Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges
Something interesting happened last night. I was having a get-to-know-you-more conversation with a North American and he asked me question. But he made his question politically correct.
He used the word “imagine”. His question was not direct.
So what did I do…
I imagined…
…and gave a broad indirect answer.
But there was a slight problem. The conversation was not smooth. Here we were both good communicators in our fields, and there was a very slight glitch.
He had actually wanted a direct answer to his “imagine” and indirect question.
Political Correctness
This got me thinking. This was yet another example of the North American “political correctness” movement.
You probably know by now that I grew up over 40 years ago in a small country.
In a former British colony that only became 100% independent in 1972…
And so close to the United States, that we received the American television before satellite television…
This means that I have “followed” life in America very closely, and at the time I felt I could identify myself with Floridians. But, I followed the British school system and only had access to British books on my little island. I read my first book in AmericanEnglish after I left the islands.
I moved a ocean away from North America years before this movement started. And it still puzzles me. Every time I visit now I see different ways this “political correctness” has changed this society from what I once knew.
Of course with my cross-cultural communication skills I have not picked up any political correctness skills.
You see, the two do not mix. .
Well, here in France I guess people around me would refer to this as “a puritan form of politeness”. And over here the word puritan is far from being a compliment.
Political Correctness Hinders Good Cross-Cultural Communication
Political correctness does not translate well into cross-cultural communication.
For effective cross-cultural communication you need clarity.
Communicating with “political correctness” is not clear communication.
Some cultures appear to contortion politeness to such an extent that it excludes clear communication.
Most cultural generalizations will locate this sort of problem in eastern countries, — yes, my own personal politeness stipulates that I remain general here.
But this is also a communication problem in North America. Political politeness simply excludes clarity in communication.
And North Americans probably do not even recognize this handicap in cross-cultural communication.
How To Recognize International Skills In Others
Yes, politeness is a wonderful, exotic creature to observe.
One of the ways I can quickly identify someone with good cross-cultural communication skills is to pay attention his personal code of politeness. Someone with a strong international mind-set knows now to stay at an even level of politeness in different environments.
Someone with lesser “politeness” skills usually reacts to different cultural environments.
For example the German reader who insists very strongly, to the point of being overbearing, that you can only develop an international business with face-to-face contact.
Well, it is not that it is impossible without face-to-face contact, this reader is simply showing that she does not know how to communicate other than face-to-face. If this person had stronger skill sets she would have reacted with more flexibility.
How To Acquire Universal Politeness
Cultural or personal values for politeness can be difficult to negotiate when people react badly when they perceive a lack of politeness.
This is why you need to work on bringing your own level of politeness into a level of universal politeness.
Universal politeness gets you out of sticky situations when they do happen.
And…
It also helps you to avoid many pitfalls that happen due to cultural differences in politeness.
As a mother from a very small country, raising 2 daughters in a foreign country, I have spent considerable thought and effort educating my children in my own cultural ways of politeness.
You see…
My children cannot pick it up easily through the environment they live in. And even when they were small they noticed the difference between my politeness and the others around them. When they started treating me as the odd one out I knew I had to do something. They did not see my form of politeness as being politeness.
- The fact that I live in a foreign country makes it difficult - odd one out.
- The fact that I come from a small country also makes it difficult - less exposure to my own environment.
In the end, I was very happy to see my effort pay off… every time I took my daughters back to my home country and they acted as if they were totally at home.
It takes some consistent effort when educating different forms of politeness outside of their own natural environment. But it can be done.
The best way is to consistently:
- Explain situations
- Give different points of view
- Develop these different points of view
- Create situations to show different interpretations
- Live exposure to different cultures
Naturally Acquired International Communication Skills
This last example gives you the easy way out for most people…
You can acquire universal politeness skills naturally…
With regular exposure to different cultures…
But only if you make the effort to adapt to different cultures.
You see, I often encounter people who never want to adapt, or who only want to adapt so much…like the German reader I mentioned above.
You do have to be open to real communication.
Here are some articles on Cross-Cultural Communication Differences:
- 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
Read more on Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges in these articles:
- Cultural Differences In Testimonials
- The Challenge Of Cultural Filters
- How Can You Get Your Computer To Read Foreign Alphabets?
- Take Time To Communicate Effectively With Different Cultures
- Political Correctness Memories From The Bahamas
- Is Your Political Correctness Hindering Your International Communication
- Small Businesses Learn From Intercultural Communication Difficulties To Grow Their International Business
- Cross Cultural Customer Service Expectations
And read even more in the…
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Cindy King is a Cross-Cultural Marketer and International Sales Specialist, with over 25 years field experience in international business development.
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