Saving Face: Framing Cross-Cultural Communication

Cross-cultural communication is full of nuances, and missteps can cause embarrassment or strain relationships. Employees may unintentionally overlook cultural differences that matter deeply to others. This microlesson offers skills training to help employees communicate across cultures with respect, awareness, and stronger relationship-building skills.

Microlesson Description

In this microlesson, we teach employees and managers how to frame conversations to align with social and cultural needs. Where one culture may value fast and direct communication and welcome open debate and quick decisions, another culture may value formal and polite interactions, reputation protection, and thoughtful consideration over time. When we frame our conversations to align with different social and cultural needs, we are more likely to have a successful collaboration. This microlesson is part of our Embracing Interculturalism skill-building series.

Key Concepts

• Best practices to frame conversations across different cultures
• How to work together in intercultural work environments
• The concept of losing and saving face and how it impacts intercultural communication

Microlesson Features

• Employee sentiment pulsing questions that provide leaders with insights into their workforce's core cultural competencies
• Emtrain's Expert Answers tool, enabling employeees to submit anonymous questions about sensitive issues.

• Rich, contemporary video scences illustrating key concepts through realistic scenarios
• A data driven, skill-based approach to eLearning that establishes a shared language for employees.

Preview Microlesson