![]() ![]() When we don’t appreciate the cultural differences in how others convey and interpret information, we are more likely to misunderstand them. Why culture is important in communicationĬultural diversity if not handled well can be a source of inefficiency, confusion, frustration, anxiety and stress at work. Whether it’s a face-to-face conversation, connecting over a zoom call or interacting via slack or email, if we wish to communicate effectively, we need to understand how culture affects communication. This is just one of the many conflicts we can encounter as we cross global boundaries for work and step out of our own cultural cocoon to interact with people all over the world. Coming from a high context culture in India, I expected Bob to pick up my subtle hints and Bob being an American from a low context culture wanted me to direct about it. Well, this was 14 years ago and I later learnt that we were both right in our own ways. According to him, we not only missed the timelines, but also I never really expressed my concern over it.įrom my perspective, Bob was wrong for ignoring my message and from his perspective, I was clearly the one who messed up. When the project didn’t go so well and Bob turned to me for explanation, my response was “I told you that we won’t be able to meet the timelines”. Yet, I assumed that I have conveyed my point and expected Bob to read between the lines. It will be a difficult one to pull around but I will do my best.ĭuring my entire conversation, I never once mentioned my direct concern for the timelines of the project. Me: No, I guess we have covered everything.īob: I am sure your team will do a great job What do you think about the project plan?īob: We have done a detailed job of breaking down the project into smaller milestones so that we can track progress along the way. There will be a good reason to celebrate once we are able to pull it off. It sounds really tough.īob: Yes, it’s a tough project. Me: I was hoping we could discuss this new project. I am sure she’s going to love it.Īfter a little more beating around the bush, I finally got to the point. I was mostly busy planning the surprise birthday party. What did you do?īob: It’s my wife’s birthday in a week. ![]() I was at the client site in Massachusetts and Bob was handling the entire program from the customer’s side.Īt first sign of his appearance, I marched to him hoping to convey my discomfort in signing up for the project. I had made up my mind to tell him clearly that the new project timelines are very rigid and there’s no way we can pull it off. It was Monday morning and I was anxiously waiting in my cubicle for Bob to come to the office. ![]()
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