Cross-Cultural Communication 30-Day Challenge – Get Extreme With Clarity
Today is the last tip on listening to improve clarity in cross-cultural communication. Hopefully you have seen how active listening alone can help you identify ways to improve your cross-cultural conversations. Today’s tip is about reaching out further to the other person and trying to pick up signs that show you what they need.
Clarity In Cross-Cultural Communication Tip 5
Here it is:
Listen to identify what the other person needs to hear to make the communication easier
Sometimes this is easy. Isn’t this why we all seem to start using our hands to communicate with foreign people.
I now use my hands much more than I did before living abroad. In social settings I tend to use my hands a lot, too much for some people. They become part of my creative expression. But in business settings I stop this and control my hands. Many cultures, and people, associate different meanings to hand movements and signs. In addition, it often seems like most of these associations are negative. As my awareness increases during a cross-cultural conversation, I keep control over all hand movements and facial expressions
But sometimes it is not easy to see where others need more clarification. Sometimes you need to get to know them a little bit more. Sometimes all you need to do is to ask what the other person would like to know. But you must remember that these things are not always easy to identify. Don’t assume that your communication is as easy for the other person to understand as it is for you.
The next 5 tips are how to stop automatic assumptions from interfering with your communication.
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 & Political Correctness
- The Phases Of Cultural Communication You Go Through To Increase International Sales
- Customize Your Content For Different Cultures
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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. |
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This is not only cross-cultural. In regular interpersonal contacts if you want to achieve some results you need to know exactly what the other person’s expecting you to say and say it.
In some cultures most people would not think of this. In cultures with high individualism scores for example.
And in cross-cultural communication, anything that does not move towards clarity increases the risk of miscommunication and cultural blunders.