What's Cross-Cultural Communications?

In today’s modern world, it is not unusual to be able to work with somebody from across the?world. Or, to have somebody on your team who is working in another country. According to?WeForum, the rise in virtual work means people will need better intercultural skills.

Having a good understanding of cross-cultural communications is vital to the modern working world.?

Cross-cultural?communication is not just language, or the local dialect somebody speaks. Cross-cultural communications is understanding someone else’s beliefs, practices, how they behave, and how they carry themselves.

What is cross-cultural communication??from?Cross-Cultural Communication Nano Tips with Jessica Chen?by?Jessica Chen

1. BELIEFS

Understanding someone else’s beliefs is critical to improving your cross-cultural communication. Someone’s beliefs may guide their communication. When you take the time to consider someone’s beliefs, you can avoid a lot of miscommunication.

Consider the following:

• Research?– If you know you will be interacting with someone from another country, researching their commonly held beliefs is a great start.
• Ask?– An easy way to find out someone else’s beliefs is to simply ask.
• Adjust Expectations?– Often, miscommunication happens because expectations are not met. To avoid this, you will want to adjust your expectations.

??We recommend the e-course,?“Developing Cross-Cultural Intelligence,”?to help you learn how to be more aware of other people’s beliefs.

Respecting other people’s beliefs will help you avoid miscommunication and improve your cross-cultural communications.

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2. PRACTICES

The way people approach work and communication across cultures can be vastly different. If you want to improve your cross-cultural communications, you will need to learn what the different practices are.

Consider the following:

• Frequency of Communication?– You may be accustomed to instant communication with your colleagues. But this may not always be the case with someone from a different culture.
• Breaks?– Many cultures take breaks for long periods of time.

In our LinkedIn Learning e-course,?“Cross-Cultural Communication Nano Tips,”?you will learn how to communicate effectively across cultures.

When you are aware of the different practices held by your colleague, you can better prepare to communicate with them.?

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3. BEHAVIOR?

When working with someone from another country, it is critical to understand the differences in behavior. This is especially true when communicating.?

Consider the following:

• Be Respectful?– Many cultures have different views on what respectful behavior is. To avoid disrespecting someone, you must know what is considered respectful behavior.
• Take Time?– Take time to learn someone else’s behavior.

What is acceptable and expected forms of behavior differ significantly across cultures. Be sure you are aware of what your colleague will be expecting.

When you are thinking about honing your cross-cultural communication skills, make sure you don’t just think of it as their language. Instead, you want to have a bird’s eye view of that country and culture.?

Having a broad understanding will better position you when interacting with these people, and make it, so you are a great team player.

Read the full article here!

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If you'd like to learn more about our communications services and how we work with individuals and companies, check out our website:?www.soulcastmedia.com.?