You’re about to communicate with someone from a different culture. What’s the first thing you should do?

1 Research their culture

The first thing you should do before communicating with someone from a different culture is to do some research on their culture. Learn about their values, beliefs, norms, customs, etiquette, and communication styles. This will help you understand their perspective, avoid stereotypes and assumptions, and show respect and interest in their culture. You don’t have to be an expert, but you should have some basic knowledge and awareness of their cultural context.

2 Adapt your communication

The second thing you should do is to adapt your communication style and strategies to suit their culture. For example, you may need to adjust your tone, pace, volume, gestures, eye contact, and use of humor depending on their preferences and expectations. You may also need to consider how they approach topics such as feedback, conflict, decision making, and negotiation. You may need to be more direct or indirect, formal or informal, assertive or cooperative, depending on their culture.

3 Ask questions and listen

The third thing you should do is to ask questions and listen actively to their responses. This will help you clarify any doubts, confirm your understanding, and learn more about their culture. It will also show that you are curious, attentive, and respectful of their views and opinions. You can use open-ended questions, paraphrasing, summarizing, and reflecting to facilitate the conversation and avoid confusion. You can also ask for feedback and suggestions on how to improve your communication.

5 Show empathy and respect

The fifth thing you should do is to show empathy and respect for their culture and communication. Empathy means putting yourself in their shoes and trying to understand their feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Respect means acknowledging and appreciating their culture and communication as valid and valuable. You can show empathy and respect by using positive language, expressing appreciation, giving compliments, apologizing for mistakes, and acknowledging differences.

6 Learn from the experience

The sixth thing you should do is to learn from the experience and reflect on how you can improve your communication skills. You can ask yourself what went well, what didn’t go well, what surprised you, what challenged you, and what you learned from the interaction. You can also ask for feedback from the other person or from someone who knows their culture well. You can use the feedback to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and to set goals and action plans for your future communication.