Cross -Cultural Communication

Linguistic Diversity....What You Say Is Not Always Same As What Others Interpret it as!!!
We all will be working with diverse group of people in future.In fact some already went through this experience.Here is how you should communicate in a diverse workplace.

People with varied cultures when come together in an organization, linguistic diversity come into existence. You may work with people whose first language is not English as in my case. You find it difficult to understand their accent, word pronunciation, communication styles and phraseology. It is a serious concern for businesses. This leads to misunderstandings, misinterpretations and misleading among employees. This causes confusions and lack of team work that in return yields low morale. This is the reason why sometimes capable individuals are denied jobs.

Not only this, It sometimes becomes a matter of inequality and discrimination and often leads to conflicts and oppositions that may reduce the efficiency of working within organization. It can also affect the reputation of the organization.

.Here is a link to video of employer's perspective of a non-native employee's accent.

http://youtu.be/D0uNuqsjfHU
It is essential for cross-cultural communication  to be effective for the companies to compete and expand globally.Communication is the reflection and expression of the intentions and behavior through words.You must always be concerned to not to show a disrespectful behaviour towards your colleagues.

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Think what are the consequences if this issue is not solved?Say,  if a non-native speaker is criticized for his speech or accent. The person may leave the company and tell others outside about his/her experience.Probably, Business is going to be at its worst soon. It can become a drain on company’s resources and time. So, what are some of the ways that could help in smooth flow of information among employees. Here are some of the tips for improving Communication among Diverse Workplace Audiences.
 

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Not only is the ethnic origin responsible for communication barriers, in fact the communication styles have changed with the changes in generations.

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The thinking and attitude of doing work has changed among youngsters. They  believe in thinking and acting smartly and this difference of perspective often leads to conflicts in the workplace composed of different  generations.

This brings us to the need of improving the communications among employees.Some relevant suggestions that can help you to communicate effectively are

Seek Training:Look on Diversity as an opportunity not as threat.Diversity Training Programs can help the employees to acquire the skills such as intercultural communication,team building and conflict resolution.

Understanding The Value Of Differences:Diversity makes the workplace more creative and innovative.Everyone should have a deep understanding of diversity and should see it  as a blessing.

Don't expect conformity:It is the differences of people that enrich us,expand us and provide us the competitive edge.So learn to value the difference and gone are the days when businesses could say this is our culture conform or leave.

Learn about your Cultural Self: Always be ready to keep what works with you and yet be ready to change with the environmental changes.Just be aware that your culture is one among many and it seeks to help you succeed and survive in changes.

Make Fewer Assumptions:Don't assume that everyone is like you or wants to be like you.All come with their own ways.

Build On Similarities:Accept the fact that there can be common ground in shared experiences,mutual goals and similar values.Find it and think that there is place for different views to co-exist peacefully.

All these ways can help you grow your career as well as the organization.

References:
 http://www.ehow.com/list_6730098_barriers-diversity-workplace.html
 Business Communication, Process & Product, Fourth Brief Canadian Edition By Nelson