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Over the years, the modern work environment has changed. Similarly, the world's population has also increased, and technology has gotten recognition worldwide. This can only mean one thing: it allows countries to have businesses with other countries and continents. The increase in remote workers also indicates that the workforce is no more restrained by location since you can work from anywhere.
This also means that the modern workplace contains a range of people from different cultural backgrounds. But it also increases the challenge, especially in the aspect of communication, with increased diversity which comes side-by-side along with increased miscommunication, thus leading to discomfort in the workplace environment.
But, one fantastic way companies, businesses, and organizations adopt to solve this problem is intercultural communication skills. Intercultural communication skill is communicating with people from different cultures, religions, ethnicities, social backgrounds, etc.
Advantages of having intercultural communication skills
Intercultural communication skills benefit every workplace because they will help prevent future conflicts; it's also one of the best ways to eliminate cultural barriers among workers. It also allows the company to have different ideas on its table, thus, making them more innovative. It gives workers a sense of community and inclusion, the employees will feel valued, and it's another strategy for retaining talent in the company.
Ways to promote intercultural communication skills in the workplace
Below are some unique ways to encourage intercultural communication skills in your workplace.
Be open-minded and flexible
One problem that most people face is thinking that they are right all the time. We fail to understand that our ways of doing things are impacted mainly by our background and social beliefs, which are different from that of other people who aren't from the same background. Rather than sticking to your plans, and thinking it is the best, be open to other people's views and perspectives. This way, you will understand that there are many ways you can do things and achieve the best result.
Improve diversity understanding
You will see that a particular culture is prevalent in a given workplace. This can be attributed to the location of the workplace or the company's origin. But in these areas, miscommunication often happens, mainly due to the dominance of one culture over the other. So to solve this problem, every worker should learn about different cultures and be familiar with the culture of the people in their workplace. You can start by learning the way of greetings of the different cultures in your workplace.
Encourage one-to-one interaction
While you can learn about different cultures on your own, having one-to-one interaction with your colleagues is easier for you to learn about their backgrounds. You can freely ask them questions, and they will happily tell you since most people find it amazing when others are interested in their backgrounds.
Conclusion
Practicing solid intercultural communication skills allows a company to thrive. The workers will feel valued, hence giving room for growth and increased productivity; every great company or organization knows the value of this skill, and they include it among their goals.