The Global Communicator: Leveraging Cultural Diversity for Effective Dialogue

Dr. Deirdre Mendez, Director of the Center for Global Business, author, and intercultural expert, discusses the importance of having a global mindset to effectively communicate with diverse contacts.

Having a global mindset is the very best way to gain skills at effective communication with diverse contacts, both at home and abroad. Interacting with people in global locations exposes us to varying communication styles. Seeing firsthand how people interact with others says a lot about how they like to be communicated with. And understanding their expectations tells us how we can modify our own way of speaking — when to contribute to a conversation, appropriate body language, effective ways to give instructions, express disagreement, and so on.

Personal experience taught me the importance of a debate-style of communication with French colleagues, who respect a confrontational style showcasing well-reasoned arguments. But openly expressing disagreement could be a disastrous strategy in Japan, where creating a sense of harmony and mutual agreement is the mark of sophisticated communication.

Interacting with colleagues in France and Japan calls for very different strategies, but I use these skills at home as well. Variation within one cultural environment is greater than variation between two different ones. There are people here at home who are as direct as my contacts in France and some who are as indirect as my Japanese colleagues. My book, The Culture Solution, talks about the benefits of experiencing cultural variation to improve skills at collaborating with anyone. An international mindset makes us more adaptable managers, parents, in-laws, and volunteers.