Worklife with Adam Grant
Decoding cross-cultural communication with Erin Meyer
Feb 25, 2025
Erin Meyer, a Professor at INSEAD and author of "The Culture Map," discusses the nuances of cross-cultural communication. She highlights how meanings can get lost in translation due to cultural norms affecting honesty and assertiveness. Through engaging anecdotes, they explore how feedback varies globally and the challenges of implementing direct communication styles in diverse settings like Netflix. Meyer stresses the importance of empathy and self-awareness in fostering successful interactions across cultures.
39:01
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Quick takeaways
- Cultural communication styles significantly impact feedback delivery, with high-context cultures relying on non-verbal cues rather than direct expressions, affecting understanding.
- Trust in cross-cultural interactions is vital, influenced by a balance of cognitive reliability and emotional connections affecting direct communication perceptions.
Deep dives
Cultural Communication Differences
Cultural communication styles vary significantly across different regions, influencing how feedback is given and received. In high-context cultures, such as Japan, individuals may express their thoughts and questions non-verbally, as opposed to the more direct communication preferred in the United States. An example shared in the discussion highlights a situation where a speaker in Japan received no immediate questions, only to find that attendees had many unasked questions, indicated by their eye contact. This leads to the insight that recognizing and adapting to these subtle cues is essential for effective communication in multicultural settings.
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