7 Communication: direct or indirect

If any man were to ask me what would I suppose to be the perfect style of language, I would answer, that in which a man speaking to five hundred people, of all common and various capacities, idiots and lunatics excepted, should be understood by them all, and in the same sense which the speaker intended to be understood.

Daniel Defoe

Communication is how you do and say things – and why, when other people do and say things differently, you notice. Sometimes you mind, and sometimes you don’t. It takes a combination of good self-awareness, cross-cultural knowledge and sensitivity to be effective across cultures. If you want to get on in business across the globe, ensure you research and study the countries you will be speaking with. Understand the values of the country, what makes them tick and, above all, how they communicate. Do they speak frankly (direct) or do they hint (indirect) at what they mean?

Culture crash

One of our speaking colleagues who frequently travels on business often uses a translator for his speeches. After one such presentation, he learned that the Chinese interpreter’s version of his opening remarks went like this: ‘The highly respected media expert is beginning his speech with a thing called a joke. I am not sure why, but many Australians believe it necessary to start a speech with a joke. [Pause] He is telling a joke now, but frankly you would not understand this joke, so I will not translate it. He thinks I am telling you the joke now. The polite thing to do when he finishes is to laugh. [Pause] He is getting close. [Pause] Esteemed speaker has just told the joke. Laugh – now!’

The audience not only laughed appreciatively but stood and applauded as well. Our colleague later commented to the translator, ‘I’ve been giving speeches for years and you are the first translator who knows how to tell a good joke.’ The translator answered, ‘Your joke was rather rude plus I do not think the students would have understood it, so I just told them to laugh at the appropriate point!’

Culture tip

Humour does not translate well between cultures, especially between indirect and direct cultures. Some nations, like the northern Europeans and the Japanese, like facts and figures while others, such as the Americans, like lots of emotional appeal and often open their presentations with a joke. It would be a mistake to use the American style and approach in northern Europe, and vice versa. Always stay in safe and familiar territory, as many a deal and relationship has been spoiled due to lack of understanding and poor judgement. Your objective is always to be clearly understood in the way you intended.

When it comes to language, native English speakers use a lot of colloquial expressions that are meaningless to other nations. For example, a colleague went to Russia and used the expression, ‘out of sight, out of mind’; the Russians translated it as ‘blind idiot’. So it makes sense to avoid such expressions. ‘Knocked for six’, ‘a level playing field’ or ‘a ball-park figure’ do not translate well. Not everyone knows baseball or cricket and colloquialisms get in the way of clear communication. Keep it straightforward and simple. Do not assume that popular mnemonic such as KISS (for keep it short and sweet) will work either. In fact, do not assume anything!

Communication in Arab culture is subtle, indirect and non-verbal. Indeed, it is customary for Arabs to use terms and phrases that have double meanings, descend from the very general to the specific, start a conversation with small talk, go around and about an issue, call upon proverbs and poetic expressions and speak with their face, eyes and hands.

Jamil Hammoud

Even when you aim to get it right, you can get aspects wrong. You must look at the fundamental values of each culture and tailor what you want to say to match it. People from egalitarian ‘I’ and ‘me’ cultures prefer clarity in their conversations in order to communicate more effectively and directly. Directness is seen as honest and showing respect by treating others as equals. It is expected that this directness will be reciprocated. Conflict is seen as opportunity as long as it is dealt with openly and rationally. In business and work situations, hesitancy may be interpreted as hiding something or as insincerity.

Cultural insight

Visitors to the United States may be surprised to find that arguments seem focused on winning, with little or no effort toward maintaining harmony or recognizing or deferring to the status or sensibilities of the others involved. US Americans may appear to use phony smiles and be too animated, and the need to always express things in positive terms may be interpreted as naiveté. They also tend to speak loudly to show enthusiasm, and feel being positive and optimistic avoids needless confrontation and gets the best results in both work and life. They tend to be animated, outgoing, use facial expressions and considerable eye contact. They are uncomfortable with silences. An overriding value is to speak up and voice opinions.

Culture crash

John, an American, was on a conference call to Prakesh in India. He said, ‘This proposal is poorly prepared. Have it re-done by 15.00 hours tomorrow, Saturday.’ Prakesh was upset and complained about John’s rudeness to his team leader, and asked for a transfer to a department where he would report to a native Indian.

Culture tip

We were called into support with cultural training. We explained the difference between straight talking and indirect communication. The latter allows the possibility for saving face, shame or embarrassment for both sides. ‘Looks like this piece of work will need to be finished during the weekend,’ is a more indirect way of saying, ‘You need to work on Saturday!’ or ‘Can you work on Saturday?’ The challenge is the mismatch of words and expectations. When a direct manager listens to an indirect employee he may think the person is taking a long time to get to the point or even being deliberately awkward and obscure. The opposite is true for indirect communicators, who see straight talking as rude and aggressive.

You see, direct communicators sound authoritarian and are often perceived as insensitive. If you work for them, they do not hesitate to tell you what to do and when to do it. Meanings are explicit and on the surface. They are driven by a strong sense of ‘now’. They are often in a hurry to get the job done. They get to the bottom line quickly and don’t have much patience with those who, in their opinion, beat around the bush. They are frequently brutally honest in their interactions. They are comfortable expressing their emotions outwardly, and do so routinely. They look people in the eye and, if this is not returned, they are suspicious, lacking trust. In western cultures communication is explicit, direct and unambiguous.

Culture crash

Margot Kind was visiting Singapore to do business with a Chinese Malay garment factory. At the negotiation stage her counterparts fell silent. Margot explained, ‘The Chinese representatives just went very quiet. It was unnerving. Even with my cultural training I found it very hard to relax and be still as they completed their quiet deliberations. It seemed to take forever.’

Culture tip

Many people fail to appreciate the meaning of silence. In intercultural communication it is an important part of proceedings; silences are not necessarily an absence of communication and are often a part of it. Asians wait longer before they speak, especially to someone in authority. Indirect communicators from Asian cultures believe that it is better to talk too little than too much. Their use of silence is a good indication of their power or position. The bold response in the indirect world is a rude response. In Malaysia (and Asia), silences can be a sign of respect; in Japan, negotiators use it as a way to control the negotiation process; in Finland, it is a way of encouraging a speaker to continue.

It is virtually impossible for a direct communicator to fully understand the complexities of indirectness until they have been immersed in it. There are a lot of non-verbal messages that get missed entirely. If you are a direct communicator, you need to slow down, learn how to listen empathetically and to discover the power of storytelling to convey meaning. Direct communicators believe they are responsible for reshaping and repeating what they say until it is understood in the way they intended. Indirect communicators use parables, storytelling and little sayings to convey meaning rather than give an outright message; it’s down to the listener to interpret what is meant. It’s almost as though you have to listen for what is not being said.

Indirect communicators are really very interesting if you take time to study them. Communication is about sensitivity to another person’s feelings and as these people value courtesy highly they will always seek out the polite response and be hesitant to give bad news. They will find a way to avoid directly answering a question by changing the subject to indicate disagreement, saying ‘it will be difficult’. They will leave sentences unfinished and not admit a lack of understanding. They will frequently tell a story and allow listeners to come to their own conclusions. Meanings are implicit and embedded. They conceal their emotions and avoid a direct gaze, as they feel it is aggressive and disrespectful to make eye contact.

Cultural insight

For Americans, Brits and north-western Europeans there is the concept of truth being an absolute – black and white – but not so in the rest of the world! They have no difficulty in saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’, words which are meant to be taken at face value. They do not make false but friendly promises in order to get along with someone; if they promise, they deliver. Their trading partners, such as Mexicans, Indians and people from the Middle East and Asia, need to understand the significance of the commitments they make from the direct communicators’ standpoint. Indirect communicators say ‘yes’ very quickly – and this ‘yes’ is believed to mean ‘yes’. For indirect cultures, a well-intentioned word is an acceptable substitute for action. They sometimes lack a strong commitment for what they say they are going to do. They do not feel disgraced if problems cause delay or prevent the agreed outcome.

Americans, especially, make notes on conversations, keep files, record minutes of meetings. Contracts or agreements must be written before business is taken seriously. However, in indirect cultures ‘getting it in writing’ is considered rude.

Cultural compass

In indirect cultures there are many alternatives designed to deflect awkwardness or embarrassment. If you hear any of the following, the person is probably trying to say ‘no’:

1.   Your question is very difficult to answer...

2.   If everything goes as planned, the proposal will be approved...

3.   Have you submitted a copy of your proposal to...?

4.   It is difficult to answer this question at this time...

5.   Will you be staying longer than you planned?

6.   Yes, approval looks likely, but...

7.   You should know shortly...

Cultural compass

Ten strategies for clear cross-cultural communication:

1.   Speak slowly and clearly.

2.   Ask for clarification or summarize your understanding of what has been said.

3.   Frequently check for others’ understanding.

4.   Avoid idioms, metaphors and other colloquialisms.

5.   Cut out jargon.

6.   Clearly define your business concepts – e.g. what does ‘as soon as possible’ mean?

7.   Be specific.

8.   Choose your medium of communication effectively.

9.   Provide information via multiple channels.

10.   Be patient.

Cultural competence check

True or false?

Using humorous anecdotes is a way of breaking the ice and establishing a relaxed atmosphere prior to getting down to business in international meetings.

True or false?

During management training with a session full of different nationalities, Scandinavian delegates are more than willing to join in with the role-play part.

Answer: False.

Humour doesn’t travel well. Japanese, Chinese, Germans, Finns all find jokes out of place in business settings. Asian humour finds little merit in jokes about sex, religion or minorities. Many cultures take what is said quite literally and do not understand expressions such as ‘You can say that again!’

Answer: False

Generally speaking Scandinavians do not like to take part in role play; it goes against the grain. They like to be upfront and honest, and roleplaying means pretending to be someone that they are not. Respect links to truth and honesty, which then ties in with communication; the Scandinavians are the most direct communicators.