Life: connect and communicate

It is of utmost importance to do your homework and prepare. Although you may think you’ve checked out your new home almost as thoroughly as a reconnaissance pilot on an exercise, who spends months spying out the land, only to later find out that your choice was not the best!

I must admit I have learned a lot through the mistakes I’ve made in the purchase of some property I bought here for the bookstore business. If there is a next time, I know there are some things I’ll need to look for that I did not know about before.

You need to research your choice. Once you decide and move into your new home, there is no substitute for actually being immersed in day-to-day living in your new culture.

Observing local etiquette and learning the language is crucial -- especially if you plan on working.

Why? Well here are just a few examples out of thousands of different customs, business protocols and social mores:

In Spain, a business dinner will last well into the early morning hours -- many restaurants don’t even open until 9 p.m. and don’t get busy until 10 or 11 p.m.

Turks find status and titles impressive, but Australians are not impressed by them -- they expect your work to speak for itself.

The Japanese aren’t afraid to ask how much money you earn or how large your home is.

Every culture is different!

If you plan to do business, believe me, international business can be tricky; if you aren’t prepared, your business deal can go down in flames.

We all know the famous words of St. Augustine, a great Roman theologian and philosopher, “When I am at Milan, I do as they do at Milan; but when I go to Rome, I do as Rome does.”

With globalization and the Internet, the world is becoming smaller with every day, so cultural misunderstandings can occur on the street and in the boardroom. If you travel on business or have foreign visitors, you might want to take some notes. Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Ford and famous for reviving the Chrysler brand, says, “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.”

In America alone, consulting agencies exist solely to provide training in being better communicators. I had the privilege of meeting Dana Finch this past week.

Dana is one of the only communication specialists in the world teaching schools, businesses and communities how to reinvent their conversation! After meeting Dana I thought to myself, if such specialists are needed to help individuals of the same nationality better communicate with each other, how much truer is this need when living in another culture? We should not be surprised when we are confronted with conversation roadblocks in a different culture.

Regardless of where you live, in order for the realities of life to live up to your dreams, you need to do your part!

Before you go:

-- Prepare. Be sure to find out the dos and don’ts of business etiquette so you’re not caught with your “hand out.” Read all the travel books for the country you are going to visit.

-- Learn key phrases. It’s always a smart move to learn several key phrases in the language of the country you’ll visit. It’s a nice way to bridge the gap between cultures -- and locals will appreciate the attempt.

-- Leave the attitude at home. Westerners sometimes assume superior attitudes when interacting with foreign cultures -- they say, “Our way is the best way.” Ditch this attitude quickly or you could be ignored or met with disapproval.

-- Blend in. The stereotype of Americans is that we dress differently, speak loudly and have distinct accents -- so it’s best to try and not stand out more than we already do.

Remember, our attitudes are real figures of speech.

Dana Finch sums it up in two simple words: connect and communicate!