LATIN AMERICA & THE UK
What happens in the room between British and Latin American professionals?
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More than most people realise. And less of it survives the meeting than it should.
The Slots v. Loops™ Systems were built to change that. They're a precise map of how British and Latin American leaders think, communicate, and make decisions, and why they so often talk past each other without realising it. Built from a decade inside the room.
Get Slots v. Loops™ABOUT
10+ years. Over 1000 high-stakes rooms.
For over a decade, I interpreted for Latin American heads of state, ministers, and executive delegations visiting the UK. I was inside more than a hundred high-stakes British-LatAm meetings, in the conversation itself, word by word, in real time.
I watched deals stall without either side understanding why. I observed trust built in twenty minutes over a meal and lost in five over a misread silence. I interpreted the words and, simultaneously, the gap between what was said and what was understood.
I built the Slots v. Loops™ Systems from that decade. The Slot System™ maps how British professional culture structures time, communication, and decision-making. The Loop System™ does the same for Latin American professional culture. Together, they give professionals the precise tools to navigate between the two without losing ground.
The systems are published in Slots v. Loops™. The work continues at Multilateral Studio.
THE FOUR DIMENSIONS:
Temporal:Â how time, deadlines, and momentum work differently on each side
Spatial: how presence, proximity, and channel choice shape what gets communicated
Relational: how trust is built, tested, and lost across British and LatAm settings
Conversational: how agreement is signalled, how face is protected, and how to read what is actually being said
WHERE TO FIND ME
@cecilialipovsekÂ
The friction between what was said and what was understood is costing you. It is also, with the right systems, entirely fixable.
My Multilateral Way
Six rules I set years ago, when interpreting was the only thing I did. They've held up, so I made room for what Multilateral Studio has grown into.
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1- Be useful
Whether it’s for one day or for five years, I'm on your team. Every session, every system, every book should leave you better equipped than it found you.
2- Be respectful
Good manners, obviously. But also respect for your work, your goals, and your organisation's culture. I don't parachute in with my own agenda.
3-Â Be discreet
The Othello Principle still holds. What happens in the room stays there. That's not a policy, it's the whole job.
4-Â Be attentive
The friction that costs you a deal usually lives in a detail nobody's named. I see it before it costs you anything.
 5- Be fair and transparentÂ
Pricing, scope, conflicts of interest: all on the table, all the time. Transparency is how I work better, with you.
 6- Be curious
Two decades in these rooms and I still learn something new in most of them. The day I stop is the day I stop being useful to you.
What I say no to
The other half of my Multilateral Way: the nine things that don't make it into anything with my name on it.Â
Generic tips
Protocol as the whole story
Fluency as effectiveness
Borrowed theory
Human-centred tools
Advice that 'works everywhere'
Regulatory framing
Content built for ego
Random noise
Work with meÂ
The systems are in the book. The work continues in three forms.
The Brief
A focused 90-minute session before a specific British-LatAm meeting, negotiation, or event. You bring the situation. I apply the Slots v. Loops™ systems to it. For diplomats and executives who need to get it right the first time.
The Bilateral
High-level interpreting for executives & diplomats. Full range of interpreting modes tailored to your programme, portable equipment for groups of up to 30, ad-hoc intercultural support, and format guidance before the day.
The Workshop
A 1–2 day intensive for teams with active British-LatAm operations, bespoke to your sector and your specific challenges. Every participant leaves with the Slots v. Loops™ systems applied to their context, access to the workshop portal, and a copy of the book.
HIRE
The Keynote™
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I spent a decade inside diplomatic sessions, state visits, trade negotiations, and boardrooms. My keynotes turn that first-hand experience into something practical: a system for navigating British-LatAm professional culture with confidence.
Book a keynote
'Her professionalism has always been extraordinary, and our audience has always been pleased with her work. Therefore, I’m very happy to recommend her work.'
Ignacio Peyro - Director, Instituto Cervantes London
ASSESS
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Find out exactly where your friction is.
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A personalised read of where your British-LatAm friction actually lives. The kind of specific information that changes how you walk into your next meeting. Used by British and LatAm professionals. Takes 4 minutes.
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