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Potentials and Pitfalls of Cross-Cultural Business Communication

"Potentials and Pitfalls of Cross-Cultural Business Communication MIND THE GAP - How to become aware of your blind spots in intercultural communication"

Part 1

Introduction: Acquiring transparency
What is "intercultural communication"?
Why is it an essential skill for international business?
How do you benefit from the "bigger picture"?

Part 2

Bridging the Cultural Gap: Understanding why we communicate the way we do

The "Cultural Onion": a model and tool for understanding intercultural communication problems

Some examples of core cultural orientations and their impact on communication behaviour

• Fact-based vs. relationship-based communication: tuning into another "cultural logic"
• Effective problem-solving: re-defining "problem"

Conducting meetings: when is it not a forum for problem-solving?

Debating and discussion style: consequences of the "adversarial approach" to debate

Giving and receiving critical and positive feedback: when "constructive criticism" doesn't exist

Hierarchy: when channels of communication are closed

• Variations of the father/son relationship: re-defining "leadership" and "teamwork"
• Risk-avoiding or risk-friendly: "analysis paralysis" vs. "shooting from the hip"

Project planning and implementation

Part 3

Bridging the Communication Gap: Putting language into perspective
"High context" vs. "low context" communication styles
Saying "no" and interpreting "yes": anything but simple

Part 4

Summary and outlook
The three principles of acquiring transparency
Defining common ground: the key to effective management
Who else in the company needs it?
Q&A

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