Global Communication • Mia Doucet

The best definition of communication I have ever come across is this:

what the other person understood. If the other person did not get your meaning,

then you have miscommunicated. Period.

Sometimes, in Crack The Culture Code sessions, I get asked, “Why should we

take all the responsibility for communication? Doesn’t it go both ways?” I

respond, “Because when we fail to do so we cause confusion, indecision, and

costly production delays. We compromise trust and hurt the relationship. We

have so much to lose. And we’re really only ever in control of ourselves.”

Brent Moorcroft is General Manager of the Power Train Management

Business Unit for Johnson Electric’s Hong Kong operations. He says, “I have customers

calling me with very minor issues that my staff in North America used to

deal with at their level, so that I would never hear about them: technical

issues, quality issues, delivery issues, pricing issues. All because of poor

communication.”

It helps to understand that most of your Asian colleagues are not fluent in

spoken English. Although they may have spent close to 1,000 hours in the

classroom learning English, the emphasis was on grammar, the written word, and

passing the college entrance exams. They’ve had few opportunities to practice

speaking the living language. Until recently, even their teachers were not fluent

English speakers. So don’t be fooled by their understanding of words on paper.

is minimal.

For the highly motivated and otherwise accomplished Asian, this is a source

of embarrassment. It offends their pride. The potential for failure causes them to

avoid speaking English and looking foolish.

My Korean friend, JinSeung Lee, advises Westerners to be ever vigilant to

ensure that real understanding is achieved. He explains:

Then again, the expressionless face is a sign of sophistication. How are you

to know the difference? Watch for the subtle clues of puzzlement: the questioning

look in the eye, the slight inclination of the head. Above all, be sympathetic

to the additional distress that the language barrier creates and take steps to

alleviate it.

• Use an interpreter from the start, even when it appears that your Asian

counterparts speak and understand English. To avoid offending their

pride, point the responsibility back to you. Say, “Please allow me to have an

interpreter here to assist me in making sure that I understand your needs.”

• Avoid all slang, idioms, puns, sports language, and expressions that cannot

be translated, such as “at the end of the day,” “bite the bullet,” and “doing

an end run.”

• Let your customer take time to think before answering. Do not interrupt

the thought process. Allow long pauses. Do not feel that you have to jump

in and fill the void. In turn, consider a matter for a while before giving your

answer. Remember that speaking without thinking first is suspect.

It is important to choose your words carefully and not think out loud

with Asians.

• Find ways to save face. Plan to promote understanding in advance of

the meeting. For example, provide written copies of your

presentations, including charts, graphs, and other visuals to support

your communication.

• Meet face-to-face whenever possible. In the West, communication by

telephone and email is standard, but face-to-face communication and

physical contact are preferred in the East. Note also that leaving a message

with someone other than the person you are calling is not recommended,

as colleagues may not wish to take responsibility for transmitting the

message.

It is human nature to direct our conversation to the person who has the best

English-language skills. This is an error because the person who speaks the best

English may not necessarily be the most important or highest ranking person in

the room. You could undercut the person’s authority and cause loss of face.

Some people have the tendency to raise their voice, speak extra slowly, repeat

themselves, use broken English, or talk more than they need to when communicating

with someone who has not mastered the English language. This will be

seen as condescension and is to be avoided.

When speaking through an interpreter, it is important to speak to the individual

you are communicating with and not the interpreter. It is also important to think

through exactly what you want to say. Find ways of saying it simply and clearly

in three or four different ways, from different points of view. Spell things out.

Pause after one or two sentences to allow the interpreter to absorb and process

your words.

Language shapes our thinking. It shapes our perceptions. It affects how we

process information. Through language we filter all of life’s experiences and

develop different worldviews. So it may not be possible for Westerners to ever

learn exactly how Asians think. But we can get insights into how they organize

their thinking and process information through looking at the structure of

the language.

For example, Asian sentence structure and word order differ from English.

“I go to work” translates to “I work go.” “They didn’t meet with us” translates to

“They not with us meet.” Because they have to unscramble the word sequence to

make sense of things, it’s important to use simple sentences and speak at a slower

pace. Another way to communicate better and avoid confusion is to use flag

words to signal your meaning. Before asking a question, say: “I have a question.”

Most Chinese languages have no verb tenses. This creates potential for

misunderstanding about time frames. Therefore, do not simply rely on the use of

verb tenses. Start and end your responses to questions with words that identify a

specific point of time: “now,” “later today,” “tomorrow,” “one week from now.”

It helps to understand from the outset that Asian languages are much more

formal, polite, and indirect than the English language.Watch your tone and avoid

casual terms, such as “you guys.” This level of familiarity is considered

disrespectful. And do not interrupt.We have a high tolerance in the West for this

inconsiderate habit. But in Asia it is strictly bad manners.

than listening for the words is listening for hesitation, which provides clues as

to meaning. If you can capture the subtleties, it will pay you back later.

clearly, quietly, consistently, and insistently.

do that by matching and mirroring your Asian colleague’s manner.

clearly, pausing often to allow your words to be processed and understood.

Pause before responding.

have a question.” This will avoid confusion and misunderstanding.

talking and there are no questions, it means you have not been understood.

This gets complicated because of the need to save face. Even if you are quite

sure that your Asian counterpart has not understood you, you may have to

pretend she or he has, in order to maintain the relationship.

Improve the communication,

improve the relationship

—Jin Seung Lee, Applications Engineer, Motor Division, Siemens VDO

Automotive Inc.

If you see that you were not understood, say, “I am sorry that I was not

clear. Let me say it a better way.”

When you are making a presentation for simultaneous translation, cut

30-35% of your material when you have to stick to a timed agenda. For

the speak/stop/repeat method, cut 50-60% of your material.