3 Keys to Working Globally

If you are part of a large corporation or even a medium-sized company, you probably have some interaction outside your local city base. In fact, you may sell items or work with vendors from other parts of the world and even hire people remotely who are based in another country. There are several essential keys to making a global enterprise work. Here are three of them.

Learn How to Communicate

Communication is often considered the key to success in the business world. You must learn how to communicate with customers, employees and partners to ensure your business continues to grow and thrive. However, communicating with someone around the world is quite different from talking to someone who is from the same city or state as you.

You must learn how to speak clearly so you are understood. A speech coach can be helpful in this area. A business speech coach can help you learn how to enunciate better so you are more easily understood by people whose first language is not English.

In addition, you must learn how to say what you mean in clear terms. Many Americans use slang or local phrasing that is unfamiliar to those from other areas. A phrase may be misunderstood or taken literally when you mean it figuratively. Be careful to avoid local colloquialisms and other phrases that may not make sense to people outside your area.

Consider the Time

Time differences can have a big impact on meetings, especially when it is daytime in your location and night somewhere else. You will want to schedule video conferences and phone calls for the beginning or end of the day to be considerate of others.

You’ll also want to think about national holidays in other countries that may be observed in the business world. It will be important to communicate your days off due to holidays as well so that they know how and when they can reach you.

Think about the Culture

It’s all too easy to offend someone without meaning to when they come from a different culture than you. This can be a problem not only with employees based in other countries but with customers. When you create advertising and marketing promotions, you want to make sure you not only avoid any negative connotations but also create something that is relevant.

It’s important to learn about a culture where you will be marketing or doing business. You want to avoid being offensive with your words or actions. Even simple gestures can have different meanings in various countries. It’s often helpful to study a country’s culture before you begin doing business in that area.

Thanks to technology, the world has become much smaller. It’s common for businesses to interact with customers, employees and others from one or more countries. However, cultural and language differences still exist. To be successful on a global level, you must learn how to understand these other cultures and communicate with people from around the world.

Claudette Roche is a dialect coach in the Vero Beach, FL area. She teaches foreign and American accents to actors and business persons/executives. In 2010 she was named as one of The Top 5 Voice Coaches by Hollywood Weekly Magazine.