Those who work in an environment with different social, cultural and communication norms need to anticipate some surprises and difficulties. However, being familiar with this issue is often not enough: being confronted with a system of values that do not correspond to your own can lead to strong emotional reactions. For example, a natural reflex in stressful situations is to withdraw into your personal frame of reference and fall back on clichés and preconceived ideas.
Learning to avoid clichés
So how should we communicate with people who think and act differently to us? What are the greatest challenges? How can we recognise and overcome our unconscious prejudices? How can we build trust and deal with misunderstandings and conflict?
So how should we communicate with people who think and act differently to us?