A distillation of some key learnings about the influence of culture on communication from Erin Meyer's "The Culture Map" (http://bit.ly/ErinMeyer)

1. Culture & comm.
Photo by Sue Clark [link]

2. Culture & comm.
Geert Hofstede, IBM (http://bit.ly/hofstede1)
Erin Meyer, INSEAD (The Culture Map)
How does culture influence communication?
Photo by Sue Clark [link]

3. Culture & comm.
Communication Style
Low-Context High-Context
Photo by Sue Clark [link], Source: Erin Meyer, The Culture Map [link]
US DE UK CN JPFRBR

4. Culture & comm.
Implications for work in the US?
Emphasis on simplicity & clarity
Messages taken at face value
Repetition appreciated
Photo by Sue Clark [link]

5. Culture & comm.
Evaluation Style (Negative Feedback)
Direct Indirect
Photo by Sue Clark [link], Source: Erin Meyer, The Culture Map [link]
USDE UK CN JPFR BR

6. Culture & comm.
Implications for work in the US?
Balance between bluntness & subtlety
Use a “soft start” but not a “sandwich”
Photo by Sue Clark [link]

7. Culture & comm.
Disagreement Style
Confrontational Conflict-Averse
Photo by Sue Clark [link], Source: Erin Meyer, The Culture Map [link]
USDE UK CN JPFR BR

8. Culture & comm.
Implications for work in the US?
Balance between confrontation & harmony
Varies widely across orgs. & industries
Photo by Sue Clark [link]

9. Culture & comm.
Persuasive Style
Practical Conceptual
Applications Principles
Photo by Sue Clark [link], Source: Erin Meyer, The Culture Map [link]
US DEUK FRBR

10. Culture & comm.
Implications for work in the US?
Persuade by emphasizing application
Add conceptual basis later (if at all)
Photo by Sue Clark [link]

11. Culture & comm.
Source of Trust
Task Personal
Accomplishment Relationships
Photo by Sue Clark [link], Source: Erin Meyer, The Culture Map [link]
US DE UK CNJPFR BR

12. Culture & comm.
Implications for work in the US?
Focus on shared tasks
Relationship-building a bonus
Photo by Sue Clark [link]

13. Culture & comm.
Attend to cultural differences…
While also applying general principles
(Damasio, Dweck, Ekman, Gottman)
Photo by Sue Clark [link]