You shouldn’t! You don’t need to be an expert of cultures to communicate effectively (even through a screen). Keep on reading to discover why.

In our latest blog post, we talked about Zoom meetings and how they became part of our daily routine. We learnt some tips to manage them more efficiently. Now we would like to focus on another relevant aspect in the workplace: culture. 

As companies are becoming more and more international, the number of multicultural teams is increasing. Every day we have to deal with people from different countries and backgrounds. Even if most of the global business is done in English, cultural patterns stay. But what do we mean by cultural pattern?

A cultural pattern is a mental mechanism, that each person carries within him- or herself. According to Dutch social psychologist and interculturalist Geert Hofstede, these “software of the mind” are acquired within a specific social environment. Their presence influences our world view and the way we see things. Getting to know them is vital if we wish to understand our business partner perspective and respect it. But how is it possible to achieve this type of knowledge? And how to use it when it comes to online meetings? 

You can start by following these tips that can help you deal with multicultural teams, even remotely:

1. Consider other perspectives and shift your mindset 

There’s no right or wrong way to communicate, but different ways. Before diving into cultural differences, it’s important to point out one thing. When you have to face cross-cultural meetings,  you cannot just be yourself and expect others to understand you, especially if you are a native English speaker. Every person has a different world view, which is influenced by their culture. If something sounds good to you, it doesn’t mean that it will be the same for others. That’s why it’s very important to look beyond your experiences and habits. Before judging someone’s behaviour wrong, take a step back. Make an effort and try to observe how people interact with you and do the same. You should adapt and try to be more inclusive. 

2. Do your research

Preparation is key when it comes to cross-cultural communication. Business etiquette can consistently differ from one country to another. If you want to avoid making gaffes or offending your colleagues, you have to be prepared.

Here are 3 examples from the German and Hungarian business world to bring this point closer:

• If you asked your German partner “Wie geht es Ihnen?”, which means “How are you?”, you might embarrass him. He/she would feel forced to give you some information about his or her well-being. During a meeting or a phone call, German people are not used to being asked how they are. It’s unusual. While in the UK is a common formality.
• German meetings adhere to strict agendas and they get straight to the point of the conversation.
• Hungarians usually begin their meetings with small talks. Agendas are not necessarily respected and spontaneity is a driving force.

These are just some examples to give you the idea of how foreign cultures can be different from yours. So, take your time to do some research on cultural behaviours and habits before a meeting. Your business will definitely benefit from it.

To learn more about cross-cultural challenges and remote meetings, you should watch the video below. Even if some things have changed (due to our current pandemic situation), the experience of Ricardo Fernandez is absolutely inspiring and still quite relevant.

3. Use effective body language

Another important aspect when communicating with people from different cultures is body language. We often hear that “Appearance doesn’t matter as much as content” and there’s truth to it. But when it comes to business meetings, visual appearance is vital.

“Research from the University of California at Los Angeles showed that 93% of positive or negative feelings about a presentation are generated by non-verbal cues: 38% comes from tone of voice, and a staggering 55% from body language. Only 7% of your overall impact is due to the words you actually say” 

Source: Forbes 

So, what you look like, how you sound and behave have a huge impact on your audience. That’s why you need to learn non-verbal communication. As people’s perspective, body language is also influenced by culture. You should prepare yourself and learn how to behave. But there are a few life saving (or rather meeting-savings) tips that you could use during a meeting:

• Smile and share empathy
• Avoid random gestures
• Make eye contact

4. Get the right education

Teaching intercultural communication is quite a big challenge. Culture is a constantly-evolving phenomenon: we can count more than 7.000 languages spoken worldwide. You cannot study every single cultural pattern and habit unless you gained superpowers or discovered the source of eternal life. 

If it’s not your case, well… there’s a smart solution: you can develop a multicultural perspective by observing others, opening your mind and being aware of differences. And what’s the best way to start? Learning a new language!

Learning a new language makes you see things in a different way. People are going to trust you more if you speak their language. Check “Why speaking English is simply not enough when doing business internationally” to understand the benefits of language training. 

There you are, some suggestions, that we hope you may find useful for your life and your business. 

Now, we would love to hear from you. Have you ever made a gaffe with your foreign business partners? Or have you ever been in an awkward situation, because of cultural differences? Share your experience in the comments below and feel free to add further ideas.

Looking forward to hearing your voice on this.

Lorenza – ProLingua Global