1 post tagged “cross cultural communication”

     Cross-cultural communication is a big issue nowadays.

     Today's life is so busy and really multicultural. Travelling around the world had never been easier than now. Even different cultures have more or less accommodated to be more international and suitable to as many people as possible.

     Still things differs a lot from culture to culture, even country to country. Centuries took to build each their own spirit, traditions, food etc. All these can't be accustomed for everyone. Plus there is no need in this as loosing their uniqueness won't be so valuable and attractive to others.

    Do you like travelling or have to travel due to your role in a business? Do you see and have to deal with foreigners very often? If yes to any of those, then it is good to pay attention to some nuances in communication with people of different cultures.

    Obviously, the main thing in cross cultural communication is knowledge. Of course no one can know in advance what people they might meet on their way to work, so can't prepare for everything. But if you are planning to go abroad, it would be wise to not just take any extra vaccination you might need, but also read some facts and cultural specifics of the place you want to visit. You won't be killed for making some mistakes (in majority of countries) as everyone would see you are not local, but having some knowledge about the country, people, food even learning few phrases in their language would certainly raise you in their eyes. From my experience... being here in UK, whenever I meet new people and they ask where I am from and then try to say couple of phrases in my language, I feel really pleased and more open to communicate. It doesn't matter how badly it was said, if I understood what they ment it is a nice gesture.

    Then it is important for both parties to understand there might be differences in understanding the same thing due to different experiences, so readiness to consciously overcome any problems is really important.

    Some times even conscious effort to overcome any misunderstandings in cross cultural communication might not bring results, so being able to adjust to other's behaviour is an advantage. That means trying to be friendly, patient and forgiving instead of aggressively reacting to some actions of a foreigner (of course if they don't do it on purpose, which is really rare case).

    Always, always positive body language. The one that is international, as body gestures do differ from culture to culture as well. Smile, no crossing legs or arms, straight posture are just few on a list. Eye contact is very important, but needs to be careful in use. Too much of it can be taken as rude gesture in some cultures, while in others this indicates openness and helps in building trust.

    Listening attentively and willingness to repeit the same facts coulpe of times even using the language of body is a real help in cross-cultural communication. Nonverbal communication can help significantly as it's superior to verbal communication.

    In some cultures, people when communicating go straight to the point, while others use a warming-up talk before handling any important issues. Knowing this would help communicate better, as some people would be simply not ready to take and process whatever you try to convey or you may bore somebody with preparations and they won't listen properly when you are actually telling something that needs their attention.

   Using intermediaries, who know specifics of both cultures whenever possible helps in communication and understanding each other. They can adjust a lot of cross cultural nuances and not just translate the meaning. Said that, they can adjust tone as well as stress on important issues, would use appropriate timing of what is being said or done etc.

   Whatever the way, have a nice communication.

For more on this or similar topics, please visit my website

Improving Communication in Business and Personal life