CROSS-CULTURAL TIPS
Result of on-line brainstorm in 2000 of quick short
advice points for handling intercultural differences or issues; 350
participants all interculturalists using internet as means of sharing ideas and
solutions, run by Thiagi. For full list
see http://www.thiagi.com/email-intercultural101-tips.html
1. MINDFULNESS: Be mindful of your own reactions to what is occurring in the interaction and how it is based in your own culture. Use your physical reactions as a point of information...something is going on, why am I responding in this manner? Be mindful of other's behaviour, attending to the interactions that are occurring, your contributions to them, and how they can be enabled.
2. COMFORT
WITH SILENCE: Do not feel obliged to fill the
silence. Relax into it, observe, and allow a quiet space to occur.
3. AVOID
DEBATES. Avoid "persuading" or "debating" --
this is far too personal and stifling for many people. One technique for
members who value debate is to have them take the position opposite their
personal beliefs.
4. OBSERVATION.
Before you enter actively into the new group yourself, observe, observe,
observe. Is there a leader? Who talks? How do they all seem to interact with
each other? etc. (You can develop an entire checklist.)
5. KNOW
THYSELF - In order to understand differences and be sensitive to
other people's thoughts and feelings, we must be aware of our own thoughts,
feelings, and biases. It is far easier to understand each other as individuals
if we understand ourselves first.
6. ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT VALUES ARE A SYSTEM FOR DECISION-MAKING. It is
impossible to compare cultures by saying this culture values "this"
while another culture values "that." Humans and the societies we live
in are much more complex than such simple comparisons allow.
7. ESTIMATE
YOUR TIMELINE, THEN DOUBLE IT. (IF YOU ARE WORKING
FROM DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, THEN DOUBLE IT AGAIN.) Working across language and
culture barriers takes extra time and energy. Plan for it, and you will avoid
the added stress of falling behind schedule.
8. TOLERANCE
FOR AMBIGUITY: The ability to be in a situation that
is unclear and not become overly anxious but to patiently determine what is
appropriate as that becomes apparent. Stay calm and be patient. Low Tolerance:
people seek information to support their own beliefs. High Tolerance: people
seek "objective" information from others to gain an understanding of
the situation and to accurately predict the behavior of others.
9.
CROSS-CULTURAL
EMPATHY: Being able
to participate in another person's experience in your imagination; thinking it
intellectually and feeling it emotionally. Not a matter of walking in another's
shoes, actually, but of seeing and feeling the situation from their perspective
10. BE PATIENT, WITH YOURSELF ANF WITH OTHERS
11. LAY THE GROUND RULES
12. DON’T GET ANGRY – ASK QUESTIONS
13. SHOW RESPECT
14. LET EVERYONE KNOW THE RULES
15. WRITE IT DOWN
16. AVOID USING IDIOMS
17. SELF-REFLECTION
18. CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING
19. TIRANGULATE
20. FOCUS ON SOLUTIONS