A common trait of a business communicator from a low context culture is that he tends to perceive everything through the lens of the others’ perspective, which means that everything that he says is filtered through how it will affect the others. There is no room for personal judgment in his life and in his business. It may seem simple to say this, but in practice it can create great distance between two people or departments. When dealing with a business communicator who has a low context culture, you will discover that there is often a great lack of appreciation on his part for how things are done in the past, how they should be done in the future, or even how other people see things.
As a business communicator who comes from such a culture, I can tell you that this type of thinking is nothing short of erroneous. The problem with this common trait is that it prevents people who are born with it from communicating effectively on every level. In other words, if you think and speak in the same way as the average person from a context culture, then inevitably you will fail at being an effective leader, manager, salesperson or whatever. You need to break through this mindset and get beyond your current thoughts so that you can communicate to others in a common language that they can understand.
This brings us to the third common trait of a business communicator from a low context culture.
Although you may believe that you already know how others feel, it is still important to keep asking probing questions to yourself and asking other business people how they see the situation. This will allow you to see both the positive and negative aspects of what is happening. As a result, you can make changes in your thought processes and in your behavior to align with what other people are saying. You will learn to understand their language in much the same way that they do.
The fourth trait of a business communicator from a low context culture is that you need to be good at listening. Many people are not good listeners and this is something that you will need to work on. Some people will simply not pay attention when you talk and some people will do so gracelessly. When someone does not listen, then it is difficult for you to relate and connect with them on an emotional level. This will affect your communication and, again, you cannot operate from a place of emotional distance.
The fifth trait that you need to work on is being willing to learn from others. Learning from others involves taking the time to hear what they are telling you and then giving it serious consideration. You have to be willing to change your opinion or take the other side of an argument. Otherwise you may never learn anything new. It is in everybody’s best interest that you listen carefully to what others have to say and then give it careful consideration.
Being able to use communication effectively is one of the most important traits that a business communicator should possess. If you cannot communicate well, then no matter how smart or talented you might be, you will not be successful in business. This is why learning the different types of communication is an important part of growing as a business owner or employee. These communication styles include written communications, verbal communications and non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions and tone of voice.