Navigating Intercultural Dynamics with British Council Japan

In today’s globalised world, the ability to communicate effectively across cultures is essential for both personal and professional growth. Doing so successfully, however, requires gaining a deeper understanding not only of others but of oneself.

With this in mind, the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan held a workshop designed to provide opportunities for members and guests to explore cultural differences and develop practical strategies for engaging with others. Led by the British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, the interactive session aimed to help participants strengthen their relationships with colleagues, clients and partners from diverse backgrounds.

British Council Japan Teacher David Cruse, who has more than 20 years of experience teaching in the UK and Japan, began the interactive session by asking participants to explore the personal, cultural and global influences that shape their cultural identity. These include influences from our personality that make us unique, influences and learned behaviours from our social groups and influences from outside sources such as the media we consume, languages we speak or places we have visited.

As intercultural competence can be learned, Cruse asked participants to assess the current state of their intercultural skills based on the five core competencies: cultural awareness, stress management, empathy, non-verbal and verbal communication and relationship-building.

 

1. Cultural awareness

Building cultural knowledge can help you be more aware of the influences on your own identity and that of the other person. Knowledge includes the attributes that might be applicable to most cultures and frameworks that help in understanding other cultures, as well as culture-specific understanding about the perspectives and behaviours of the cultural group with whom you are interacting.

 

2. Stress management

Recognising and managing stress in uncomfortable or new cultural situations is important, and staying calm communicates approachability, openness and ease in interacting.

 

3. Empathy

Empathy can be improved by viewing each interaction, including its context, from the perspective of the culturally different counterpart in a descriptive, non-judgemental way.

 

4. Non-verbal and verbal communication

The British Council recommends honing the ability “to demonstrate mindful listening, to express ideas, to ask and answer questions that are appropriate for the interaction, to adapt communication to the other person’s communication or work preference and to use turn-taking skills appropriate to the culturally different counterpart.”

 

5. Relationship-building skills

Using rapport and trust-building behaviours that are appropriate to the other cultural group helps demonstrate value and respect.

In addition, curiosity, openness to new ideas, motivation to learn and comfort with uncertainty are helpful in building intercultural competence, according to the British Council.

 

 

Communication preferences

Cruse discussed how people may prefer a direct or indirect style of communication based on the communication patterns used in their cultural groups. However, communication style is understood to exist on a continuum, with most people falling somewhere along the scale, rather than at one extreme.

Direct communicators tend to convey meaning through words, not hints, body language, tone or the other party’s knowledge of the context. Non-verbal behaviour is used only to support or emphasise the message communicated verbally. These people also tend to prefer to get to the point quickly, with fewer pauses, and ‘thinking aloud’ is common. As efficiency of communication is highly valued, saying “no” or “I don’t know” is not viewed negatively. Clear communication is seen as a way of building trust through honesty, while hiding or avoiding information may be considered dishonest and detrimental to the relationship.

On the other hand, indirect communicators are not dependent on words to convey meaning and non-verbal communication is utilised heavily; the message is delivered through eye contact, tone, posture, gestures and facial expressions, too. These people may communicate in a ‘circular’ way by talking more about the context and background information than their key message. Silences or pauses may be more frequent or longer as both sides consider what was said, with silence often used to convey respect. Group harmony and relationships are prioritised over clarity, with ambiguous or diplomatic speech used to avoid confrontation or offence.

 

 

Adapting your communication style 

To prevent misunderstandings and build trust with direct communicators, the British Council suggests “adapting your language to focus on their needs: clear, efficient and transparent communication.” Ensure facts and reasoning are clear and do not require ‘reading between the lines.’ Recognise that being direct will be appreciated, while questions from the direct communicator are not intended to be aggressive or disrespectful, rather they are to aid understanding. If more time is needed to find an answer, say so, but be clear about when you will respond.

For indirect communicators, the key concept is to maintain group harmony, the relationship and ‘face.’ Observe the speaker’s non-verbal behaviour and analyse your understanding of the situation. Provide information on the context before communicating your key message, soften negative opinions and explain alternatives as well as your reasoning before saying ‘no.’ Don’t react negatively to vague responses or requests for more time; the indirect communicator may need to avoid loss of face or check with the rest of the group before getting back to you.

Ultimately, though, people may value similar things at work even if they have different communication preferences. A key takeaway, therefore, is to focus on understanding the intention behind what someone is saying and respond to that, according to the British Council.