Handling Oral Communication

Oral Communication becomes very difficult with people from other cultures than written communication. But as sometimes transactions cannot be handled without face to face communication, one cannot avoid it altogether. Therefore one has to be alert to the possibilities for misunderstanding and has to be constantly conscious of the nonverbal messages that one may be sending or receiving. To overcome this, the following suggestions can be of help;

1. One should always keep an open mind. Stereotyping the other person and reacting with preconceived ideas should be avoided. He should be regarded as an individual first and not as a representative of another culture.
2. One should be conscious of the other person's customs. He should be expected to have different values, beliefs, expectations, and mannerisms.
3. One should be aware of unintentional meanings that may be read into the message. In order to avoid
4. One should listen carefully and patiently. If a comment is not understood, the person can be asked to repeat it.
5. One should be constantly aware of the other person's body language which can be often misleading. As gestures and expressions mean different things in different cultures, words should be used more than nonverbal communication to interpret the message.
6. One can adapt to the style of the other person. If the other person is direct and straight forward, one should follow suit. If not, one's behaviour should be adjusted to match the same.