Clarity In Cross-Cultural Communication Tip #10

After you have looked at your own assumptions, try to have a look at your cross-cultural conversation from the other person’s perspective. Can you see any differences? Do you think he has different cultural assumptions? Different ways of doing things? A different approach to things?

Today’s tip helps us identify where to add clarity to the conversation:

Don’t assume the other person thinks like you and try to identify how you can make the communication easier for him

The idea here is not to over analyze the other person’s communication, but to see if there is anything you can do to make the conversation easier for the other person.  This can be as simple as:

• Using one word instead of another
• Rephrasing important sentences
• Slowing down and giving the other person time to understand or formulate a question
• Structuring your conversation in a way that is more logical to the other person
• Asking if he needs to know more about something before continuing on with something else

Use this tip as a starting point. Think about what this means to you. Not sure what you think about this? There are a few links below for suggested reading to get you started. Follow each of these tips this month to improve your cultural skills.

What do you think? Is this helpful? Please leave your thoughts and comments below.

Photos from Shutterstock.

  Filed under: Cross-Cultural Communication

Cindy King

Comments

• customersmatter (FJ Cuen) · 31 December, 1969 · 

  cindyking Clarity In Cross-Cultural Communication – Tip 10: Cross-Cultural Communication 30-Day Challen.. http://tinyurl.com/ms5do6

• CindyKing (CindyKing) · 31 December, 1969 · 

  new blog post Clarity In Cross-Cultural Communication – Tip 10 http://tinyurl.com/ms5do6

• Cross-Culture Tweets – Week 24 of 2009 · 15 June, 2009 · 

  [...] #CCCCTips 10 – Don’t assume other cultures thinks like you… try to identify how you ca… [...]