Category: Communication

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Communication Style in the USA vs. Germany: Just Humor Me

Communication style in the USA can be deceptively tricky for Germans to decode, much less replicate (and vice-versa). I’ll take a few moments of your time here to highlight an aspect of cultural differences in communication between Germany and the USA that can potentially lead to the biggest misunderstandings, which can in turn derail both business and personal relationships.… read more

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Three (-ish) Dos and Don’ts of Greetings: You Had Me at HELLOOO!

Greetings—and their cultural nuances—are easy to overlook in preparing for business communication. They’re brief, standard, issued multiple times per day without thought, and have little to nothing to do with the conversational or written content that follows.

And yet, failing to recognize a greeting’s cultural undertones can lead to confusion and even offense when interacting with folks from other areas of the world.… read more

Business ABC’s: Communication 3

Business ABC’s: Communication

This post comes courtesy of the letter “C”, as in “communication”. When it comes to business between Germans and Americans, it is often this very topic that makes or breaks the relationship, which is why I’ll devote the entire entry to communication alone.… read more

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Fry It: Vocal Quirks of Americans

So, sometimes I know there’s something I want to address in this blog, but I can’t quite bring the idea to fruition. Whatever it is that is under my skin won’t evolve into anything clear and coherent to myself, leaving me unable to communicate anything clear and coherent about it to others.… read more

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Intercultural Communication in the Information and Digital Age

Information and technology overload is making us less informed.

Virtually any question we have is a few mouse clicks and a Google search away from an answer. Our social media newsfeeds hand-pick and deliver us headlines and analyses of events from around the world and even beyond it (Dear Parker Solar Probe: don’t forget to bring your strongest sunscreen…and take a selfie when you’re there!)

In the working world, technology from e-mail to digital messengers to WebEx to video conferencing connects us to our bosses, colleagues and customers on every continent.… read more