A Communication Disconnect Between Two Cultures

Cindy King — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:00:07 +0000

Let’s continue with my observations of the LeWeb incident. LeWeb is one of the few events in Europe that gets successful web businessmen from North American to come to Europe to discuss web trends. It is an initiative by the French man Loic LeMeur who runs a business in California.

You can read the summary and see the video on yesterday’s post:

A Cultural Generalization Out Of Context

Today I want to tell you how I personally reacted to the incident.

Through The Eyes Of A Potential Attendee

First I have to give you some background information:

I have an international web marketing business
LeWeb happens in Paris, an hour’s drive in for me
Naturally, I considered going

In the end, I decided against it for a combination of reasons:

Not really on target with my business, price and schedule.

When I first heard about the LeWeb incident my first reaction was unease.

Unease at the lack of professionalism
…I came close to investing my money and my time with this?

That was before I actually saw the video. As I said yesterday, you need to put everything into the right context. There was quite a bit going on here.

In the final analysis, there was little substance for anyone to get upset. And this is not really a cross-cultural communication blunder. It’s more like a slight ruffle.

Disconnect In Communication Style

As a European business owner I expect a certain level of professionalism for any business investment I make.

The video you see on Anita’s post makes it clear that this is a “friendly” wrap up discussion.

This is an American discussion, in tone, style and vocabulary. This is where there is a slight disconnect:

The audience was European
In Europe
And they paid to come to this event

Of course the attendees knew who the panelists were before coming and came to hear what they had to say.

There are differences between the American and European cultural acceptance of the language and tone.

It is highly unlikely that the French people in this audience would pay to attend an event with the same vocabulary and tone in the French language.

And this probably holds true across the majority of the European audience.

As an international marketer I am constantly confronted with the difference in communication style between the two continents.

This difference is actually stronger in what is expected.

My French clients usually agree that conversational language is best.

But when it actually comes down to creating international marketing materials in English…

…They usually want something more formal.

There are actually three things to establish:

What people agree to as acceptable
What people expect
What people actually accept

Ripe Environment For Wrong Debate

The main question:

Was there a cultural disconnect before the debate on whether 2-hour lunches make French entrepreneurs less productive compared to American entrepreneurs?
Was there a cultural disconnect with different expectations of the European audience?

On one side of the coin, a few other questions come to mind.

Would the Americans behaved the same if this was an event between Americans and a more eastern region of the world?
Would the French have behaved differently if they did not feel awe for the Americans of Silicon Valley?
Do web businessmen differ from offline businessmen?
If there is some kind of a link here, is it anything to do with the inherent characteristics of a new business environment?

On the other side of the coin, I do think that:

Cultural encounters may go through growing pains to move all parties forward.
LeWeb needs to continue here in France or Europe.
Yes, I probably will consider attending the next one, because…
We can all build our international skills by looking at this incident and using it to move forward towards further cross-cultural encounters.

My Personal Gut Response

It was a personal shock.

I had not realized just how strong my European side is. I usually only feel the friction of being North American. Logical, I guess.

I definitely expected more business-like language at this event… even at a friendly, laid-back closing session.

Sometimes I found the laid-back tone leaned towards insolence. But I think this is because I watched the video and did not attend live.

Beyond my personal reaction, I think this language and tone created a certain lack of respect for the European audience.

The problem is that this lack of respect questions the credibility of these high profile Silicon Valley entrepreneurs as models to follow.

Yes, I understand and totally agree with the value behind focused concentration. And share most, if not all, North American work ethics myself.

But as an international sales and marketing executive here in Europe I have built relationships with people across all of Europe.

Most Europeans simply need more to build relationships.

More time
More face-to-face contact

Sharing meals is full of symbolism in many countries.

Even in the United States…

Remember the 1960′s, when sharing meals was also one of the symbol of the standard American family.

France USA In Business

One of the best blends of cultures I have seen in business is between a French man and an American.

These two cultural behavior traits usually do well in business… after the initial getting to know each other phase.

This is why I am confident that future LeWeb events will benefit both cultures.

…Not done yet. One more comment to make on this incident! Tomorrow I will show you a bit more about the different cultural behaviors in play here.

How Was Your Week 38?

Cindy King — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 23:00:12 +0000

Uniquely Cindy – Week In Review

Another week has gone by. With more thoughts, ideas, requests and articles here and on the Get International Clients business directory.

Here On Cindy King.biz

Home for my personal opinions, experiences and frustrations… on anything cross-cultural and on international business.

Uniquely Cindy

The weekend’s links to marketing articles and book review:

International Business Development

Cross-Cultural Communication

International Content Creation

Translation Friendly International English

On Get International Clients

This is where I publish how-to articles, key resources and international Business Guides.

Ready to take action and get more international clients? Then be sure to have a look around this business directory.

As usual, the Sunday Blog Carnival starts off this week:

Get International Clients Sunday Blog Carnival #19

Guide 2 – Plan Your International Road Map

Guide 3 – Design Your International Visibility

Pre-qualification – Not Prejudgment

… and now it is your turn.

Tell me what have you been up to this week.

Be sure to let me know if you came across anything interesting on the vaste subject of international business development on the web.

Cindy King's International Business Blog » cultural expectations