Intercultural communication and customer service

The OISS offers intercultural communication and customer service trainings for colleagues and students throughout the university. Workshops are presented annually through NYU's Office for Learning and Development, as well as through individual office requests.

Topics covered include increasing awareness of cultural differences, exploring U.S. cultural norms, and gaining tools and techniques to bridge cultural gaps. For more information on OISS trainings or to schedule a workshop designed specifically for your office, contact nancy.young@nyu.edu.

Preview of material covered in trainings

No matter how many years a professional has worked with foreign students and scholars, it's helpful to review the basics when it comes to communicating across cultures. Here are some tips that are addressed in the OISS trainings:

Focus on the Person
An intercultural interaction requires more attention than one between people of the same culture.

• Be attentive to the person's use of language. Observe how s/he
  communicates and adjust your communication style accordingly.
• Notice the nonverbal communication and be aware that it may have a different meaning for someone from another culture. Keep an open mind when interpreting nonverbal cues from a person who is culturally different.

Focus on Solutions
There is no common set of values shared by all cultures, so keep conversation centered around understanding and accommodating the other person's needs and values. Although there is no common set of values, there is a common goal: to address the issue.

Before addressing the issue, it may be necessary to:

• Establish what you will be discussing
• Set parameters or guidelines to the conversation
• Discuss the role of your office, giving an overview of the structure
  of decision-making
• Encourage the other person to articulate what s/he expects

Watch What You Say (and how you say it)

• Speak slowly and clearly - the single most important action fluent
  speakers can take is to slow down the pace of the conversation where language is a barrier.
• Don't shout- the listener may have difficulty understanding
  you, not hearing you.
• Use more formal English. Often this is the type of English that
  non-native speakers have learned in their home countries, so this it what they will understand best. "What are you doing?" is better than "Whatcha doin'?"
• Avoid using idioms - Idioms are forms of expression commonly used by native speakers of a language and may not be easily understood.

The primary source for the above material is:
http://www.thiagi.com/email-intercultural101-tips.html