23 November 2024| communication skills Caroline Gregory
Successful messaging
The importance of greetings in messages across different cultures
Messaging, how much we use ‘small talk’, and how often we exchange personal greetings and information, varies hugely between different countries and cultures.
Of course, everything varies from person to person and messaging is further influenced by generation, industry, seniority etc.; but culture plays a significant and often vital part in successful messaging.
At the beginning of an email or message do you start with the reason for the email, or do you start by asking the recipient about their life, or their family, or comment on a shared interest?
If what you do coincides with the recipient’s messaging expectations, then it is already more likely that the email will be responded to positively. Your messaging will make the reader feel culturally comfortable.
Fast paced communication
Now that a lot of communication is remote and very fast paced there is less and less time to focus on messaging and personalising greetings. Less time and opportunity for clear messaging for what the writer perceives is non-essential information.
Is it worth taking the time to personalise both the beginning and the end of your message?
If you don’t personalise your message, how could it be interpreted? Can your messaging go wrong?
Will your impersonal message give a professional business-like impression, or will you seem unfriendly, uninterested and not a team player? Poor messaging can impact relationships over the long term.
If you receive a message which begins and ends with personal wishes, for example:
“How are you?”,
“I hope you have a good day”,
“Is your family well?”.
Does it please you, irritate you or have no impact?
Similarly, if you receive a message which has no personal wishes.
Are you delighted at the conciseness?
Wonder what you have done to displease the writer?
Wonder why they are so cold?
Or have no reaction?
Message responses
How do you decide which messages you respond to?
This is another question which is to some extent personal but also varies from culture to culture. For example, if someone replies:
“Here is the information you requested.”
Do you reply,
“Thank you.” or would you not reply?
If you do reply, then do they respond to your thanks with another message for example:
“You’re welcome, it was no problem.” or do they not reply?
This may seem a very small part of the total communication, but it can be the critical part of the message that makes you appear either polite or rude to your correspondent. Has the message indicated a cold or warm relationship? Has it accidentally caused offence, irritation, or confusion.
An example of acknowledging thanks
For example, I received a message this morning, which ended:
“That’s excellent.”
This was in response to something we had worked on together. The main part of the message was a question for me to answer. I replied by answering the question and asking two further questions (all work focused) but did not acknowledge the “That’s excellent.” So, the message I then received said,
“You haven’t mentioned how you are and perhaps the work is proving problematic.”
I replied in more detail in a personal rather than work-based way and we were culturally reset.
An example of thanking
You receive a message which says:
“Thank you for introducing me to your colleague. It is an honour to be introduced by you.”
Do you reply or not?
If you don’t reply, what message by the lack of your replying might be received?
Is it that you are offended by the statement? Do you think that you are more senior and so don’t need to respond to the thanks?
When you reply, should it be an acknowledgement or something more in depth with a personal aspect? For example:
“It is my pleasure, and I am very pleased to have the chance to introduce you.”
Is it a request or a question?
Another example is the difference between a request and a question. How do you respond if you receive this message and you do have the relevant information?
“I wonder if you have any information about last year’s project.”
Your response will depend on whether you view it as a straight question or an indirect way of asking for something.
If the sender is intending it as a request for information to be sent to them, it can be surprising to receive the answer:
“Yes.”
but with no information attached.
If you are the person who answered, “Yes”, then the follow up message of:
“Can you send it to me?”
may be equally surprising.
Sometimes this confusion can be easily resolved or can be something which leads to humour or a closer relationship. However, at other times, particularly when work is pressured, it can mean that the cultural differences cause a worsening of relationship. Neither person feels culturally comfortable.
Successful communication across the cultures
There are four areas to consider when messaging and greeting across the cultures: depth, width, length, and regularity/repetition.
Depth
How much detail do you need to go into when asking someone about themselves. Is:
“How are you?”
sufficient or do you need to mention family. If you do need to mention family, should you ask about individual members, or just a generic
“How is your family?”
Width
When you have asked and received an answer, do you or do you not need to respond again. How long does the conversation need to be carried on?
Length
The third thing to consider is length, how long does the beginning and end of each message need to be. Does it need to be a few words, or a more than that? If it is appropriate, the time taken to write will not be wasted as it will improve the relationship. A good relationship will, in the future, make your communication easier and more efficient.
Regularity/repetition
This is the final thing to think about. How often in your messaging do you need to include a personalised beginning and end to a message? Culturally are you happy to never have any personalisation? Or do you like something initially but then in subsequent messages purely business content? Or do you prefer to have all messages with a beginning and end which is personal or social.
Conclusion
All of this is key because to some cultures receiving a message without any beginning feels abrupt and cold. It can also be interpreted as a negative message even if the message is intended to be positive or neutral.
Although it takes some time as some of your messages will be longer, it will save you time overall as you will gain more cooperation and less misunderstanding, build stronger relationships and limit misunderstandings.
Further Reading
Message – Wikipedia article
Three things to do to be successful globally – article on this site
Making kindness your key to global intercultural success – article on this site
How to explain culture within your global team – article on this site
If you would like to improve your intercultural communication skills or schedule one on one coaching, contact our Director Caroline Gregory via our Contact Form