Cross-Cultural Communication 30-Day Challenge – Build Trust
We are on the last stretch of this 30-day challenge to build trust in cross-cultural communication. This last series of tips to to dig deeper in how to cultivate politeness in a way that helps to build trust. This means looking at where politeness starts withing us. Here are the 4 other tips on being polite:
Be Polite
When we take a close look at how we can improve our cross-cultural communication skills, we often realize that we need to look within. We need to fully understand certain things about ourselves that we take for granted.
How does our own culture influence our definition of politeness? What does being polite actually mean to us? What are the boundaries? Within what context?
Trust In Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge – Tip 28
Cultivate authentic humility
The questions get deeper for today’s tip of cultivating authentic humility because we all have different definitions and different levels of acceptance of what is authentic humility.
Authentic Humility
What is humility in cross-cultural communication? It is recognizing:
- Ourselves as we are in the face of another culture
- We have our own cultural baggage and what this means
- We are one person from one culture and there are other people from other cultures
When does this humility become authentic? When we are conscious of it and act with this in mind.
When Finding The Right Path To Politeness Is Difficult
It is important to know your definition of politeness… from all angles. This helps in two ways:
- To recognize your danger zones and avoid situations where you may overreact
- To acknowledge and recognize other definitions and interpretations of politeness
So, where does authentic humility come into politeness?
Well sometimes it can be difficult to act in a manner that is perceived as polite by another culture… when it is just too foreign and it takes time to grasp.
The Role Of Authentic Humility
What can you do in situations where it is difficult to understand other definitions of politeness?
Well, this is where authentic humility plays an important role. It can help you further along the path of connecting with a foreign culture… by taking the first step.
Authentic humility is a little like the opposite of imposing your own culture on someone else. It creates a breathing room. It offers space to meet on neutral ground. It is a place to begin the journey of connecting with other cultures. Authentic humility is a great asset in cross-cultural communication.
Questions for you…
- What can you do when you do not understand other cross-cultural definitions of politeness?
- What does authentic humility in cross-cultural communication mean to you?
- How does authentic humility boost your cross-cultural communication skills?
Please share your stories in the comment section below.
Get All Cross-Cultural Communication Tips:
- Read more about all of the 2009 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges
- Cross Cultural Communication Challenge 1 – Expand Your Mindset
- Cross Cultural Communication Challenge 2 – Get Extreme With Clarity
- Cross Cultural Communication Challenge 3 – Build Trust
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