6.4.2. How to deal with Culture Shock: define and improve your strategies to deal with cultural situations

Empathy and value-free observation

Two important strategies to deal with cultural situations are empathy and value-free observation. Use the arrows on the left and right side of the slideshow below to navigate through this presentation. 

Develop your own strategies

In this exercise we have outlined 12 strategies for communicating effectively across cultures:

1. Clarify frequently
2. Use active listening
3. Summarise frequently
4. Aim for dialogue, not debate
5. Be structured and clear
6. Be open and friendly
7. Invite feedback, do not just expect it
8. Use questions effectively and often
9. Keep positive
10. Adjust the difficulty of your language to suit your counterpart
11. Make sure that your verbal and non-verbal communication agrees
12. Know yourself to know others

Read each of these following strategies and techniques for communicating effectively across cultures. In this exercise, write down some specific behaviour that describes how you can put each strategy or technique into practice. This exercise is to help you strategise and plan your cultural journey. It will help you with taking actions and practice adapting your behaviour towards other cultures. You will then be able to adapt accordingly to what is appropriate in other cultures.

This exercise is meant to make you reflect; there are no right or wrong answers and there is no minimum score required to pass.

Click on 'Take the Survey' to start this exercise.

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