International Communication Paper

The single most important problem faced in cross-culture communications is ignorance. Interacting with foreign nationals is a tricky business. The road is paved with shortcomings, potholes, roadblocks, and signals misinterpreted by the other side. So how do we deal with this dilemma of international communication? We must know our target audience. The focus of this paper will be involved with Customs and Courtesies, approaches in business, and culture awareness. I will tailor this discussion from a Middle East perspective, for all these communication issues that you will find thru out the world, the problems are alive and well in the middle east. Being a Special Forces soldier for the last twelve years and training thousands of their troops,
interfacing with several of their government officials, and conducting business for goods and services in nineteen of these countries. How you handle yourself in proceedings is of paramount importance.

Let us begin with customs and courtesies. You must understand that not everyone in the world is the same as America. We, as Americans have a very utilitarian view of our goals and the world. It is very one sided and considered rude by most cultures. This is one of the reasons that overseas we are called the ugly Americans.

We must understand that what is important to us is not necessary important to them.
Family is the number one priority in the Middle East and it carriers more weight than business. It is as important and is directly linked to the Muslim faith. The American public is currently finding out about the dark side of this faith via 9/11. The Muslim faith is the largest in the world. It is also one of the most calm and caring religions in existence. I have seen very powerful people in the Saudi government get a call from their wife or their mother and leave from an important negotiations right in the middle of it. When I asked later out of concern for this man, he informed me that the cat was sick and that his mother was very upset. This is an example of the priority that they place on their
families.

The family home life is far different than our society. In Kuwait, The homes are very nice and the entire family lives in one dwelling. Grandparents, parents, sons, daughters, and their spouses with all the kids live in this home. The women of the home take care of the children and cook, walk behind the men, eat after the men, the old men just hang out, and the young men go to work. This is the way it has been done for thousands of years according to the Koran, which is there version of the bible. Lets get a little closer to why they do what they do. Their government enforces all of these actions. In these countries, they have what are called morality police. These police patrol the streets and the neighborhoods and enforce the laws of the Koran. These are not the regular police who handle police matters, the morality police are specifically designed to catch and punish violations of their faith.

Now that we have done some background work, lets get to the approaches in business.
Greetings can make or break a deal in the Middle East. If you do the standard American greeting; bold, firm handshake, aggressive, and eye-to-eye contact you are already setting yourself for a lose-lose situation. Being Humble in their culture is a sign of strength, not weakness and being outspoken and aggressive is considered rude and UN civilized. As you can see from the material above, this will be a very complicated process. Mannerisms are also very important. Hand gestures or talking with your hands is considered rude and the left hand is considered evil and is not used when eating or extended in any form or fashion. Touching is considered polite and shows friendship and the togetherness of two minds. This is between men. There is no touching of women in public of any kind from men. They walk around holding hands and hold the hands of their
friends.

In discussing business at a negotiating table you must speak in low tones. It could be two to three hours before one word of business is even discussed so be prepared. I have had it go as long as six hours, nine cups of tea and fourteen interruptions before we got down to business. There is no set rules or agendas to follow. You must not take the first offer, or you are considered greedy and they will properly break the deal anyway. Here in America we have contracts, they have word of mouth. You must engage in a form of tug of war. It is part of their culture; they love to argue in everything the price is always not set. It is fun to try and out think them and present a better augment why you should pay less. You can set up all the cool attack strategies you want, but don't let them out of the bag. These people are great studies of character. Patience is one of their strong points. Do not be surprised if you attend six to seven meetings discussing one deal. The mechanics that go into meetings are far more important than the outcome. These are just a few examples of cultural awareness. We study these people and their culture to make us more effective with them.

In closing, there are several cultures thought the world and each has its own set of morals and values to deal with. Only through study, careful planning, and cultural awareness will you be able to strike the big deal of your dreams.