If you are going to be doing business in other countries or dealing with people from overseas, you are certainly going to find yourself coming up against some barriers to good communication. The ways in which you are able to overcome these successfully can end up having such a big impact on how far your business is able to go. Taking this into account, the following blog post is going to be all about cross-cultural communication and how you are able to do it that little bit better.
Learn About The Local Etiquette
First of all, it is a good idea to learn a little bit more about the local etiquette in terms of doing business. Find out about the initial greeting and whether there is expected to be some small talk before you actually get stuck in with the business proceedings. The more aware you are of any little nuances that are likely to pop up along the way, the less likely it is that there will be a moment that takes you by surprise and could even cause some embarrassment to both parties involved. This could ultimately end up having a detrimental impact on the odds of a successful deal going through.
Pick Up Some Of The Language
Even if you are not able to become entirely fluent in the language before you actually start doing business in it, there is no doubt that picking up at least a few words can prove to be a highly valuable step to take on. First of all, you are showing respect to the people that you are meeting. Not only this, but you are showing a degree of seriousness that you really want to make a good go of things and you are not just fleetingly getting into business with them. Of course, for effective cross-cultural communication where English is not widely spoken, you may well need to look into the option of hiring a Bosnian translator or a translator for whatever language you happen to be doing business in.
Adjust Your English
If people are going to be speaking English during the meeting but they are not fluent, you need to think about your own use of the language. First of all, you could slow down the way that you speak to give the other people more of a chance to pick up on what you are saying. Not only this, but you should also think about avoiding the use of any slang or idioms which may prove to be highly difficult when trying to understand the message that you are trying to get across. This is a practice that may well take a bit of time before you properly get into it, so you should certainly be taking your time to practice if you are able to.
These three tips can prove to be invaluable in improving your cross-cultural communication, ensuring that you are more likely to have success in business.
