Blogs for Culture Vultures

If you want to understand the Italian communication style, this blog is for you!

We’re going to explore some of the key features of communication in Italian culture.

Communicating clearly is crucial if you want to hit your targets on the global stage.

Learning how to shape your message and adapt your delivery to the audience, makes you more effective.

Miscommunication is one of the principal reasons for cultural misunderstandings.

Learning a bit about the country and culture you're working with can make a huge difference.

If you work with the Japanese, then you really need to understand the communication style.

Many a foreigner has made the mistake of believing ‘they all do business like us’.

The recent surge of staff working from home has turned many leaders into ‘virtual’ leaders overnight.

In an environment where global collaboration tools are increasingly accessible, leaders are less likely to report technology as the biggest challenge.

Do you work with the Chinese?

If so, then there are some fundamental cultural concepts you need to be aware of.

If you want to communicate productively with British colleagues and customers, then it’s important to understand the UK communication style.

This will help you to make a good impression and deliver your message in a way that gets the outcomes you need.

Since email etiquette varies greatly across cultures, it can be hit and miss if you don’t understand the expectations of the people you are emailing.

Being unaware of the social cues or cultural norms of your recipient puts you at risk of miscommunicating or causing offense.

Could South Korea’s hierarchical culture have caused planes to crash?

If you work or do business with South Koreans, you really need to understand hierarchy.

Do you work with the Chinese?

A common challenge many foreigners come across is how to handle the word ‘no’.

Culture is a complex thing.

It affects everything we do from the way we raise our kids to the way we do business.

This question is often asked in Indian intercultural training programmes.

"We don't get it! Why do they always nod? And in different ways too!?"

This is a common stereotype often heard about the British.

In some parts of the world they have a reputation for being ‘cold’ and ‘unfriendly’.

Every culture has its approach to conflict.

In this blog we’ll be exploring Iranian culture and how the people approach conflict, communication and resolution.

Do you work with the Chinese?

Then you really need to get to grasp with the importance of face – mianzi – in Chinese culture.

The British communication style can be tricky for some foreigners.

Their complex use of indirect messages, suggestion and insinuation can be confusing – in fact, it can drive you bonkers!

Being able to communicate and collaborate across cultures is crucial for many of today’s professions; engineers included.

However, a Japanese-led research team suggests that the intercultural communication skills being taught to today’s engineers are not fit for purpose.

Doing business in the Middle East? Then you need to understand the role of honour in the Arab world.

The concept of personal dignity, honour and protecting one’s reputation is very important in the Middle East.

Guillaume Rey, a French waiter, was sacked from his job in a Canadian restaurant for being ‘aggressive, rude and disrespectful’

Upset by the sacking Rey believes his employers simply did not understand French culture. A complaint was filed against his previous employer, (Vancouver restaurant on Canada’s Pacific coast), under British Columbia’s 'Human Rights Tribunal', in which the waiter claimed  “discrimination against my culture”.

Culturally diverse teams are becoming more and more the norm as international businesses continue to hire in talent from around the globe.

Anyone who has worked in a multicultural team knows that this comes with challenges.