How to communicate with a global workforce

The opinions expressed by entrepreneurs contributors are their own.

I recently rolled out updates to our benefits for leaders in different countries. I started by explaining why the change was happening and provided some context before going into the changes, thinking people might appreciate the rationale behind the changes. Trying to explain the "why" after the announcement can seem like a bunch of excuses, and I figured people would stop listening by then because they'd be stuck on the "what". /p>

My assumptions were assumed to be wrong. At the end of my pitch, some of our executives were agitated. They were suspicious of my long explanation leading to the change because they were convinced that I was hiding something. In their mind, they stopped listening during the "why" because they thought the "what" would happen when the other shoe dropped.

As companies grow increasingly global and teams become more diverse, things can get incredibly lost in translation. Everyone knows what happens when we assume it can get people in trouble. People communicate differently across cultures, nationalities, personality types, and even various organizations. International teammates can be more productive by encouraging mindfulness around these differences.

Related: Going Global? 3 strategies to ensure nothing is "lost in translation"

There is no universal communication style

Let's stop assuming that the way we communicate is a baseline. Even families share differently. The further apart the regions, countries or organizations are, the greater the risk that these differences will cause misunderstandings and damage working relationships. Working in a flat organization, I got used to having the ability to decide, knowing that my team has my back. In hierarchical companies, the frustration of waiting for a partner to check in with someone else before every decision can strain a working relationship.

Company employees working in different parts of the world will have different expectations and specific industries may have unspoken rules. Our company fosters a learning environment, so when we recently acquired a company and went to help with the onboarding, we brought our team along for the experience. Our British counterparts, however, were uneasy, wondering why so many 'extra' people were in the room, seemingly with no added value. Even when the primary business language is English, many factors can come into play and present barriers to effective communication.

Related: How to Avoid Cultural Missteps When Doing Business with Other Countries

Learn what works rather than using stereotypes

To understand what works for someone's communication style, be open to learning directly from them as individuals, rather than assuming what will work based on another country's assumptions. Within each , several factors can influence the way people communicate. Think about how people enter and communicate, or even people in different parts of the same state. Although culture can inspire certain norms in the way people communicate, we should never assume that a person from a particular country automatically falls under these stereotypes.

The things we say or do can have very different meanings from culture to culture, but how a person internalizes these differences and decides to communicate these feelings can vary from person to person . Americans are more strict about meeting punctuality, while other countries see time as more fluid and won't hesitate to join an appointment 10 minutes later. Some people might be frustrated with this behavior and choose to take it as a personal affront, or we might learn to adapt and recognize that in some cultures our behavior is not considered rude and instead accept our communication differences.

Related: How Effective Leaders Communicate Across Cultures

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