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
Get All Cross-Cultural Communication Tips:
- Read more about all of the 2009 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges
- Cross Cultural Communication Challenge 1 – Expand Your Mindset
- Cross Cultural Communication Challenge 2 – Get Extreme With Clarity
- Cross Cultural Communication Challenge 3 – Build Trust
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She is who I turn to when I have questions and you should too"
-- Chris Garrett, co-author of the "Problogger" book
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