7 Tips for Building Global Team Communication
Leading and communicating effectively with your team is enough of a challenge when its members are located in just one region or country. When your team is spread around the world, things get increasingly complex.
Here are seven ideas for building better communication with your global team:
Be aware that the basics are the same. Though you may be leading your team virtually, you must still create a good foundation for communication. It’s all the more important to set team goals and standards, and establish trust and rapport with team members. Clarity and accountability are essential. You must be very clear about your expectations and how people will be held accountable individually and as a group.
Plan to over-communicate. Start by establishing a communication plan that delineates how and when you’re going to communicate with your team. Everything else, including the communication tools and venues, will build from this plan. As you plan, keep in mind that part of the new global communication challenge is conveying your message in real time, 24/7, to team members who “tune in” and respond differently to various communication media. You must consciously use all available communication tools – email, Intranets, instant messaging, video and teleconferencing, and, whenever possible, face-to-face meetings.
Reach out and connect. We advise our clients to connect with others using three easy steps: Stop what they are doing. Look at the other person. Listen to what the other person has to say. When your audience is not physically present – during a teleconference, for example – you must still consciously tune in and be present to the situation.
Watch your language. Words and gestures have different meanings and interpretations in other cultures. When you’re doing business or visiting another country, it is vital to show respect and understanding for differences. For example, presenting and receiving a business card among the Japanese is taken very seriously as representative of you. You must give the exchange equal attention.
You’ll also want to speak without jargon or slang so that you are more easily understood. Here’s a good example: In a recent meeting with a client’s Eastern European executives, I asked, “Is everybody on board with this?” after reviewing a communication plan. When I got blank looks in response, I quickly rephrased my question to “Does everyone understand the plan?”
Move the clock around. Global teams have to think in terms of global time. It’s not unusual for a teleconference to be scheduled at a time that is reasonable for US and European-based staffers. This puts team members elsewhere on the globe at a disadvantage. By setting the next teleconference for 7AM your time, you’ll show respect for people in time zones on the other side of the world. One MMI client with offices in Singapore and India conducts their weekly global staff meeting at 7:00 AM EST and has restricted global calls on Fridays out of respect for their teams’ personal time.
Understand the importance of symbolism. If your team is doing business in China, it’s important for you as the senior executive to understand and use the symbolism of your position effectively. Your team may have the expertise to handle negotiations on their own; however, your personal presence in the meeting room demonstrates the highest level of respect for your Chinese counterparts.
Successful leaders will educate themselves in-depth about how things work in other countries. One CEO I know whose manufacturing company has recently started doing business in China invested a considerable amount of time learning the Chinese culture and what’s important from their point of view. He gained enormous respect and credibility from his Chinese business partners for taking the time to understand. As a result, business moved forward more effectively.
Practice patience. It’s common for Western execs to prefer action over planning, and get impatient when things don’t start happening right away. In many other cultures, greater emphasis is often placed on planning and achieving consensus before acting. In the US we typically spend 20% of our time planning, and 80% doing. Yet in some Asian countries, it is just the opposite. More time is dedicated to planning, and when it is time to implement the results are often much more productive. The key here is to understand how others accomplish things. Then you can create shared goals and allow others to go about reaching them in their own ways.
