Picture this - you’re introduced to the CEO of a French start-up that your company is in the process of acquiring. The CEO grabs your hand and leans in for some repeated lip action on your cheeks. His breath has a hint of garlic and something else you can’t identify. His grip on your hand is ...
Culture & Communication
Our ability to reach out to anyone in the world is unprecedented. The barriers to connecting are no longer technological. They’re cultural. It feels tough enough to communicate with people just like you, let alone those who come from radically different cultural backgrounds.
Difficult, but doable. By building your competence in culture and communication, you can adopt a relaxed approach to understanding people from different cultures and engaging them effectively.
Read all about culture & communication here.
Intercultural Communication Competence: It Takes Two to Tango
You’ve probably heard the saying “It’s all about the people you know.” Relationships can help you get things done. The more people you know around the world, the wider your reach. But, in order to make connections with people—you have to not only talk to them, you have to persuade them you’re ...
Cross-Cultural Competence: Engage People from any Culture
Cross-cultural competence refers to your ability to understand people from different cultures and engage with them effectively. And not just people from the one culture that you’ve studied for years. Having cross-cultural competence means you can be effective in your interactions with people from ...
Trouble Understanding Others? Read More Fiction
Looking for an excuse to read more fiction? Fiction reading can help with understanding others. A recent study shows that children who read more fiction stories are better at inferring what other people are thinking and feeling. Being good at understanding others is important, not just for ...
Respect for Arab Crowds
Direct displays of respect can reduce conflict in Arab protests, where a premium is placed on honor. Such displays enable people in potentially volatile crowd situations to accrue honor while avoiding risks associated with violent confrontation. These conclusions are based on studies of Arab ...