Bu siness skills: b et ter me etings 1 — 21 business englisch bu sin es s e n g L is

Stein’s beer 
garden in 
Richmond

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29 
1/2021
Business Spotlight
COMMUNICATION
Fo
tos: s
turti, Olivier V
errie
st
/iS
to
ck
.com; priv
at
PETER FRANKLIN
is professor of inter- 
cultural management at Konstanz University 
of Applied Sciences. His work in HR
development helps people and organizations
to understand, handle and leverage
cultural diversity.
Contact: [e-mail] 
“Communicating
in the right
and appropriate 
way is more likely 
to lead to the 
right result”
APPROPRIATENESS
Achieving appropriateness is a challenge when 
communicating in an intercultural context. First, we need to 
choose the 
right language: should it be my language, the 
language of the other party or a lingua franca? And at what 
level of proficiency should we communicate? We also need to 
get the 
non-verbal signals right, such as smiling, laughing, 
handshaking. Reserve is often the best solution. 
We need to choose 
behaviour that is appropriate to the 
situation and, crucially, to the relationship we have or are 
establishing with our interlocutor. The rights and obligations 
connected to a relationship can differ greatly across 
cultures. The preferences of the country culture and the 
organizational culture may need to be taken into account. 
And finally, our behaviour has to be appropriate on a 
personal level. We need to be mindful of what we assume to 
be our interlocutor’s comfort zone. Interpersonal sensitivity 
or emotional intelligence is required.
appropriateness
[E(prEUpriEtnEs]
,
Angemessenheit