The Secrets of Successful Business Communication with People from Other Cultures
Your company may have a global reach or it may be hiring workers from other countries. You may be partnering with other businesses in various locations. For whatever reason, you will be working with people from other parts of the world. Since communication is essential for all business relationships, you should know how to build better communication with those who are from different cultures and languages.
Ask Questions
Many times, you will be communicating with people who are not native English speakers. They may speak with a thick accent or use words incorrectly, making it difficult to understand what they are trying to say.
To ensure you know what the other person says and means, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Try to keep the questions simple so the answers are easy to understand. For example, phrase questions where the answer can be yes or no.
2. Be Professional
Don’t resort to slang or other habits that are common when speaking with family or friends. Use correct words and phrases and speak as clearly as you can to be better understood. If you speak with a heavy accent, you can even hire an accent reduction coach who will help you reduce your accent when speaking.
Pause Often
When someone has a problem understanding a person, they can easily get lost in the conversation. To prevent this from happening, speak slowly and pause often. Ask if the other person has questions before moving on to the next part of the conversation.
If you’re the person having trouble understanding someone, don’t be afraid to interrupt and ask questions. Also, listen for words you understand even if you can’t get every word. When you ask questions, you can clarify the details.
Write Out the Important Stuff
Even though verbal conversation is more personal, it does come with the risk of being misunderstood. If your subject is important, follow up the conversation with a written letter or even an email. Hit the high points, and make sure everyone understands what was said. Allow them to respond with questions or even a disagreement because they didn’t understand everything.
Take notes during your conversation so you can review later. This is especially important if the other person was in control of the conversation and doesn’t send out a letter or email on the meeting. You can even be the person to send a quick message. Just say you wanted to make sure you didn’t miss any important information so you’re sending an email. Mention the high points, and ask for the other person to clarify if you misunderstood something.
While these tips won’t eliminate any miscommunication or ensure you never misunderstand someone, they will help you be more aware of what you and the other person are saying. These tips will help you do your part to create an open line of communication with others in the company. Don’t be afraid to suggest them to others as well.
Claudette Roche is an accent reduction 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.