John N Vassos | How To Communicate in International Business

Mastering Cross-cultural Communication in the Business World

Our world is connected. We are connected to people by our phones, our laptops, and our social media accounts.

There are lots of great benefits to being connected to people around the world, but there are also challenges. Business communication in a multi-cultural world takes a strong cultural competence.

One challenge is how to handle cross-cultural communication. There’s a lot that goes into studying international business and producing effective communication across borders.

Keep an Open Mind

According to John Vassos of CAPX Solutions: “When communicating with someone from abroad you’ll need to keep your mind open. Intercultural communication takes a clear head and an open mind in order to effectively understand the other party.”

Don’t let prejudices or preconceived notions of that person’s country cloud your mind as you speak with them.

Instead, understand that what you know about them may not be accurate. You may have made assumptions based on common stereotypes or biases.

Instead of immediately judging that person, wait and listen and try to learn from what they say.

Understand Diversity

If you’re communicating with someone different from you, whether they’re a different ethnicity or from a different country, you need to understand diversity.

Know that not everyone grew up how you did, listens to the same music as you do, or eats the food you like.

Understand that different cultures have very different customs that will affect the way they communicate with you.

If you know you’ll be communicating with someone from another country on a regular basis, do some research on their country. Learn about them. Try to figure out what about their culture’s communication style is different from yours.

 

  Stay Simple

Today, English is considered the universal language of business. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone is fluent!

You may find yourself communicating with people who have different levels of English or who may not speak English at all. For effective business communication, know the audience you are speaking with and be prepared to work with people who are not fluent English speakers.

Keep the words and phrases you use simple. Avoid idioms. Idioms are confusing and are very colloquial. Not everyone knows what they mean, and it is confusing to explain to someone.

It’s also important to speak in short, simple sentences. Make sure that you aren’t talking too much or too quickly. Try to keep things clearly pronounced and understandable so that the other person can effectively communicate with you.

Get Help!

It may seem like a failure to have to use a translator, but sometimes that’s the best option!

Getting a translator ensures that your communication is clearly understood by the other person. There’s no concern that they won’t understand your grammar, accent, or vocabulary. Instead, you can rely on a highly trained professional to clear up the confusion for you.

It’s also a great idea to get a simple phrase book of the other culture’s language. Knowing a few phrases can help you in a pinch.

If you’re trying to communicate a simple concept but can’t break it down, knowing a few handy phrases can be a lifesaver!

Cross-cultural communication easily gets tricky and convoluted. Don’t let it! Follow our guide to making sure your messages never get lost.

Here at CapX Solutions, we believe in positive communication around the world. We work with everyone to bring down barriers and increase productivity in your worklace.