Cross cultural communication skills are important for anyone working with international businesses. While some points of communication etiquette are so ingrained as to be subconscious, we can’t take for granted that what is polite to us is polite to someone from a different culture. Communication signals such as eye contact, gestures, turns of phrases, who…
So you’ve been appointed to The Committee (or board, or working group…). This group has a reputation for being tough – hard on new members, tricky to get to know and work with. You’re justifiably anxious to make a good first impression and fit in with this group as quickly as possible. How do you…
You can find David Gouthro on Twitter @davidgouthro Ever get the feeling that communication and idea sharing in your organization has been stymied? Sometimes the best way to deal with this is to bring in an outsider – a neutral third party with no personal stake in the decisions or ideas being proposed. Someone who’s…
Has anyone ever told you “don’t take this the wrong way, but…” Where did your head immediately go upon hearing that statement? I’m willing to bet is was not to a place of productive objectivity. Email seems to require the “don’t take this the wrong way” disclaimer more than any other form of communication. For…
When was the last time you received a hand-written thank you card? When was the last time you sent one? While there are some people who still send these out, they’re few and far between. And their rarity makes getting one every better. Birthday cards come and go, Christmas cards are still hugely popular, but…
