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Anticipate and Adapt to Cultural Differences

To communicate effectively across cultures, you need to be able to anticipate those differences so that you are prepared to bridge the cultural divide by adapting your communication style. Acquiring these skills means concentrating on four points. First, examine your own cultural conditioning. Second, review your experiences with other cultures. Third, watch for discomfort that can signal cultural differences. Fourth, recognize and modify your communication approach.

Examine Your Own Cultural Conditioning

The way you express yourself, or the way you show that you are pleased, grateful, or angry, for example, is determined by the culture in which you live. Further, cultural conditioning goes beyond language and expressions. It defines, among other things, the subjects you consider appropriate for discussion, your perception of time, the amount of privacy and personal space you need to feel comfortable, and the manner in which you address the people around you—your boss, your friends, your family, your peers, or the people working for you. Around the world, different cultures carry very different attitudes about fundamental things, and express those attitudes in diverse ways. Within each culture, these attitudes form a commonsensical approach to life. No single culture is more correct or less advantageous than any other—it’s not a matter of a right way or a wrong way. Your way is one among many.

As leader of a task force, Cheryl is having difficulties managing Chen, one of the team members. He promised to compile a report by the deadline she set, but he didn’t. When she talks to him about it, he won’t look her in the eye. Cheryl suspects that Chen is either very disorganized or doesn’t respect her as a leader. His unwillingness to make eye contact looks like evasive behavior to her.

In Cheryl’s culture, deadlines are firm commitments, and making eye contact is a sign of honesty. She knows that Chen is from a different culture, but she is not aware of how strongly her own culture has influenced her conclusions about his behavior.

Becoming aware of your own cultural conditioning requires you to step outside of your cultural borders. That’s not an easy task, but here are five questions to ask yourself that can help you recognize the influence of your own cultural boundaries on your communication style.

1. Do I understand my own cultural background and conditioning?

2. Do I approach interpersonal encounters on the job with an awareness of how differences may affect communication?

3. Do I have the attitude that “different” is bad, inferior, or wrong?

4. Am I aware of ways that I stereotype others?

5. Am I willing to adjust my communication in order to be more effective?

Review Your Experiences with Other Cultures

You can also build your cultural awareness by reviewing your experiences with other cultures. All of us are from time to time likely to find ourselves in situations in which we are the cultural outsider. Perhaps you’ve attended a wedding, funeral, or holiday gathering that is completely unfamiliar to your understanding of such ceremonies. Perhaps you have traveled abroad and returned with anecdotes about the strange behavior and customs of the people you encountered.

In these casual brushes with other cultures, we may taste unfamiliar food, meet people who are either more or less emotionally expressive than we are, or find ourselves more crowded or with more personal space than we’re comfortable with. The pace of conversation may seem faster or slower.

Here are three actions you can take to review your experiences with other cultures:

1. Make a list of lessons learned in previous cross-cultural interactions. What did you learn? How did you learn it?

2. Review your previous cross-cultural encounters. What communication difficulties did you experience? How did you overcome them?

3. Reflect on which cross-cultural differences are the most difficult for you to adjust to. Why do you think that is?

Watch for Discomfort that Can Signal Cultural Differences