Introduction
Up until recently, becoming a global communicator was difficult due to the lack of technology. Engaging in international businesses was almost impossible; finding friends abroad was a challenge. And how do we effectively communicate globally through writing alone? Thankfully, that has now changed.
Global communication has been made easy. The introduction of new and effective technologies such as the Internet and telephones has made it cheaper and faster.
With our expanding company now engaging in business with Japan, Germany and France, each employee will need to learn how to be a global communicator. The purpose of this is to enhance the working relationships in the three countries, avoid shameful language that can destroy an interaction, and help us diversify. We shall discuss tips and strategies on how to be effective global communicators.
Learn The Other Cultures
To become an effective global communicator, one needs to conduct a research on the other culture in order to learn how to communicate with them. Due to cultural difference, each cultural language differs with the other. One needs to get out of the local communication he is used to and adopt the global communication.
This tends to be difficult if the other culture is not understood properly and lack of research can act as a hindrance to effective communication. Gray (57) suggests that one needs to visit the other culture and completely immerse himself in it to understand it better. Tan (9) tends to agree with this by arguing that each community has a different way of how they conduct their business and if one needs to learn the different culture of that community.
Break Language Barriers
The English language is commonly used when communicating but one should be wary of countries that do not use it as a primary language (Tan 96). In our case, we shall be engaging with the people from France whose primary language is French and not English.
In order to effectively communicate with our counterparts from France, one should avoid witty English jargon and maintain simplicity. It is also important to note some of the words used in communication as some countries take some words to be offensive in their culture (Muddyman 115).
Learn To Read Between The Lines
Some cultures are very sensitive and one should be very careful when communicating with them. If it is a face-to-face meeting, learn how to watch the body language of the listeners to determine whether your language is causing a discomfort or not. If it is through a telephone call, some actions like silence on the other end can indicate many reactions to the discussion at hand (Gray 48).
This helps one to know how his information or message is being received. If an odd expression is noticed, then one needs to tactically change the wordings he is using to communicate.
Learn How To Localize
Any global communicator needs to learn how to localize tactfully with the locals. According to Gray (2008), localization needs balancing between its expense and the benefits one expect to achieve. Muddyman (25) further advise that when localizing, one should not be keen on the localized words being communicated rather than the message being put across to the local employees. One should seek services of a local communicator or a firm that has expertise in effective translation.
Research On The Country’s Work Culture
Each country handles their businesses differently. According to Tan (20), one needs to do a research on how different countries do their business. In Japan for example, they like going straight to business and their impatience will automatically tell if you are veering off the subject.
In the research, one needs to know how employees in different countries react and feel towards a certain messages being communicated to them (Muddyman 46). The employees in Germany for example expect a message that is put in the company’s goals context.
Those in France on the other hand prefer messages that have consequences that will last for a longer period. A good way of understanding the work culture of the different countries will be by encouraging a feedback kind of communication in any of the messages sent to them. This helps to understand how they conduct their business in the feed-back message and to be able to gauge their feelings towards a particular thing. It also helps to build trust between the two companies (Gray 22).
Embrace The Modern Technology
Acquiring the state of art communication equipment and learning how to operate them should be among the main priorities of any global communicator. Technology advances over the years and one should be able to keep up to date with the latest trend for effective communication around the world (Tan 56). This avoids delays in any business transaction and any global communicator should always remember that ‘time lost is money lost.’
Conclusion
Anybody can learn how to become a global communicator and it only calls for individual passion to learn how to. We shall all need to learn by following the given tips in order to enhance our business relations between France, Germany and Japan.
Works Cited
Gray, Dave. Ten Tips For Global Communicators. Communication Nation. 2010. Web.
Muddyman, Gary. 3 Simple Steps For Effective Global Communication. International Association of Business Communication. 2010. Web.
Tan, Teresa. How To Communicate Globally. eHOW. 2010. Web.