The most important aspect of any business relationship is communication. Today our world seems to become a truly global market, with more and more international companies and organizations dealing with other companies around the world. The aim of the article is to study the nature of intercultural communication and intercultural skills that can be useful in any type of international business relationship. Therefore, it is very important to communicate in the correct way with the representatives of different cultures and nations, since the simplest mistakes can cause big problems in understanding. There are many scientists and economists who have worked in the field of business communication.
Among foreign academics we can name Fred Luthans, Larry A. Samovar, Margaret H., De Fleur and many others. Native scientists who devoted their works to the topic of business communication are N. Formanovskaya, V. Goncharov, N. Moskovcev, V. Derkachenko, etc. Analyzing business as the sphere of social relations, psychologists believe that success here depends 85% on a person’s ability to communicate. While we communicate, we use along with some logical tools things that we often don’t understand or pay attention to. Among such subconscious phenomena we can point out the first type of communication that is non-verbal. It can be defined as “non-verbal human responses and the perceived characteristics of the environment through which verbal and non-verbal human messages are transmitted”.
Nonverbal communication differs from verbal communication in some fundamental aspects. For one thing, it is less structured, which makes it more difficult to study. Some types of nonverbal communication, such as the meaning of colors and certain gestures, can vary from culture to culture. Thus, it becomes obvious that learning, understanding and following the traditions of different cultures makes it much easier to find the right direction in communication with its representatives. While words can only carry the message, non-verbal communication expressed by intonation, gestures and even facial movements can let the opponent know the person’s attitude. It also helps establish credibility and leadership potential in business. For successful communication, close attention should be paid to all forms. Further we come to the approach that there are no forms of communication to be omitted. We find ourselves with the idea that all forms must be used to obtain better and more complete results of communication and transfer of thoughts and information.
Culture surrounds us all the time. A person may not realize it, but he constantly belongs to various cultures. Trying to explain what exactly culture is, we can define it as a system of shared symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms of behavior. Therefore, all members of any culture have, and tend to act on, similar assumptions about how people should think, behave, and communicate. Cultures can vary widely. No wonder most of us need special training before we can feel comfortable with a culture that differs from our own. And it is clear that any business person dealing with a foreign partner for successful communication must first of all pay attention to the cultural sphere to which the partner belongs to. By accepting the norms of the partner’s culture it is always easier to build and correct the negotiation process in such a way that the partner feels somewhat comfortable.
When the need to deal with foreign partners arises, a manager has to learn about another culture, and there are two main approaches to choose from. The first is to learn as much as possible: the language, cultural background and history, social rules, etc., about the specific culture you are expected to deal with. The other is to develop general skills that will help you adapt in any culture. To Become a Successful Multicultural Communicator Margaret H. De
Fleur proposes a set of guidelines to achieve maximum results:
1. Recognize that each individual has emotions, needs, and feelings that are just as sensitive as yours.
2. Try to understand the cultural norms of the partner you are communicating with.
3. Respect the customs and traditions of others.
4. Listen actively in a cocultural communication meeting.
5. Learn to deal with uncertainty.
6. Avoid stereotyping people who are different from you.
7. Be aware of your own ethnocentrism.
The more differences there are between people communicating, the more difficult it is to communicate effectively. Among the main problems of intercultural business communication, scientists point to language barriers, cultural differences and ethnocentric attitude. More significant problems arise in forms of written communication that require translation.
As noted above, misunderstandings are especially likely to occur when communicating partners have different cultural backgrounds. For example, one side of the negotiations creates a message in a context, using assumptions common to people in their culture. The other side of the negotiations decodes the message using an entirely different set of assumptions. The result is confusion. Such problems arise due to our unconscious assumptions and non-verbal communication patterns. The fact that people from different cultures differ from each other in many ways is often ignored.
According to the recommendations of academicians such as I. Kuznetsov, V. Goncharov, V. Suharev and others, it is possible to point out certain rules to follow during communication: try to eliminate “noise”; seek feedback; rephrase your sentence when necessary; use objective and precise language; let other people finish what they have to say. Culture and communication are inseparable. Culture influences the way people behave, the language they use, and the gestures they employ. In turn, all this has an impact on the traditions of dealing with business partners. That is why in recent years the interest of communication theorists, academics, scientists and researchers has focused on intercultural communication. Regardless, when engaging in any form of communication, a speaker must be aware of the possibilities of misunderstanding. That is why it is so important for a business person to develop skills with the help of which it is possible to control and correct the communication situation with cross-cultural partners. Today, intercultural communication difficulties have become a source of misunderstanding in business relationships in our multicultural world society.
The globalization process makes modern entrepreneurs pay more attention to developing skills to run a business with foreign partners. That is why the ideas about organizational behavior and communication norms laid out in the article have become one of the most essential approaches to the successful operation of business in the modern world community.
