Listening Across Cultures

LISTENING ACROSS CULTURES

Listening to understand rather than listening only to respond requires a high level of mindfulness and consciousness, especially when we are communicating with people of different cultures. I was facilitating a program in Singapore recently when this thought came to the forefront. I observed the consequences of a situation where a group of people became aware that even though they were being listened to they were not really being heard.  Given there were several cultures represented in the room, there was an increased need for clear and effective communication, which unfortunately wasn’t occurring as well as it should have been.

The result was that a particular team from a regional office felt disrespected, frustrated and placed little value and trust in the discussion session.

I observed this from their responses - or lack of responses, their body language and the overall disengaged atmosphere that pervaded the workshop by the end of day one.

A shifting of styles was necessary the following day to achieve the desired outcomes.It is only as we listen to understand that we can observe the cultural nuances and cues that can make for a greater level of understanding and more effective communication.

For this to occur both our emotional and cultural intelligence needs to be heightened.

Different usage of words, accents and body language all contribute to the complexity of communicating with individuals whose native language is different from the one being spoken.

Effective listening provides an ability to empathise and be more attuned to the other party’s situation and requirements.

In high context communication cultures such as India, China, Japan, communication is not just in the words, but also in the tone of voice, the non-verbal expressions and in what is not being said.

In low context communication cultures such as Australia, Israel and Germany, the emphasis of communication is instead on “saying what you mean and meaning what you say”.

How can we demonstrate that we are truly listening?

Depending on your own communication preferences you need to be aware of your coaching participant’s preferences as well.

When you are coaching across borders and cultures, you need to listen with the objective of understanding if you want to:

Build relationships

Gather valid information

Understand what is not being said openly

Influence, persuade and encourage

1

Summarize what is being said regularly, especially if your language is not the native language of your participants.  This will provide reassurance that you comprehend what is being discussed.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Winston Churchill

2

Use written summaries. Simple dot point summaries and drawings on a whiteboard are much easier to understand by those whose spoken language skills are lacking.

3

Ask questions and request clarification when appropriate. Probe deeper into an idea when you are not certain you fully understand what is being said to you.

4

Remember to nod - it demonstrates that you are listening and understanding the speaker.

5

Restate the idea that is being discussed using a different, and ideally more simple, vocabulary if doing group coaching.

6

Don’t be afraid to allow sub-conversations to develop. Frequently these conversations are more about how to communicate an idea back to you, rather than a sign that attention is wandering.

7

If possible, keep the mood light and casual so that participants don’t feel under pressure to speak perfect English or to conform to a communication style which they maybe unable or uncomfortable to comply with.

8

Remember that unless you are multi-lingual and understand the cultural nuances being displayed, you may be the weak link, which is preventing everyone’s voice from being heard.

Dr Tom Verghese is a renowned author, speaker, executive coach and the founding principal consultant of Cultural Synergies. He has 25 years of global consulting expertise.

During his consulting career, Tom has had extensive involvement working with a diverse range of multinational, national and local organisations. He has strategized and worked as a trusted adviser with numerous senior global leaders.

Tom’s significant global experience and diverse array of clients, coupled with his qualifications and multicultural skills, position him as a leading international specialist in the areas of Diversity and Inclusion, Unconscious Bias, and high-performing teams and leaders.

Dr Verghese is the author of ‘The Invisible Elephant – Exploring Cultural Awareness’ and co-author of ‘The Pillars of Growth - The Keys to Getting Exponential Growth in Your Business Today.’

Born and raised in Malaysia, Dr Verghese is of Indian origin and moved to Australia nearly 30 years ago as a foreign student. He currently resides in Melbourne with his English-born wife and two children.