G. Many cultures will not appreciate the use of humour and jokes in the business context.

Cross cultural communication is about dealing with people from other cultures in a way that minimises misunderstandings and maximises your potential to create strong cross cultural relationships. These tips should be seen as a starting point to greater cross cultural awareness.

Speaking the same language is a great plus in cross cultural communication. Even when English is the common language in a cross cultural situation, this does not mean the native speaker should speak at normal speed. It’s better to slow down, speak clearly and ensure the pronunciation is intelligible. Another important thing is to avoid double questions such as, "Do you want to carry on or shall we stop here?" 1Many cross cultural communication misunderstandings have been caused by the use of negative questions and answers. In English we answer 'yes' if the answer is affirmative and 'no' if it is negative. In other cultures a 'yes' or 'no' may only be indicating whether the questioner is right or wrong. For example, the response to "Are you not coming?" may be 'yes', meaning 'Yes, I am not coming.

Cross cultural communication is enhanced through taking turns to talk, making a point and then listening to the response.If you are unsure whether something has been understood write it down and check. 2 For example, a billion in the USA is 1,000,000,000,000 while in the UK it is 1,000,000,000. When communicating across cultures the speaker should not assume the other party has understood. The advice is to summarise what has been said in order to verify it. Even the most well educated foreigner will not have a complete knowledge of slang, idioms and sayings. 3

Effective cross cultural communication is in essence about being comfortable. Giving encouragement to those with weak English gives them confidence, support and a trust in you. Although this trust is gained not only but effective language usage. Now it is time we switched to other points.

People are known to learn from generalizations about other cultures, but there is no point in using those generalizations to stereotype, or oversimplify one’s ideas about another person. The best use of a generalization is to add it to your storehouse of knowledge so that you better understand and appreciate other interesting, multi-faceted human beings.

The person who assumes that there is one right way (his!) to communicate is doomed to blunder. We’d better keep questioning your assumptions about the "right way" to communicate. 4Postures that indicate receptivity in one culture might indicate aggressiveness in another.

Another mistake is to believe that breakdowns in communication occur because other people are on the wrong track. 5 When dealing with other cultures try to put yourself in the other person's shoes. Especially when another person's perceptions or ideas are very different from your own, you might need to operate at the edge of your own comfort zone to be an active listener that often implies suspending judgment, and looking at the situation as an outsider.

Respect has to be shown towards others' choices about whether to engage in communication with you.

A discussion of the past is vital as this is an opportunity to develop an understanding from "the other's" point of view, rather than get defensive or impatient. It is positive to acknowledge historical events that have taken place. 6 Honest acknowledgment of the mistreatment and oppression that have taken place on the basis of cultural difference is vital for effective communication.

Awareness of current power imbalances -- and an openness to hearing each other's perceptions of those imbalances -- is also necessary for understanding each other and working together.

In many cultures business is taken very seriously. Professionalism and protocol are constantly observed. 7 Many cultures have certain etiquette when communicating. It is always a good idea to undertake some cross cultural awareness training or at least do some research on the target culture.

Taking into account potential patterns of cross-cultural communications we always have to remember that cultural norms may not apply to the behavior of any particular individual. We are all shaped by many, many factors -- our ethnic background, our family, our education, our personalities -- and are more complicated than any cultural norm could suggest.

After Neil Payne, Cross Cultural Communication: Basic Tips

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