Cross-culture communication breakdown

In her book, the Culture Map, #Erin Meyer, talks about Low-Context vs. High Context cultures and the breakdown of communication between cultures, as people around the globe interrupt differently what and how is verbally communicated. Let’s take a minute and understand at a high level what it means to come from a Low-Context or High-Context culture:

In Low-Context cultures, good communication is precise, simple, and clear. Messages are expressed and understood at face value. Repetition is appreciated if it helps clarify the communication.

In High-Context cultures, good communication is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. Messages are both spoken and read between the lines. Messages are often implied but not plainly expressed.

To make things more complex Erin Meyer describes how countries/cultures from similar communication backgrounds, have their own nuances and way of “reading the air”, that potentially can cause additional communication misunderstandings, so even if two people from China and Japan negotiate (both High-Context), they potentially will be hearing and interrupting what is said differently.

So, what can we do as negotiators to mitigate cross-culture miscommunications, first and most important is to recognize the existence of a “culture communication gap” between you and the other party, second is to recognize your communication context level and the other party’s, research how you differ in your communication styles, and framework in advance, how to bridge the gap, through a pre-agreed upon communication protocol.