Why Intercultural Communication is essential for your business right now: 7 key ideas

While so many things have changed dramatically over the last few months, there is one thing that I hope will stand out as a lasting change for all of us: the importance of relationships (both business and personal). 

We have all learnt to communicate in new ways, to work in new ways, and to maintain our business relationships in new ways. As we move forwards, those relationships will continue to be essential for the world of work. 

Needing to maintain open lines of communication internally and externally is one of the main goals for most businesses, as these lines of communication give us two things: 

• A strong, engaged team
• Stronger relationships with clients, which fuel revenue 

There are keys aspects of intercultural communication that we can use to enhance both of these points. In this article I'll be looking at both teams and clients, and giving you 7 key ideas.

How does intercultural communication help us to maintain a strong, engaged team?

A strong team is the core of any successful business. To ensure your teams are as engaged and loyal as they can be requires us to build on two fundamental things: trust and support. 

Teams needs trust and support from their colleagues and leadership, and this can be improved if we know a bit about intercultural differences.

Key points to know when building trust with your teams: 

• Show your feelings
• Get to know people on a personal level
• Show both affective and cognitive trust
• Support those from hierarchical cultures to express themselves

Show your feelings

People from higher context cultures (Brazil, Middle East, some parts of Europe and Africa) are more open with their feelings and emotions. Hiding those feelings (as we do mostly in lower context cultures, like the UK) can be seen as cold and distant. Try being more open and allow team members from higher context cultures to see your emotions, too. One of the key needs for everyone right now is closeness and contact to move through these challenging times. 

Get to know people on a personal level

For team members from Asian cultures, use a holistic approach in supporting them. To build trust, it is key for people from these cultures to know you as a person as well as in the capacity of a colleague.

Show both affective and cognitive trust

For many people, particularly those from higher context cultures, separating cognitive trust (trust in their abilities and knowledge) from affective trust (in their person) can be a sign of insincerity. Knowing this and acting accordingly can avoid misunderstandings or even team members losing trust in you, which can be extremely difficult to build back. 

Support those from hierarchical cultures to express themselves

Allow everyone on the team to feel supported and heard by allowing for different communication styles to flourish. Not everyone feels comfortable speaking up in public, or speaking in front of their superiors, and again this is quite often based on your cultural conditioning. Try to encourage discussions in advance of a meeting between colleagues, this will give people time to share ideas and build up confidence in speaking out. It’s also important to encourage people to talk without a boss or manager present, as those from hierarchical cultures find this very difficult. We can include people from Japan, Korea, India, Spain and Russia in this group, among others. Doing this will also give people the chance to learn about each other and build unity. It also shows staff that you understand that people have communication preferences, and that you are respectful of that. 

How does intercultural communication help us to maintain relationships with clients?

Losing clients can have a hugely negative impact on a business. Some which are more resilient will find that they have a larger client base, spread across different groups and areas. Others will have key, core clients who are essential to their revenue stream. 

Key ideas to remember when talking to clients or partners in other countries:

• Let people talk
• Listen to the message
• Tell them you’re here: how and why

Let people talk

Those from lower context cultures (the UK, the USA, Australia) are more direct with their language, and we generally use less silences when we talk. For many, this comes across as rude and we can be seen as bad listeners. Show your clients that you really are listening, and give them more time to speak, not jumping in at the first pause. By doing this we are allowing them to keep sharing with us, we are showing them that we understand them, and we’re listening to them and showing respect.

Listen to the message

Learn to listen to the message, not just the words. Often those from higher context cultures are not as comfortable saying ‘no’as those from lower context cultures. A ‘no’ can be disguised in a negative idea like “I’m not sure if that exact delivery date is going to be easy to meet”, or “that’s a very large order”. We need to learn to look at the message as a whole – What is the body language telling you? Has this negative idea been repeated now a few times? Does the client seem to be making progress with usual paperwork and invoicing, or have you noticed that it’s taking them longer? Don’t assume people are trying to trick you. Not saying ‘no’ directly is generally a sign on respect in many cultures, and we need to remember this before becoming annoyed at what might seem a slow or hidden response. Try to encourage communication by asking open-ended questions, and don’t pressure the client by using too many direct questions. It’s about finding a balance. 

Tell them you’re here: how and why

Let people know you’re here. Don’t assume that people will know you are still working as normal, or still able to work in the same way as before. However, when you do this, it’s important to know that different cultures work in different ways, and while some of us want to know ‘how’ things are happening, other want to know ‘why’. When communicating with a mixed group, it’s always best to cover both the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ so that all needs are taken into consideration. 

These simple steps can really help when communicating with both clients and colleagues.

Remember them in the coming months, and let me know how they’ve helped you.