Cross-Cultural Tips
CROSS-CULTURAL TIPS
Grammar Pattern
Warm-up
Discuss these questions with your teacher before reading.
- When attending international meetings, what cultural differences have surprised you the most?
국제 회의에 참석했을 때 가장 놀랐던 문화적 차이는 무엇이었나요? - Do you think Korean meeting culture is more similar to Western or Asian meeting styles? Why?
한국의 회의 문화가 서양식과 아시아식 중 어디에 더 가깝다고 생각하시나요? 이유는요?
Vocabulary
Key words and expressions from the reading.
Reading
Read the passage with your teacher.
선생님과 함께 지문을 읽어보세요.
Grammar Pattern
CROSS-CULTURAL TIPS
There are many different types of business meetings. In addition, how participantsbehave will depend upon cultural background. Use thefollowing as a checklist to help you prepare yourself for communicating in international meetings.
PREPARATION
Some Cultures...
- are happy with telephone meetings in preference to personal contact.
- expect extensive pre-meeting documentation and briefing information.
- prefer communication of prepared ideas to spontaineity during discussion.
- value fact over opinion.
STRUCTURE
Some Cultures...
- regard small talk as essential to establish the required personal relationship.
- prefer certain types of meetings (briefing) to others (problem solving).
- view informality as unprofessional
- expect to work systematically on an agenda
- work organically and value flexibility and disgression.
ROLES
Some Cultures...
- see the chair as controller and decision-maker rather than facilitator.
- prefer an individualist to a collectivist approach.
- expect important decisions will be made by senior personnel in the company.
LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION
People can...
- find idiomatic language difficult. Keep it short and simple.
- be frustrated by native speaker domination. Allow others to speak.
- misunderstand silence: is it agreement, non-understanding, thinking time, boredom?
- be offended. Humor is often personal and culturally specific. Use with caution.
TIME
Some Cultures...
- respect punctuality.
- are very concerned with deadlines.
- are flexible about time.
DECISION-MAKING
Some Cultures....
- prefer logic to imagination.
- prefer diplomacy to open disagreement.
- don't welcome interruption and contradiction.
- see directness as rude and unsophisticated
NON-VERBAL ASPECTS
People may...
- expect a formal dress code
- see handshaking as the basis for establishing a personal relationship
- see the exchange of business cards as important.
- have strong expectations about using first or family names. Family names are safer.
- mistake friendliness for unprofessionalism
Korean Trap
Korean speakers often make this mistake in cross-cultural communication.
'이해해 주세요'를 'Please understand'로 직역하면 상대에게 강요하는 느낌을 줄 수 있습니다. 대신 'I'd like to explain' 또는 'Let me share some context'가 더 외교적입니다. 또한 'do like this'보다 'the typical practice is to...'가 전문적입니다.
Discussion
Discuss these questions with your teacher after reading.
- The passage says some cultures "are happy with telephone meetings in preference to personal contact" while others prefer face-to-face. Since the pandemic, has your preference changed? Which format works better for international meetings?
일부 문화가 '대면보다 전화 회의를 선호한다'고 합니다. 팬데믹 이후 선호도가 바뀌었나요? 국제 회의에는 어떤 형식이 더 효과적인가요? - The text mentions that "humor is often personal and culturally specific. Use with caution." Can you think of a time when humor in a meeting helped or backfired because of cultural differences?
'유머는 개인적이고 문화 특수적이므로 주의해서 사용하라'고 합니다. 문화 차이로 인해 회의에서 유머가 도움이 되거나 역효과를 낸 경험이 있나요? - The passage notes that some cultures "value fact over opinion" while others are more opinion-driven. In your industry, which approach is more valued? How do you present opinions versus facts?
일부 문화는 '의견보다 사실을 중시한다'고 합니다. 업계에서는 어떤 접근 방식이 더 가치 있나요? 의견과 사실을 어떻게 구분하여 제시하시나요? - The checklist covers preparation, structure, roles, language, and time. If you had to prepare a foreign colleague for attending a Korean business meeting, what are the three most important tips you would give?
체크리스트가 준비, 구조, 역할, 언어, 시간을 다룹니다. 외국인 동료가 한국 비즈니스 미팅에 참석하도록 준비시켜야 한다면 가장 중요한 세 가지 팁은 무엇인가요?
Lesson Summary / 수업 요약
Today's Topic: CROSS-CULTURAL TIPS
Level: Business (BIZ)
Review this lesson before your next class! / 다음 수업 전에 복습하세요!