Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge – Personal Development

This is Day 3 of the 30-day challenge to focus on your personal development in cross-cultural communication. Each day there is one short topic to reflect on and try to improve.

Day 3 – Empathy for Cross-Cultural Competence

Empathy is the cornerstone of all cross-cultural skills.  Before you can connect with people from different cultures who do things differently and think differently, you must be able to understand them.  In practice we  are not always lucky to fully understand everyone.  But empathy leads us along this path that brings us to understand different cultures.

Business is done between people. You need to connect to people. In international business, the cross-cultural differences can make it difficult to make that connection. Empathy is what we need on a personal level to make this happen.

The Foundation Of Cross-Cultural Communication

Empathy is always part of the foundation of effective cross-cultural communication.  It is a core interpersonal skill. Yesterday we saw how curiosity can help us to move towards empathy.

Steps Towards Empathy

Here are a few more tips to help you develop a stronger capacity towards empathy: 

• Personal commitment to develop cross-cultural skills
• Understanding yourself
• Developing the ability to temporarily put aside certain personal preferences that interfere with communicating well with others
• Feeling enough self confidence to accept people who are different
• Making the personal effort to understand others

Empathy Opens Your World

Here are a few reasons why you should spend time developing your skills towards more empathy.  Empathy

• Helps you understand different people
• Improves your international skills
• Changes you as a human being, makes you wiser
• Brings you more friends as you open up more towards others
• Improves your cross-cultural communication

Personal Barriers

Once again, this is a reminder that our own personal barriers are the roadblocks to most cross-cultural development.

One Step At A Time

Like most of the tasks in this month’s perosnal development challenge, you cannot expect miraculous results.  Some people will need more time to work on each of these tasks than others.  Many will need to come back and reflect on these steps again after different cross-cultural experiences.  Here are a few tips:

• Your cross-cultural experience counts
• Travel if you can it will help you see things differently
• Meet people in different contexts and find the easiest place for you to connect with them

Your Actions Today

• Acknowledge who you are and accept this
• Accept that others are different
• Look for similarities in others
• Find ways to connect with people

Where To Get Your CCCC Tips Every Day:

• Here on this blog: Four Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges In 2009
• Follow me on Twitter in March, June, September and December

Need Cross-Cultural Business Coaching?

Do you need help in navigating the cross-cultural minefields of international business? Sign up for confidential one-on-one coaching sessions.  Email me and ask to set up a call.

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Personal Development In Cross-Cultural Communication – Day 3

International Sales Professions

Another useful question that came up recently here on CindyKing.biz.  Definitions are always helpful to broad English speaking audiences.

So, without looking at a dictionary, here is my definition of an international sales specialist.

An international sales specialist is obviously a seasoned sales professional…with a specialty.

Most sales specialists qualify their specialty.

My specialty is in international sales.

So how can you become an international sales specialist?

In The Field International Sales

This is a skill you can only acquire through experience in the field.  And you also need a wide experience in international sales.

You can acquire international sales experience through:

• International sales based in your home country without travel.
• International sales based in your home country and traveling to see clients in other countries.
• International sales based in a foreign country.
• International sales based in a foreign country and traveling to see clients in other countries.

International sales based in your home country, and without international travel, will not usually give you enough exposure to become an international sales specialist.

Obviously you can expect to develop more international sales skills faster when based in a foreign country and traveling to sell to clients in other foreign countries.

There are also a few other factors you need to develop a specialty in international sales:

Time Spent In International Sales

The amount of time you spend in international sales has a direct result on how good your skills are.  The trouble is that the amount of time needed varies.  There is no magical formula.  It all depends on you.  Do you adapt to other cultures faster than others?  Or do you need more time?

For example, you can assume that a person who spends 2 years abroad in international sales and then returns to his home country will not be as skilled as someone who spends 4 years abroad.  But this is not always the case.  And I have encountered many people who live abroad for many years, work in international sales, and do not really make an effort to improve their international sales skills.

Cross-Cultural Empathy

I am sure you have encountered people who appear to have more “natural” sales abilities than others.  In international sales you can also come across people who seem to have a “natural” ability.

These people usually have good cross-cultural empathy.  They can relate to different cultures more than others.  And they are usually better at international sales than others.

Cross-cultural empathy makes it easier to create trust in different cultures.  Trust is essential to international sales.

More International Sales

Of course, an international sales specialist can increase your international sales.  But this level of expertise is usually put to good use in high profile sales and to gain intelligence for international business development.

Most companies with high profile international sales often look for the best skills out there.  There is too much at stake.

International sales specialists bring added value to businesses just opening new foreign markets. They can identify key marketing and positioning strategies for new markets.  They learn how to find the best offer for new markets.

When developing new markets an international sales specialist always works closely with the company’s top executives in Marketing and Business Development.  The information in from the new foreign markets will often define international business and marketing strategies.

My Journey To Become An International Sales Specialist

This is how I have become an international sales specialist.  Over 25 years field experience in international sales, marketing and business development, within both European start-ups and large American multi-nationals.

It all started with learning one language in a foreign country…and being so keen on cross-cultural empathy that I went too far.

Taking cultural empathy too far leads to a road of personal discovery.

This road to personal discovery, while living in a foreign country, speaking in a foreign language and working in an international environment, allows you to develop strong cross-cultural skills.

Strong cross-cultural skills together with international sales and marketing teaches you:

• How to go about identifying the best international business offers, even to open new foreign markets.
• How to resolve the most difficult cross-cultural business issues.

What about you?

• Do you have any specific questions related to international sales professions?
• Do you have any other insights to share?
• What do you like about international sales jobs?

Please leave your comments below.

More on International Sales Professions:

• 12 Reasons Why International Selling Is Harder
• The Job Of An International Sales Specialist
• What Is An International Business Development Executive?
• What Makes A Good International Sales Specialist

Get International Clients – Business Guides On Sales

• Cross-Culture Sales
• Cross-Cultural Negotiation

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

What Is An International Sales Specialist?

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand other people. Good interpersonal skills also rely on good skills in empathizing with others.

Empathy For Good Salesmanship

Good sales professionals are good at empathizing with their prospects and clients. Whether they are field sales professionals or copywriters.

Empathy is one of the qualities needed for good sales skills.

Empathy In International Business Development

International business professionals also need good skills in empathy. In fact, they probably need very strong skills in empathy to stretch themselves further to understand different cultural markets.

Luckily most people develop good skills in empathizing with others through practice.

One cultural communication hiccup or two is all most people need to have their eyes opened to differences. Curiosity then often jumps in. Curiosity gets you to dig further to understand the other person.

In fact, curiosity is such a great empathy-building tool, that naturally curious people usually have great empathizing skills.

Finding Your International Potential

There are two basic components of international business success.

1. You need to find the right thing to sell to your international markets.
2. You also need to find out how to sell it to them in the right way.

If you take a close look at these two points, you will see why you need good empathy skills to understand your foreign markets.  Empathy will help you find the right answers to these questions.  Without empathy it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.  Or two needles in the same haystack.

Most people lacking cross-cultural communication experience have foreign language skills, or lack of foreign language skills, at the top of their mind.

My experience has often proved that good skills in empathizing with others comes first in importance in international business development. Foreign language skills become important afterwards.

More On Empathy:

• Curiosity Versus Empathy
• Why Empathy Develops Your International Business

And Don’t Miss This On Improve Your Cross-Cultural Communication

• 7 Tips For Easy Cross-Cultural Encounters

Have Fun With Culture Movies:

• Movies To Build Empathy

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

• Connect With Your International Markets
• Building Trust International Clients

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Why Empathy Develops Your International Business

Improve Your Cross-Cultural Communication

Cross-cultural communication skills are acquired through practice and experience. Embarrassing blunders do happen and are often talked about so much, that beginners get nervous.

If you are looking for a few tips to prepare yourself prior to a first cross-cultural encounter, here are a few things for you to keep in mind:

1. Empathy - Show the other person you want to get to know him. Empathy is understanding the other person. This is the first step in cross-cultural communication. When you understand why someone does something differently you are able to put aside your own cultural prejudices.
2. Congruency – Send the same message in all of your methods of communication. This includes your body language and your actions. Make sure your communication is adapted to this particular person you are with. You can look at the other person and try to meet him where he is.
3. Acknowledgment – The way how you acknowledge the other person is important. In some cultures, you need direct eye contact, a handshake, and a few words. Experience will show you the right dose of acknowledgment. In all cultures, it is impolite not to acknowledge the other person.
4. Clarity - Communicate with as much clarity as you can. Avoid making assumptions. Give details. Help the other person to see everything in your discussion. Clarity builds trust.
5. Initiation – Do not feel too intimidated with different cultures. Remember to initiate friendship. Simple being open and sharing information can be a first step. Ask questions and initiate interaction.
6. Connection - With small steps, adjust your communication. Aim for a real personal connection. Be friendly. Show the other person you sincerely want to connect with them.
7. Address - Ask how to address the other person.  Many cultural blunders happen right from the start.  For example, when North Americans assume that using a nick name is a good practice.  There are English speaking countries where this is off-putting.  And the use of first names can also be unwise.  The solution is to ask diplomatically and politely right up front.

Cross-cultural communication helps you to build relationships with people from other cultures. This is why it is a skill you can only learn through practice.

Do not let any cultural differences complicate developing friendships with people. It really is easy if you are sincere and constant in your approach… it is also very rewarding on a personal level.

More On How To Improve Your Cross-Cultural Communication:

• Do You Have Any Culture Tips To Share?
• Where Cultural Miscommunication Happens
• 7 Tips For Easy Cross-Cultural Encounters
• Avoid Acronyms For Better Cross-Cultural Communication
• Better Cross-Cultural Communication – Rephrase, Don’t Shout
• Cultural Dimensions – A New Tool

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

• Guide 5 – Connect With Your International Markets
• Guide To Cultural Web Tools

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

7 Tips For Easy Cross-Cultural Encounters

Empathy

Some recent discussions have brought up a question on developing a good international mind-set.

In my experience empathy is more important than curiosity in productive cross-cultural relationships. In fact, there is no doubt in my mind. A person with more capacity to be empathic with others will create the strongest cross-cultural relationships.

But I stopped in my tracks when someone I respect said that she thought curiosity was the most important element in creating good cross-cultural communication.

Curiosity Opens The Door To Different Cultures

Curiosity does get the ball rolling in many cases. But then so can many cultural definitions of politeness. In some cultures curiosity might be needed more than politeness.

Of course, lack of curiosity is a barrier to effective cross-cultural communication.

• Someone who has no interest and no curiosity can interact with a different culture and never connect.
• Someone with some interest but no real curiosity will connect with different cultures, to a certain extent.

Empathy Creates The Cross-Cultural Relationship

I think empathy is what takes you further. Empathy is what helps you to create a real connection with different cultures.

When my natural empathy is stronger than the person I am communicating with, and this person is from a different culture, I feel it when I travel most of the distance to create more meaningful communication.

What is interesting is that I do not notice any extra “effort” on my part if I am communicating with someone from a similar culture. It is the difference in cultures that highlights the “effort”.

The “effort” here is not an effort. It is the process of adjusting your own mind-set to meet the other culture outside of your own culture.

Danger In Over Empathizing

When I first came to Europe almost 30 years ago, I did not know anything about this. I was a young adult happy to be in a foreign country, learning a foreign language, and eager to understand everything new around me. And I made the mistake of over empathizing.

The reasons why over empathizing is dangerous is a scientific discussion. You need to read about this in scientific journals if you are interested. I am not qualified to give you details. I just personally lived through the consequences for a while and had to learn how to track back quickly out of there.

The lesson I learned within the first 3-4 years of living in a foreign culture was that you do need to keep your own core culture and identity safe within yourself.

Empathizing with other cultures does not mean changing any of your own personal culture and values. What I can say is that knowledge of my own identity has helped me to adapt to other cultures more easily.

Creating Good Communication

Many years later, I learned that people have different capacities in empathizing with others. Your capacity to empathize with others is influenced through your upbringing and your environment.

When meeting other cultures, I find that having a solid identity and knowing my own limits helps me to stretch go as far as I can in meeting other cultures. Almost like an elastic band.

When other people are not as sure of their own identity, they are not able to meet me half way. This means I have to go a longer distance, if I want to create meaningful communication.

There is also another scenario.

When two people from different cultures connect with the same level of empathy, cross-cultural communication becomes a unique experience. It is a form of pure personal enrichment.

And this is when curiosity often kicks in again and takes the drivers seat. Curiosity then deepens the communication further.

Empathy is a driving factor in all cross-cultural communication.

Curiosity is a driving factor at both ends of good cross-cultural communication and is influenced by culture.

In the end, both curiosity and empathy create good cross-cultural communication.

More On Empathy:

• Curiosity Versus Empathy
• Why Empathy Develops Your International Business

And Don’t Miss This On Improve Your Cross-Cultural Communication

• 7 Tips For Easy Cross-Cultural Encounters

Have Fun With Culture Movies:

• Movies To Build Empathy

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

• Connect With Your International Markets
• Building Trust International Clients

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Curiosity Versus Empathy