We all want to be seen as clear and effective communicators; it’s an essential part of being a professional. With the average American knowledge worker receiving about 120 emails per day, email dominates our business communications. Email is especially useful in communicating with colleagues, customers, and business partners worldwide, helping shrink the distances that global work brings. Knowing how to avoid email disasters is requisite for the true professional
But even more so than with emails sent to local colleagues, emails sent across cultures are ripe for miscommunication. When dealing with a different culture, the risk—and impact—of misunderstanding
gets amplified. Overcoming this risk requires the right mindset, cultural awareness, and being intentional in crafting emails sent across cultures.
Eight tips to help you craft effective cross-cultural emails.
- Cultivate a mindset of self-awareness and cultural awareness
- Be sensitive to gender, names, and titles
- Know how widely to CC
- Understand how logic varies across cultures
- Adopt the right level of formality
- Low-context communication always wins
- Be sensitive to directness
- Know when not to email
Read the full article here.
How you email is part of your personal brand, and in a globalized workplace, you want to be known as someone who is alert to cultural sensitivities and knows how to communicate across cultures. With a bit of thought about your emails, you will be seen as someone who knows how to avoid cross-cultural hiccups and can leverage the diversity inherent in global teams, to create value and success.
Are you looking for guidance in managing your emails? Would you like some help to avoid email disasters like those mentioned above? Contact us today, we’d love to help!