The Connected Brand with Maria Elena Duron
From Stereotypes To Strategies
Bridging the Cultural and Generational Communication Gap
Wong Brothers Laundry Service – Two Wongs Can Make it White” This statement was actually printed on an Abercrombie & Fitch shirt which triggered a national boycott in 2002. “We personally thought Asians would love this T-shirt,” said Hampton Carney, A&F’s spokesman. However, students from
These two scenarios are examples of our challenges in terms of cross-cultural and cross-generational communication. In the first scenario, the American clothing brand thought that Asian or Asian-American consumers would love the product, yet it was a flop that resulted in a serious issue. The second example, on the other hand, a college student might react in a manner that cannot be easily understood by a listener who belongs to a different generation. What is WTH, anyway? WTH is actually an acronym for what the heck. So if you’re not the type of person who doesn’t really chat or stay in online forums, then this and other acronyms and emoticons might not make sense to you. In the past, we only had to deal with communication gaps across cultures. Now we have to deal with cross-generation communication gaps as well. So how do we exactly manage this and start seeing beyond stereotypes and turning them into effective communication strategies?
Strategies for Cross-Cultural Communication
Here are some useful tips on how to effectively communicate with people from diverse cultural backgrounds:
- Avoid asking, “Do you understand?” Instead, check for understanding by encouraging them to ask questions or raise clarifications. You may also ask them what they think about the issue.
- Raise your cultural awareness. First, you have to identify the cultural groups you are dealing with. Then ask questions about how they do things in their own country. For instance, in the
- Learn how to cope with culture shock. Of course, culture shock is just a normal response when a person is immersed in an unfamiliar culture. But this is definitely something that we can control by taking a few positive steps. One of which is acknowledging the fact that it’s quite normal to experience culture shock. People have different symptoms of culture shock – some have difficulty in sleeping or eating while others become irritable. We just need to recognize these symptoms and accept that it’s normal.
- Try to learn a few phrases in the native dialect. Have you noticed how politicians and celebrities try to thank their supporters or fans in the native dialect of the place where they tour? You can also do the same. Learn a few phrases and try to use them when conversing with locals because it’s a good way of showing that you’re trying to reach out to them.
- Mimic the reactions of the natives. Another technique that one must try when dealing with people from other cultural backgrounds is by mimicking how the natives react to a certain situation. Observe them and see how they respond. For example, how do they say sorry? Do they bow excessively? Then the next step is to try the new behavior and evaluate if it works.
- Avoid ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s culture is superior to all others. Never assume! Just because an action does not look, sound, or feel right, it doesn’t mean it’s abnormal. For example, if you go to an establishment in the
- Take time into consideration. This usually applies to those who work with virtual teams located halfway around the globe or with people from different time zones. Time can also be a reason for miscommunication. Say for example, a boss based in New York sends out a meeting invite at 8AM (a conference call) with a staff member based in Taiwan. There’s a huge chance that the staff in Taiwan will report 8AM local time on that day only to find out that the meeting is scheduled at 8AM Eastern (which is 8PM, Taiwan). In this case, we should be more sensitive of the time and really clarify the time zone you are following to avoid miscommunication that could also result to unnecessary overtimes.
Strategies for Cross-Generational Communication
Meanwhile, let me provide you some tips on how you could flex and match your communication style when talking to Traditionalists, Boomers, Xers, and Millenials.
- Know their communication style. Each generation has its own unique communication style. Traditionalists prefer formal and face-to-face interactions. Baby Boomers tend to be open and direct and they expect to be pressed for details. Gen Xers, on the other hand, enjoy using emails as a primary communication tool. And finally, the Millenials love to send text and instant messages and they are not hesitant to network with other people no matter where they are as long as they’re online.
- Refrain from using generational jargon. If you are a Millenial and are talking to a Traditionalist boss, avoid using acronyms such as BRB (be right back) and LOL (laughing out loud) because one, they might not understand it and two, they might think that you’re being impolite or disrespectful. The same goes with the other generations, Boomers should not expect Millenials to find disco as “groovy.”
- Learn how to provide feedback. Each generation has its own way of perceiving feedback. For Traditionalists, no news is good news and feedback should be given formally. They don’t necessarily want to be applauded instead they prefer a subtle form of acknowledgment. Boomers don’t want much feedback, once a year is enough but make sure that you document it. They prefer giving feedback than receiving them. For Xers, they want to get feedback to know how they are doing and to check if they are on the right track. The Millenials are used to being praised by their Boomer parents and they think that silence is a sign of disapproval. They like receiving feedback and they want it with just a push of a button.
Overall, there’s no secret formula or magic pill that will automatically zap communication gaps. On top of the tips mentioned above, we also need to improve our active listening skills, be sensitive and pay attention to non-verbal communications like gestures and facial expressions, do not interrupt the person talking, show genuine interest, ask questions or paraphrase if you do not understand something, and most importantly let’s learn to respect and embrace these differences.
Author:
Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz agent and inspiring identity coach for buzz2bucks.com a personal branding firm. She is listed as one of the top 50 Personal Branding Consultants Worth Working With and one of the top 100 Twitter experts as well as author of thebuzz101.com
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