Cross Cultural Skills

Clarity In Cross-Cultural Communication – Tip 11

by on 11 June, 2009

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Cross-Cultural Communication 30-Day Challenge – Get Extreme With Clarity

We all carry our own cultural baggage. Some people think that everyone else should be like them. In cross-cultural communication this does not work very well… at least not for the person with this attitude.

Clarity In Cross-Cultural Communication Tip 11

Today’s tip is the first of five centered on awareness. Before you can improve clarity, you need to be aware of your cross-cultural communication.

Be aware of the cultural flavor of your own language

Now, first let me say that I don’t believe anyone should change their cultural baggage. But you do need to be aware of it in international business. It is a fact of life that some people will react to you according to your culture. The more you are aware of the visible attributes of your culture and how others react to them, the better you will navigate through your cross-cultural conversations and maintain clarity in communication.

One useful tactic is instead of focusing on the cultural differences, look for the similarities. These similarities can be on a:

  • Personal scale, for example similarities in hobbies
  • Regional scale, for example similarities in moral backgrounds

Being aware of the cultural flavor or your own language can help you get beyond the differences and establish a connection where effective communication is possible.

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.

Further Suggested Reading & Viewing

Tagged as: 30-day challenge, clarity, Cross-Cultural Communication, cultural skills, International Business, International Sales, listen

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  • JamesD

    Thanks for the useful info. It’s so interesting

    • http://cindyking.biz Cindy

      Glad you think so James :)

  • Lindsey

    I think you’ve hit the nail on the head! I have traveled a fair amount and people consistently tell me that Americans want to keep their culture (or as you say, their cultural baggage), basically, saying that most Americans dont show a whole lot of reverence for other cultures. This is something that the ones who do happen to have that understanding often are fighting an uphill battle.

    A little etiquette can go a long way!

    • http://cindyking.biz Cindy

      Hi Lindsey, of course I agree with you.

      But right now I let myself get too frustrated with contacts from Asia that come in through the web – where they take too long to get to the point… and often end up being a waste of my time when I do enter into the long drawn out set of emails to try to find out the details.

      To get beyond this I do like to look at the big picture of cultural dimensions. Yes, most Americans wear the banner of high Individualism, and most Asians wear the banner of High Context communication. But then I try to figure out where I am with regards to that and how to adapt to these situations. Because often if I find a way to adapt, the other party eventually picks up something and things improve.

      Trouble is that I come from a tiny country that is never on any of these scales, and my own culture has morphed from living abroad a lot :)

    • http://cindyking.biz Cindy

      And I forgot to say, I like the image of cultural “baggage”. Because I don’t think people should focus on changing their cultural makeup. If you are in a cross-cultural relationship that is one thing, your personal investment is probably quite high.

      But if you are in international business, what should you do? Well if you think of it as a piece of luggage that you carry around, you can mentally put the luggage down on the floor beside you while speaking to international clients.

      I actually use a mental trick (instead of the baggage image) whenever I come across someone from a different culture who is outside of my personal network. I do a mental 45° turn in my brain. Although I might physically be facing the person, I am not facing that person straight on with regards to my full cultural profile – and there is some professional etiquette in there.

  • http://AdvancedLifeSkills.com/blog Jonathan – Advanced Life Skills

    This is so true, “Some people think that everyone else should be like them.” From what I have seen while traveling, American tourists are among the worst offenders. It can be rather embarrassing.
    [rq=3576,0,blog][/rq]Gas Station Wisdom From a Modern Day Sage

    • http://cindyking.biz Cindy

      Hi Jonathan,

      Oh don’t be too hard on the American tourists, I’ve had some experiences with other nationalities that were so pronounced they were comical :)

      - Swiss Germans who think no else speaks their language can get very “cocky” as tourists.
      - And I do wonder if Australians can be even more brash than Americans – it is almost scary

      But then I’ve met some wonderful Swiss and Australians with excellent international skills. So generalizations are hard. We all have to learn to adjust to others.

      …And when Americans develop a minimum of cultural awareness, I think they are usually great people to have in an international team.

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