In the coming weeks, we’ll be doing some work with clients on three continents, and executives from 15 different countries. In planning business travel of this scale, it always gets me thinking about how we communicate in that global environment, and how we have to adapt what we do to an audience that may not have the same background as us, or who may not speak the same first language that we do. Technology has made communication on a global scale much more prevalent than it once was. We’re communicating across more cultures more often than ever before, so it’s important to always be thinking about how we’re communicating to those audiences.
However, there are a few things about global communication that remain consistent. No matter what countries people may come from, or what languages they may speak, in communicating with a busy professional anywhere in the world, you’ll never go wrong by getting to the point quickly. Anyone, regardless of culture, will appreciate you providing clear communication that gets to the point, and provides context.
There can be many communication nuances that come into play with a global business audience. Subtleties like word choice, sentence structure, use of colloquialisms, and how you physically present yourself can all come into play. But some things are universal. People are busy the world over, and all of them seek those three key ingredients in their communication: Clarity, Brevity, and Context. Provide them to the people you do business with, and you’ll make an impression, regardless of where in the world they’re located.
Good luck.
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These are great tips. It is important to think before we speak. Once the words and tone are revealed they can’t be taken back. It is wise to carefully select words that are clear based on your audience. Keeping it short is also good. When too many words are used we can loose our audience. Staying on topic is vital as well. It can be confusing if the speaker begins to talk about other topics that are not relevant. Being a good speaker as well as a good listener is very important.
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