WORDS MIGHT LEAD TO MISUNDERSTANDING IN CROSS-CULTURAL SETTINGS. WHAT ARE OTHER ALTERNATIVES IN WITH CONFLICT SITUATION?

It is important to take into account that words represent only a 35%[1] of our total communication; therefore understanding all others aspects that can play a significant role when dealing or interacting with different people is so relevant if avoiding misunderstandings is the goal. Multiples issues such as the tone; the posture; the gesture and look, could send all kinds of messages such as calm, aggressiveness, scare, kindness, tendered, mostly all felling; and affect the way how people perceived us. When dealing with a conflict situation it is key managing all these features; it is proved that a smile, a gentile tone and body movements, keeping away from speaking loud; looking directly into the other person face, to name some, could modify other people attitudes towards us. Keeping politeness, serenity even in a hard situation, when face to face confrontation is produce, helps to generate the same behavior in the other, as it was the case of Alvaro Uribe Velez in the “Cumbre de Unasur en Republica Dominicana” with Hugo Chavez, the Colombian President was so prudent that was capable to shake the Venezuelan president hand, despite his insults.

When dealing with cross-cultural setting is vital understanding customs, history, behaves, manners of the person with are speaking with, knowing what food, drink, sport, famous artists of the country where the person is from it is also helpful in order to create, improve or a relation. When solving a conflict, ambience also plays a key role, colors, ventilation and furniture must be properly according to the situation; having for example light colors such as white, light green, cream generate a felling of peaceful and relaxation even for the eyes. A right ventilation and furniture could avoid having distraction of thoughts, and losses of focus even awaking feeling of discomfort that affect people behavior towards the conversation. As a conclusion it could be said that when people are interacting in conflictive circumstances there are external aspects that could be handle with the objective to don’t let the entire solution base on verbal communication only, especially because on cross cultural settings dialects, some works in certain languages could be taken in the wrong way.

Fuente imagen: http://www.maestrosdelweb.com/editorial/herramientas-y-ejemplos-para-mejorar-tu-trabajo-como-freelance/

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[1] http://petermjfitzgerald.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/nonverbal-communication/