You're leading a team negotiation with people from different cultures. How can you avoid miscommunication?

1 Know your own culture

Before you interact with people from other cultures, you need to understand your own culture. What are your values, beliefs, assumptions, and preferences? How do they influence your communication style, your expectations, and your goals? How do you deal with conflict, uncertainty, and emotions? By being aware of your own cultural lens, you can avoid imposing it on others and be more open to different ways of thinking and behaving.

2 Research the other cultures

Once you know your own culture, you need to learn about the cultures of the people you are negotiating with. You can use various sources, such as books, websites, podcasts, or mentors, to gain some general knowledge about their history, geography, religion, politics, and customs. You can also ask them directly about their specific preferences, norms, and values. For example, you can ask them how they prefer to address each other, how they make decisions, how they express disagreement, or how they handle time.

3 Adapt your communication

After you have done some research, you need to adapt your communication to suit the other cultures. You need to consider both verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication, such as language, tone, volume, gestures, eye contact, and physical distance. You also need to be aware of the context, such as the purpose, the setting, and the relationship of the negotiation. For example, you can use more formal or informal language, more direct or indirect feedback, more emotional or rational appeals, or more individual or group focus, depending on the situation and the culture.

4 Check for understanding

During the negotiation, you need to check for understanding frequently. You can use various techniques, such as paraphrasing, summarizing, clarifying, confirming, or asking questions, to make sure that you and the other parties are on the same page. You also need to listen actively and empathetically, paying attention to both the content and the emotion of the message. You need to avoid making assumptions, judgments, or interpretations based on your own culture. Instead, you need to seek to understand the meaning and the intention behind the words and actions of the other parties.

5 Manage conflicts

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may encounter conflicts during the negotiation. You need to be prepared to manage them effectively and constructively. You need to identify the sources and the levels of the conflict, such as factual, emotional, or value-based. You also need to choose the appropriate strategy and style to resolve the conflict, such as collaborating, compromising, accommodating, avoiding, or competing. You need to respect the differences and find common ground, while maintaining your own interests and integrity.

6 Build rapport

Finally, you need to build rapport with the people you are negotiating with. You need to show genuine interest, appreciation, and respect for their culture, their perspective, and their needs. You need to establish trust, rapport, and credibility, by being honest, transparent, and consistent. You also need to celebrate the achievements, acknowledge the contributions, and express gratitude for the cooperation. By building rapport, you can create positive and lasting relationships that can benefit your team and your organization.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?