Improve Your Cross-Cultural Communication
People from different cultures do things differently. This is often easy to see. But there are some cultural differences that are more difficult to see.
When developing cross-cultural skills, you need to know where to look…
…where you need to dig deeper, to increase your understanding of this different culture and then adapt your own communication.
This will help you to get beyond the visible cultural differences and develop your own cross-cultural communication skills.
Obvious Cultural Differences
Here are some cultural differences that are very easy to see:
- Physical features, such as predominant skin, hair and eye colors
- Language and accents
- Food
- Eating Habits
- Different clothes and dress styles
- Different preferences in entertainment
- Music preferences
- Favorite television shows
- Advertising styles
These cultural differences are often easy to identify.
But don’t stop here…
Noticeable Cultural Differences
With a little observation you can also get a good glimpse of some other cultural differences:
- Social behavior
- Patterns and forms in communication
- Politeness
- Demonstrating friendship
Although it is often easy to observe these differences, it is not always easy to understand them.
When looking from the outside towards these cultural differences it is very easy to let your own communication barriers crop up and hinder effective cross-cultural communication.
This is why you need to dig deeper at this particular stage…
…before your own natural communication barriers have a chance to influence your communication.
To develop cross-cultural skills you need to go beyond what you see on the surface. You need to understand why different people have these cultural differences.
Cultural Differences Under The Surface
Here is what you cannot see when observing different cultures:
- Different beliefs
- Different values
- Different expectations in communication
- Different reactions to everything
- Different communication habits such as direct communication and the use of silence.
- Different notions of time
- Different values towards space with regards to personal contact
Open Up Your Understanding
It is essential to dig up these unseen differences. The next step towards developing cross-cultural understanding is to open yourself up to this understanding.
It is often our own personal barriers that keep us from developing cross-cultural skills. Opening ourselves up to be able to understand different cultures often requires personal effort.
Read more on how to improve your Cross-Cultural Communication here:
- Better Cross-Cultural Communication - Rephrase, Don’t Shout
- Why Empathy Develops Your International Business
- 7 Tips For Easy Cross-Cultural Encounters
- Morphing Into A Foreign Culture
Read about Cross-Cultural Communication Differences in these articles:
- Curiosity Versus Empathy
- Morphing Into A Foreign Culture
- Free Courses, Content And Culture Scams
- Different Countries = Different Rules
- Different Eye Tracking For Different Cultures
- Music In Cultural Differences
And read even more in the…
Get International Clients International Sales Road Map
 |
Guide 5 - Connect With Your International Markets• How can you connect with your international clients?• What communication do you need to connect with international markets? Read about how to create your international marketing strategy. |
 |
Guide To Cultural Web Tools• How can you tweak your web site to improve your cross-cultural communication? |
 |
Cindy King is a Cross-Cultural Marketer and International Sales Specialist, with over 25 years field experience in international business development.
Learn how you can get more international sales |
{ 4 trackbacks }
{ 0 comments… add one now }