Ways to Communicate Across Cultures

1. Speak Slow
There's no need to use large terms in a cross-cultural conversation to make it more difficult for
either of you. Just make things easy. Two syllable words are much easier to understand than
three syllable words, and one syllable words are better than two syllable words.

2. Learn about different cultures and values

Be resourceful. Try to research their culture when it comes to communicating

and socializing with other people. Sometimes, values separate culture due to
its belief and usual behavior in doing a certain thing.

3. Take turns to talk

By alternating between speakers, you can encourage more natural flow in the discussion. After
stating your case, hear what the other person has to say. Speak to individuals in brief exchanges
rather than giving them a lengthy monologue that could be hard for them to understand,
especially if they are speaking English as a second language.

4. Applicable Etiquette
Numerous civilizations have particular communication etiquette. Study the
target culture before the meeting, or conduct some cross-cultural training if
time permits. For instance, formality is often expected when starting a
conversation with people in different cultures. Each culture has its own
unique manner of expressing this formality: in Germany, it is "Herr" and
"Frau," in China, family and given names are reversed, and in Japan, men and
women use "san." Recognize these familiarity tokens and wait for a cue from
the other person before using first name words.

5. Be emphatic.
Recognize and respect other people's perspectives. Consider others as you
would like to be treated. There are a lot of times that people we don’t usually
know could feel easy if they are concern with them. Asking them in a polite
way and helping whenever they need someone will help us gain their trust to
communicate and socialize.

6. Expect Differences.
Cultural differences in communication include speaking at different volumes,
expressing emotion in different ways, and whether or not to accept "small
talk." Be ready to come across cultural differences when conversing with
individuals from other backgrounds, even ones you were unaware of.

7. Be polite.
Every culture has a set of prevailing ideals, assumptions, and biases. When
interacting with individuals from different cultures, these symptoms could
appear. Fundamental communication, though, is not the time to assess
individuals according to these distinctions. Rather, tolerate them and show
them respect for who they are. You might even learn something from them.

8. Use the dominant language like English.

When conversing with individuals who speak a different language than you,
make an effort to communicate in their native tongue as much as possible at
first. Even if all you can manage to say is "hi" and "how are you? In their
vernacular, the gesture is typically acknowledged.