Comments on: Clarity In Cross-Cultural Communication – Tip 11

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[...] Clarity In Cross-Cultural Communication – Tip 11 [...]

By: Cindy

Cindy — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:41:03 +0000

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.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:26:48 +0000

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.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:18:37 +0000

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

By: Cindy

Cindy — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:08:23 +0000

Glad you think so James

By: Jonathan - Advanced Life Skills

Jonathan - Advanced Life Skills — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:34:38 +0000

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

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:28:36 +0000

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!