COMMUNICATING ACROSS COUNTRIES AND CULTURES / 303ASK YOURSELF...
Do I understand the culture? YES NO1 Do I understand the basic business etiquette of introductions
and meetings in this new culture? ...................................................2 Do I know how to recognize the key decision-makers
within a group? .................................................................................3 Am I familiar with the culture’s business dress code? ..................4 Do I know how many languages are spoken, and which
is the official language? ...................................................................5 Have I learned the preferred forms of negotiation? ......................6 Do I know which forms of media are popular among
which demographic groups? ...........................................................Adopting the right attitude
You don’t have to adopt the local culture
and begin doing things the way they do.
Just be aware and respect that they
do things differently. “Your way” of
communicating might work brilliantly
in your own culture, but less well in
another. Try to adopt an open-minded
approach, focusing on:- Developing a tolerance for ambiguity^
Accept the fact that you’ll never
understand everything about another
culture. However, you can still
appreciate and function within that
culture satisfactorily. - Becoming more flexible Things won’t
always go the way you want. A small
measure of flexibility will prove
enormously helpful. - Practicing a little humility^
Acknowledge what you do not know
or understand. Because you weren’t
raised in another’s culture (or may not
even speak the language well), you’ll
never fully understand all aspects of
it. Displaying humility and acceptance
will win friends, influence people,
and make life easier. Communication
consists of the transfer of meaning,
so do everything you can to make
sure that your messages are
not misunderstood.
US_302-303_Comm_Across_Cultures.indd 303 30/05/16 3:05 pm