“Whether you work in a home office or abroad, business success in our ever more globalized and virtual world requires the skills to navigate through cultural differences”. The book opens with a personal story; the realization that in communicating with eastern cultures, one should remember to listen to subtle, unspoken cues to make communication effective. …
When I started training on Business Communication, I wasn’t aware of how my culture impacts communication. It was at the “Business English for the 21 Century” conference, organized by STETS (Singapore Tertiary English teachers Society) and IATEFL BESIG at Singapore in September 2005, I first came across the term “ Cultural Differences in Communication.” This …
After a long time, I am reading an interesting book on Culture- Culture Map by Erin Meyer. The book talks of eight scales which affect the way people interact in Business. Replete with examples the book is an enjoyable read. Erin Meyer talks of cultural relativity. Your cultural leanings are measured on a scale and …
Cultural generalizations and Ethnocentrism All of us are aware on how we get judgmental when we meet people for the first time. We often make judgments about a person’s capability by looking at the way she/he dresses. I have had many experiences during my travels when people who meet me often exclaim “You speak very …
Was the bag heavy or light? This happened a few years ago. I was travelling by bus to work. It was peak hours and the bus was crowded. However, I had a comfortable seat. When the bus stopped at one of the scheduled stops a few foreigners got in. One of them, a lady, was …
“On your right!” During my visit to Seattle in the United States, my routine included a long walk every day. The walk was through a path in the woods in one of the many forested areas around Mercer Island. During the walk I met many people; joggers, cyclists. Many of them would smile and greet …
Let’s look into the other Rules- Clarity of expression Clarity of expression in essential for conveying our message. Clarity of expression includes grammatical and lexical accuracy. Our writing should should be grammatically correct and the words used appropriate so that they convey the correct meaning. Hence, long complicated sentences should be avoided. Also, the words …
The six golden rules for effective email writing are Clarity of purpose Clarity of organization Clarity of expression Conciseness The right tone The reader’s perspective We will deal with the first two in today’s article. Clarity of purpose What is the reason for writing and what do you expect from the reader? This should be …
This is perfect! – Closing the loop in email trails Some years ago, a friend of mine wrote an article on ‘the Culture of no response’. The article mentioned among other things, how Indians don’t respond to emails. Sometimes it is because they don’t wish to disagree/ say ‘no’. However, my experience has been otherwise. …
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