{"id":3003,"date":"2023-04-26T23:00:08","date_gmt":"2023-04-26T16:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/verbalizenow.com\/?p=3003"},"modified":"2023-04-26T23:15:06","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T16:15:06","slug":"cross-cultural-training-learn-the-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/verbalizenow.com\/en\/cross-cultural-training-learn-the-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross Cultural Training: Learn the Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"

We live in an increasingly diverse world. That applies to the companies we work for as well! Since the Covid-19 outbreak, companies have been shifting their focus to hiring remote workers, which has increased the number of multi-cultural teams at many companies. This increase to multi-cultural teams has also increased the demand for cross cultural training\u2014 because quite simply, multi-cultural teams often struggle to get along!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural differences don’t stop when you log on to Slack. Differences in communication<\/a>, decision-making, leadership, time management, and trust-building can bring a multi-cultural remote team to a standstill in a hurry. And yes, these standstills can affect a company’s bottom line!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, companies can prevent these conflicts before they happen. The first step to starting a cross cultural training program is simply acknowledging that the problem exists in the first place!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, Talk About It<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many companies are scared to even mention cultural conflicts out of fear of judgement or backlash. But it’d be insane to pretend that different cultures don’t have different ways of communicating or building trust. If you have a multi-cultural team, it’s important that you acknowledge the possibility of cultural conflict so workers are at least aware of it. Usually, people don’t even know that cultural differences are the cause of workplace conflicts. It’s easy to think someone is rude or lazy, but simple name-calling completely ignores the very real and very valid reasons behind certain professional habits and decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep Communication Brief and Direct<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever wondered why Americans are so direct when it comes to giving directions or asking for things? It’s because they’re from a country that was built by immigrants! When people have to work together without speaking the same language, they learn to be direct very quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try adopting the American communication model on your remote team. Get your team comfortable with giving clear step-by-step directions, and openly but respectfully asking for things when they’re needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Develop a Standard Method of Giving Feedback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Giving feedback is one of the biggest points of conflict between members of international teams. And you better believe that these can conflicts get nasty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take a look at a quick profile of two countries, The United States and France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n