Cross cultural awareness

Like language expertise, cultural awareness is set to become an essential component in the business strategy of any company that is serious about exporting. It enables people to build rapid rapport with clients, and avoids the jaw-dropping social and business faux pas that destroy credibility — and lose deals — in a millisecond.

“To be successful, you need to understand what makes people from other cultures tick,” said Jenkins, who speaks French, German and Spanish. He has also invested £50,000 in training 500 partners and employees in language and cultural skills.

Globalisation is giving rise to a fast growing need for people with intercultural communication skills and an in-depth understanding of cultural issues. Most communities and work places are now multicultural and this requires sensitivity and knowledge of how other people may think and act in order to manage such communities and work situations.

Expertise – great skill in a particular area
Cultural awareness – being aware of differences between cultures
Strategy – a plan designed to achieve a particular aim
Rapport – a close relationship in which people understand each other and communicate well
Jaw-dropping (informal) – amazing
Faux pas – an embarrassing mistake in a social situation
Millisecond – one thousandth of a second
What makes people from other cultures tick – why people behave in certain ways
Giving rise to – make happen
Intercultural communication - communication between different cultures
Multicultural – made up of several cultural or ethnic groups