Description

AT THE INTERSECTION OF CULTURES

How to get to know, understand, and effectively communicate with representatives of different cultures?

„All cultures face the same problems, but solve them in different ways.” Fons Trompenaars

Cultures in contact with each other constitute a kind of experimental testing ground. Cultural boundaries, unlike geographical, temporal, or climatic boundaries, are the most difficult to cross.

Some examples of situations in which a lack of intercultural communication skills is manifested are:

• Someone may think that the contract is already binding, whereas it requires additional negotiations
• The supplier completely ignores the provision of the contract regarding the timeliness of deliveries
• An employee from a non-Western culture regularly arrives late for meetings
• The client feels offended by direct treatment during negotiations of the terms of the agreement

The ability to effectively communicate with people from different cultures is a competence that is essential for anyone who encounters beliefs, behaviors, and work ethics characteristic of other countries. A lack of awareness of cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings, not only during negotiations or contract signings but also in daily communication with our partners, clients, and friends.

To acquire intercultural communication skills, one must first and foremost:

• Acquire knowledge about cultures (including your own) – accept the fact that people are different and look at these differences with respect, not superiority
• Avoid stereotypes and at the same time understand their origin and reasons for functioning.

Learn important information and practical examples of intercultural communication.

For whom?

• For Individuals
• For Leaders and Business Owners
• For Teams

What will you learn from me during the meeting?

• On what levels do cultural differences manifest themselves?
• What attitude facilitates adaptation and understanding of cultural differences?
• How detailed and literal should your message be?
• What is high and low cultural context?
• How to refuse without offending the other party and how to recognize refusal in a high-context communication?
• What are the behaviors and norms depending on the level of hierarchy prevailing in a given culture?
• How does the approach to time in different cultures affect daily functioning?
• What is pro-partnership, and what is pro-transactionality?
• Who is more respected, who is given the greatest authority?
• How to formulate communications to ensure they are understood according to our intentions and put into practice?
• How not to offend non-verbally your interlocutors, how to show them respect?
• How to work with expressive cultures and how with reserved ones?
• What spatial distance is acceptable between negotiators from different countries?
• How to most effectively motivate in collectivist cultures, and how in individualistic ones?

When is the knowledge of intercultural communication particularly useful?

• When you are faced with specific dilemmas and barriers of intercultural communication that you have to resolve every day
• When you want to smartly and consciously resolve issues, barriers, limitations, and traps related to intercultural communication
• When you experience or want to prepare for cultural shock
• When you need to understand potential problems associated with interpreting nonverbal communication
• When you want to learn the hidden rules that govern communication and impact interpersonal relationships
• When you have faced many failures that are caused not so much by a lack of management skills or competencies but by a lack of knowledge about other cultures
• When you want to work with foreign counterparts or communicate more effectively with representatives of other cultures, both domestically and internationally
• When you have been surprised by the beliefs, behavior, and work ethics of others