Miscommunication due to Cultural Differences

1 Miscommunication due to Cultural Differences The type of nonverbal and verbal communication used and how it is perceived varies in different cultures and countries. In international business, it is essential to understand how to communicate effectively with people from across the globe. This paper describes an incident where, due to cultural differences, a miscommunication occurred between myself and someone from a different country.

During a business transaction with an Asian-owned and run company, the company I worked for wanted to outsource some of its operations to the Asian firm, but we could not agree on the contract terms. However, instead of directly saying ‘No,’ they would say, ‘That could be difficult’. Our team, on the other hand, would be more direct in stating our opinions and openly disagreeing with them. Agreeing on the contract terms took longer than it was supposed to because of the miscommunication; they seemed to find us too open and confrontational, which would often offend them. To us, they were too reserved, and we could not understand their indirect way of talking.

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The misunderstandings in communication also stemmed from the fact that we spoke faster and went straight to the point of the meeting. Sometimes, we would interrupt each other to talk, and they found this to be an extremely ill-mannered way of communicating. They preferred to begin meetings by exchanging pleasantries and having a cup of tea to make everyone warm up to each other. They rarely raised their voice even when in disagreement, and would also not directly oppose something that went against their wishes. It was a challenging process because our culture values openness and expressiveness during communication, while their culture values subtleness and relationship-building.

Through this experience, I learned that culture plays a significant role in business (Wilce, 2017). To succeed in international business, it is essential to educate yourself about the culture of different countries and adjust your verbal and non-verbal communication as a sign of respect for the foreign culture.

3 Reference Wilce, J. (2017). Culture and communication. Cambridge University Press.