effective communication in multicultural teams

Effective Communication in Multicultural Teams

Rakuten Tech Conference 2016

Hello!I’m Rochelle Kopp

You can find me at @JapanIntercult in English, @JICRochelle in Japanese, and @SVSpeak for Silicon Valley topicsEmail: [email protected]

Let’s use Global English!

Tell me to slow down, or ask ques-tions if needed.

The Next Adventure of Human-kind

Will it be like Star Trek?

Group discussion and debrief

▪What’s most difficult for you about communicating in multicultural teams?

What is culture?

Assess Your Communication Style

▪For each of the statements below, choose how well it describes yourself, using one of the following:1 Strongly agree

2 Somewhat agree

3 Neutral

4 Somewhat disagree

5 Strongly disagree

Questions

▪I feel that problems are best solved by getting them out in the open.

▪I feel that differences in opinion should be surfaced rather than hidden or glossed over.

▪I enjoy debate and discussion.▪I say clearly what I am thinking without

hesitation, even if I know it’s different from what others are thinking.

▪I believe that conflict can be healthy and constructive.

1 Strongly agree

2 Somewhat agree

3 Neutral

4 Somewhat disagree

5 Strongly disagree

Scoring

▪Please add up your answers for questions 1-5, and divide by five. This is your score for “Communication and conflict resolution."

The farther someone is to the left, the more they:

▪Feel that problems are best solved by getting them out in the open.

▪Do not feel that confrontation damages relationships.

▪Feel that differences in opinion should be surfaced.

▪Enjoy debate and discussion.

▪Say clearly what they are thinking.

▪Do not hesitate to give their own opinion.

Out in the open, confrontation OK, direct Avoids confrontation, indirect

The farther someone is to the right, the more they:

▪Feel that harmony is important.

▪Fear that confrontation will damage relationships.

▪Are uncomfortable being open about differences in opinion.

▪Are careful when communicating information that the other person may not want to hear.

▪Sugar-coat, use roundabout and softer ways of saying things.

▪May be reluctant to share their opinion.


Communication and conflict

resolution style

DK D NL F R H SW A US I S B UK IN HK K J LA P ME E C AF SE

V M T


If the person you are working with is to the right of you:

▪Avoid disagreeing with someone or criticizing them in front of other people.

▪Be careful in your tone and choice or words when you disagree with someone.

▪Be sensitive to subtleties of what the other person says -- and doesn't say -- to you.

▪Find methods other than public debate for addressing issues -- put more emphasis on one-on-one conversations.


If the person you are working with is to the left of you:

▪Realize that their disagreement with you or criticism of your idea does not mean that they dislike you personally.

▪Don't think that you are being treated rudely when you are spoken to directly or without the niceties/softeners typical in your culture.

▪Put your opinion into words and don't hesitate to express it.

▪ If someone's behavior is bothering you, let them know about it (give negative feedback).

▪Explain your actions.


Specific helpful tech-niques

Disagreeing effectively

▪AVOID: I do not like your idea. / You are wrong. / Your view is not good. / That’s stupid.

▫I have a different viewpoint on this.

▫I see this another way.

▫I have been thinking about this problem from another angle.

▫I respect your opinion, but I think that ~

▪I see your point, but I believe that ~

Expressing concerns

▪AVOID: (Not saying anything)

▪I’m not completely convinced.

▪I have some concerns about this.

▪I think we need to think about this more.

▪Let’s discuss further before deciding.

▪I would like to gather more data about this.

▪I’m not ready to decide yet.

▪There are parts of this that I’m not comfortable with.

Getting a word in edgewise

▪AVOID: (Not saying anything)

▪Excuse me.

▪May I say something?

▪I’d like to comment.

▪I have something to say.

▪May I have a turn?

▪I’d like to talk.

▪May I have the floor?

Over-coming the language barrier

Use of identificaton statements

▪Stating form of the expression at the beginning of speaking.

▪Just do it yourself, or can be agreed to by participants prior to meeting.

▪Can also be adopted as an in-house protocol.

▪Examples▸ I have a question.▸This is my opinion.▸This is a suggestion. / I have an idea.▸This is some factual information.

Two verb exercise

What can native speakers do? (and what should non-native speakers ask for?)

▪Distribute materials ahead of time

▪Prepare an agenda

▪Avoid slang and unusual vocabulary (or explain it)

▪Enunciate clearly

▪Slow down

▪Don’t try to talk louder

▪Draw diagrams / use whiteboard

▪Write confirming memos

Thanks!!Any questions?You can find me at @JapanIntercult in English, @JICRochelle in Japanese, and @SVSpeak for Silicon Valley topicsEmail: [email protected]

effective communication in multicultural teams

Self Improvement