As an intercultural consultant I have been working with companies all over the world for more than 15 years. I have been supporting leaders of international companies, multicultural teams, sales representatives and HR managers to find the right strategies how to cooperate together. The focus of my workshops and consulting sessions is to support the clients to create strategies they can use immediately after our training. We discover cross-cultural values and differences related to business communication, communicating changes, motivating and providing feedbacks. We deal with all phases of cross-cultural business negotiations. Our common goal is to make their cross-cultural journey successful.
Recently I have been asked by an automotive company to support their R&D team cooperating with a customer in UK. They have been working together for nearly 2 years and collected several questions.
Our discussion started with the question about small talk. They were curious how much time they should devote to small talk and what topics to focus on. They knew that weather is a key topic, however, as Slovaks usually struggle with it, they were looking for some other tips. They have already learnt that “How are you?” doesn’t mean a real invitation for a talk on your day and feelings.
My colleague Rita, an intercultural trainer in UK, provided the following recommendations: Be prepared to do a lot of small talk with your British team members. This is a must when starting a conversation. Jumping straight into important topics (no matter how pressing) will be considered as abrupt or even rude. Take your time with them, drink your tea and enjoy listening to the moaning about the weather – it is however polite not to agree too much, instead say that you have come from very similar (not worse) weather in your own country. If you are standing up, leave your British colleague about one meter of personal space. Learn your colleagues’ first names and use them frequently.
What do British really mean? Why do they use words such as “brilliant” or “interesting” whey they do not match the context. The training participants were aware that Brits employ an indirect communication style. However, they were not sure how to decode it. In their language “I need the information to complete the project. “ is fully accepted and understood as an urgent matter. “Could you provide the information…” doesn’t give them any sense when there is an emergency.
And what does my colleague, Rita, say?
Unless you are very used to communicating with British people, you will inevitably be surprised by how indirectly they express themselves. Your British colleagues may use understatements such as “a bit of a problem” where you see a major disaster, or “not bad” of something that is clearly excellent. They may claim that they “will get back to you” when they do not agree with you at all and do not want to discuss the topic further. They can preface the most important thing they have to say with a vague “Oh, by the way …” and only give you a hint to make a crucial, deal-breaking change in a contract with the words “that would be helpful”.
Agree a meeting well in advance, detail who will take part, when and where it will take place and what will be discussed. Arrive on time and inform your British colleagues if you are going to be late. Send your most knowledgeable people to the meeting – the British will ask questions. Every business meeting must start with small talk about weather, the traffic or some other neutral topic – avoid politics, religion, money or private matters. Your presentations should be clear and factual – avoid anything that could come across as boasting or exaggeration. Even if you are selling, your self- promotion should be shrouded in modesty.
Avoid aggressive negotiation tactics and confrontations at all cost. If your British counterpart starts a sentence by saying “with all due respect” you have crossed the line and will have to mend bridges to continue the discussion. On the other hand, if you hear the words “Are we still on your Christmas card list?” your British colleagues think they may have pressed you too hard. Fair play and win-win scenarios are important for the British. After the meeting, capture key points and action items, and email them to your British colleagues and get their approval for them. Note that British do not like to talk about money, so financial details are often finalised via email. Once you have shook hands on something, the contract has been made and you are expected to stick to it. A deal is a deal.
In general, Slovaks do not have any problem with been organized and scheduled for a meeting. They welcome an agenda and sharing information. What makes them a bit lost is the understatement they do not fully understand. They do not pay attention to the issues mentioned “by the way” at the end of a meeting. Indeed, they are shocked to discover later that “by the way” was the key point. The phrases “with all due respect” or “let’s consider some other solutions” are perceived directly. As one of the training participants said: “We need the explanation of the codes the British use in their messages.”
Cross-cultural communication hides a lot of challenges for leaders, managers and team members to adapt a communication style and be aware of cross-cultural differences. Successful global leaders and multicultural teams understand the importance of a cross-cultural training and consulting. What about you?
Eva Gaboriková
Eva Gaborikova has been an intercultural consultant and certified ICF leadership coach supporting leaders and multicultural teams all over the world. She has been supporting international companies in Central Europe and their HR managers to build talent development trainings. You can reach her at: egaborikova@gmail.com or www.evagaborikova.eu.
Rita Rosenback is an Intercultural youth trainer and consultant, speaker and author, who lives in the UK. After moving from her native Finland 20 years ago Rita worked as a manager in IT and retail, until setting up her own business in 2012, within which she also works as a Family Language Coach. You can learn more about her activities on www.multilingualparenting.com.