Cross-Cultural Communication 30-Day Challenge – Get Extreme With Clarity
Listening to someone from a different culture is an active exercise. Many cross-cultural difficulties pop up because we use our own cultural filters when listening to people from other cultures. Now, international business professionals do not drop all of their cultural filters when they meet with international clients. This is just not realistic. But there one thing they can do to improve their international business skills…
Clarity In Cross-Cultural Communication Tip 4
Here is today’s tip:
Listen carefully and be careful not to read any additional meanings into what is said in a cross-cultural conversation
In my experience this takes constant effort. If you have just spent a weekend with friends and family and then you have an international business meeting on Monday, even a seasoned international professional can keep his own cultural filters in place and misinterpret something. The seasoned international professional will pick up his mistake… if the conversation goes on long enough.
Keeping your own cultural filters up can make you add additional meanings to what is actually said. You don’t really have clarity in communication when two people are talking about two different things. Active listening helps you to identify where you need to add extra clarity.
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
- Culture-Free Communication
- Offense Taken With The Word “Foreign”
- Cultural Perceptions, Political Correctness & The New Racism
- A Short Video Comedy On Cultural Pronunciation
Where To Get Your CCCC Tips Every Day In June:
- Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge 2 – Get Extreme With Clarity
- By following me on Twitter @CindyKing
- By using the Twitter hashtag #cccctips
Get All CCCC Tips:
First Month: Short tips to think about
There are 4 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges in 2009. Cross-cultural communication can be overwhelming. International business professionals are often too busy to take the time to improve their cross-cultural communication skills. This is why this challenge is divided into 4 specific areas of improvement and why the tips are very short.
| Challenge | Why | When |
| Mindset | It all starts here | March 2009 |
| Clarity | Your first priority | June 2009 |
| Trust | To bring in sales | September 2009 |
| Personal Development | For strong cultural skills | December 2009 |
These 4 different aspects of cross-cultural communication are what I found to be the most important to me throughout my 25 years of international sales and marketing. You can read more about the other monthly challenges here:
- 2009 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges
- Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge 1 – Expand Your Mindset
Don’t forget to download the Free Mini-Poster from the first monthly challenge to Expand Your Mindset
Use Your Cultural Skills to Get More International Sales
Second Month: Short review on how to use the cultural tips to get more international sales
Are you an international business professional? Then don’t stop at this month’s challenge. After each monthly Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge, the following month reviews each one of these tips once again, this time together the corresponding International Sales Best Practices.
This is where things get fun. You will see where to put your cultural skills into practice to get more international sales. Turbo charge your learning by going through the cross-cultural communication tips once again, this time looking at them from a sales angle and through the eyes of an international sales professional.
 | Want to learn how to avoid cultural blunders? Subscribe to this blog feed. Need to turbo charge your cultural skills? Get my short cross-cultural communication tips. Ready for serious international marketing? Skype me or email me & let's grow your business. |
