Communication Skills for a Global Team

Would you like to make sure the next update you give at your global team meeting is a home run? If attendees are from countries where baseball isn’t a big part of the culture, you might want to start by choosing a phrase other than “home run” to describe your objective. This document starts with an attempt at humor. Will it be understood that way across cultures? Maybe, but maybe not! This training will address word choice, use of humor, and other factors that can help you communicate effectively on a global team. This training will help you choose clear words and phrases that are most likely to resonate in other countries, avoid country-specific jargon, use humor effectively (but carefully!) when communicating across cultures, recognize how perceived power imbalances can hinder communication on a global team, and harness the power of empathy in global communications.