7 Tips on Relating to New Cultures

“Starting in a New Country?”
Sounds like a great idea, but there are many hidden pitfalls. Why not start as well as possible by taking time to understand your new international partners and clients.

Here are some brief tips on understanding a new culture:
1) Tell yourself you don’t understand at the outset.
2) Identify community figures to interview. (E.g. the leader, the gatekeeper, the rebel, the “average joe” etc.)
3) Remember they are your teacher. You are not their teacher.
4) Don’t try to put their descriptions into your cultural box for judgment. Instead try to get inside “their cultural judgment box”. (This is the essence of being bilingual and bicultural).
5) One two week trip will make you more liable to jump to conclusions than no visit – especially with little experience.
6) Start by interviewing nationals from your “target community” who live in your country.
7) Reflect conclusions back to interviewees for review.

I’d love to hear from you if you found this helpful, as well as hear your experiences, questions and comments.

Jonathan Bernd – Locating & Developing New Markets