The evening sounds like a great opportunity to meet some fun people in what my Danish friend - who always seems to know the cool locals’ spot-of-the-moment - described as the place to be. If the location, ambiance and food are as good as people say they are, this expat night might turn into quite a popular trend - definitely worth a try.

Hope to see some of you at Custom House, Havnegade 44, at 18:00 on Tuesday, September 25th. The invitation is open to all internationally-oriented minds - and as you’re reading this on a site about international communication, that means you!