Cross-Cultural Communication 30-Day Challenge – Build Trust
There is a lot to say about trust. In cross-cultural communication trust can feel elusive. Especially if it is in a business environment where you do not really get to know people. Cultural differences keep you on your toes. I think this is where it is easy to become conscious of our basic human nature.
In fact, many cross-cultural difficulties often become easier when you bring things down to their most basic level. The trouble is that we do not often need to do this, so it can be difficult finding that basic level.
In the previous Cross-Cultural Communication tips this month, we have looked at how:
- Cultural differences can come across as a form of aggression
- A quiet self-confidence is a solution to feeling this aggression
Cultivate Quiet Self Confidence
So, how do you cultivate quiet self-confidence? There are several small things we can do to cultivate this for effective cross-cultural communication:
- Do not feel threatened by other ways of thinking for doing things
- Know yourself and feel confident with who you are
Trust In Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge – Tip 8
Trust yourself first
This is a reminder that the best place to begin building trust is to start with yourself.
Basic Trust In Yourself
Trust yourself first. Trust what you know about yourself. Trust your ability to:
- Communicate with others
- Connect with others
- Be flexible and to adapt when needed
And above all, trust yourself to be who you are, to be yourself, without feeling threatened by another culture.
Be Comfortable With Yourself
Be ready to acknowledge:
- You do not know everything
- You are not excellent at everything
- There are other ways of living and doing things
Challenges To Yourself
This might seem a bit like sugar-coated fluff, until you find yourself in a situation where your cross-cultural communication loses momentum.
Mistrust raises it’s head. Why?
Because the other person did not find the right level of personal depth in you. Why?
Because you did not know yourself well enough, you did not have this basic level of trust in:
- How you communicate things
- What you communicated
- What your position is with regards to what you communicate
Trust Yourself To Avoid Mistrust
In cross-cultural business encounters trust can become extremely personal. People will notice when you do not trust yourself at this very basic level.
Cross-cultural communication is mined with possible misscommunication due to cultural differences. There is no need to add on this extra layer of risk of creating mistrust. Take the time if you need to: do the personal work involved in strengthening trust in yourself at this basic level.
Questions For Discussion
- How well do you trust yourself in cross-cultural communication?
- Do you ever feel an aggression against your beliefs during cross-cultural encounters?
- How much effort in personal development do you think you need to develop cross-cultural skills?
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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| Mindset | Clarity | Trust |
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| Expand Your Mindset | Get Extreme With Clarity | Build Trust |
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