Holding a business meeting with people from different cultures

 Introduction

Assume you are holding a business meeting with five people, each from a different continent (North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia). Which steps should you take to ensure that everyone is comfortable and that communication is good between everyone?

When you’re holding a meeting with people from different cultures, you need to consider their different needs and approaches. But saying is much easier than doing. To increase the efficiency of this multicultural meeting, the key is how do you brainstorm ideas, make the right decisions, and address possible conflicts that are comfortable for everyone. Even though the people in the room have the same opinion, they may express it in a completely opposite way. For instance, communication styles vary from culture to culture such as the notions of authority and hierarchy. 

To handle them, an open mind is a great approach to start with.

i. Being Aware of The Variations

Variations always exist among cultures. Therefore, the first thing to consider is how those differences play out. For instance, where people are supposed to sit in this meeting or how to make sure they’re willing to provide feedback or argue. 

ii. Be A Pro, Not A King

Learn these countries' customs and professional practices and become an expert observer of others. It’s a team effort and that's why you are in this meeting. So, provide the reading material on cultural differences.

iii. Build Up Relationships

People who come from a hierarchical culture are loath to provide feedback to the seniors. Therefore, build up great relationships can help the efficiency of communication. We must know the personalities on the team as much as possible since it’s especially important when your team comprises people from different countries. In addition, spend some time building emotional bonds so that people have opportunities to get to know each other by sharing ideas or even talking over drinks. Then, a lot of the cultural differences won’t matter as much.

iv. Debate and Disagreement

In Asian countries such as China, saying I disagree can be seen as very aggressive and destroying the relationship. In Southern Europe, however, it is a good opportunity to build a relationship. Therefore, softening the language to make the conversation more comfortable. In short, in the meeting, people should agree or disagree with an idea, not any particular person. 

Reference

Meyer, E. (2017, September 27). How to Run a Meeting of People from Different Cultures. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2015/12/how-to-run-a-meeting-of-people-from-different-cultures.