Stage #3: Gain Cross-Cultural Experience

“If you experience for yourself that your basic assumptions are not the assumptions, then that experience may be worth it” (Geerlings, L. and Thompson, C.L., 2018).

Communication Consideration:

"There is a Western view that individuals perceive something called the truth and should state it. Convention also prescribes that communication should use explicit, direct, unambiguous verbal massages. But in other cultures—for example, many Middle Eastern and Asian cultures—there is no absolute truth, and politeness and desire to avoid embarrassment often take precedence. This makes communication implicit and indirect. In the direct convention, most of the emphasis is on the content of the communication—the words. In the indirect convention, the context is more important—for example, the physical setting, the previous relationships between the participants, and nonverbal behavior" ("Cultural intelligence, 3rd edition," 2017)

Strategies: Enhance Cross-Cultural Communication

Slow your speech tempo. This allows each party the chance to better understand what the other is saying. Strong accents and somewhat limited vocabulary can make conversing more difficult.
Converse in Person. Human communication goes way beyond verbal and written realms. Talking to a person with a different first language, or even dialect, allows people to read the facial expressions and other signals each gives off. Tone also matters and can help to build understanding as well as flag parts of the conversation that have been misunderstood. Texting and emailing can create many mixed signals and misunderstandings.
Different cultures have different communication norms and expectations. If possible, take the time to research what these are before having a conversation with someone from a culture other than your own. This can help you avoid making blunders that may insult the other person(s). I may also provide you with a knowledge base that will help you act with empathy if the other person does something unexpected within your own cultural sphere.
Build Trust Slowly. When getting to know or working with people from different cultures, know that preconceived notions and biases may be at play. Work on building a mutually agreeable relationship slowly. Trust can not be rushed. It takes time to form and experiences to tell each other where you stand with one another.
Show genuine interest in them and their culture. Lean in. Ask questions, but don't pry. Watch for body signals and tone to gain insight about how the other person is feeling. Use this opportunity to have discussions and build personal understanding through empathy. How do they express themselves personally? How do they see themselves fitting into the larger social fabric? How have their experiences and interpretations of events been similar or different than yours?
Engage with others from a place of sensitivity. As the old adage goes, "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Remember, we all carry a past with us and for some people, their past is more painful than others. Being patient during the initial relationship phase will let people open up to you when, and if, they become ready.

Above ideas adapted from (Weigl, 2009; American Psychological Association, 2017; Geerlings, L. and Thompson, C.L., 2018).

Case Study #3: Simone Buijzen and Intercultural Competence

Link to Culture Inc.

How cross-cultural understanding can help us to see each other | Simone Buijzen | TEDxSittardGeleen

"Originally from Sittard and fascinated by the psychology of people and their different backgrounds, Simone has travelled the globe for over 25 years. Starting out as a marketer for multi-national companies she has witnessed a lot of cross-cultural misunderstandings that though hilarious were often time and money consuming. Her love of people and her extensive international business experience inspired her to study cross-cultural communication and start building bridges between different cultures."

What does "Intercultural Competence" mean? An educast by Sinah Schmid and Verena Wilk (University of Jena, Intercultural Business Communication). Produced by Jakob Kopczynski (HAW Hamburg); speaker: Peter Witchalls (University of Hamburg)

Homework

Doing your homework about different cultural practices, norms and expectations will make interactions between individuals and different groups more effective and a more positive experience for all. Doing so will also reduce tension and insults caused by lack of knowledge or understanding.

Q: What other cultures do you have contact with in your current role?
Q: What other cultures would you like to learn more about?
Q: What cultural practices, norms and expectations might you need to learn about?

Positive Benefits to be Gained from Increased Interaction

Increased cultural empathy: When people interact with one another in personal and meaningful ways, they have an opportunity to share their experiences and beliefs, then compare and contrast their views. Doing so helps people understand and empathize different perspectives than their own.
Reduction of Prejudice: As people experience greater inter-group cultural contact, their levels of prejudice go down. This happens as a result of increasing cross-cultural knowledge and personal human connections.
Reduced Anxiety about inter-group contacts: People are no longer faced with "others," these become neighbours, friends, members of their community network.
These three things dramatically increase a person's ability to become increasingly culturally competent (Geerlings, L. and Thompson, C.L., 2018, p.96).

In a study of 132 participants, including students and staff at two universities in the Netherlands, both students and the professionals of psychology reported that their own levels of multicultural competency increased as they gained more cross-cultural experience. They also reported that people who had more interaction with those of other cultural groups correlated with increased levels of multicultural competency as compared to those who had less engagement (Geerlings, L. and Thompson, C.L., 2018).

Q: Consider the quote above. What steps have you taken, or will you take, to increase your own cross-cultural experiences?

Extension Readings:

Cultural Intelligence

Business Etiquette Around the World

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