From the course: Communicating about Culturally Sensitive Issues

Preparing for successful communication

From the course: Communicating about Culturally Sensitive Issues

Preparing for successful communication

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- Now be honest, do you actually take the time to prepare strategically before these difficult conversations? If you're like most people, the answer is no, but don't worry. By the end of this video, you'll learn a simple approach for preparation that is strategically and practically effective. One common mistake comes from failing to understand the difference between preparing for a conversation and research. Learning about the topic at hand and seeking to learn about the other culture is an important first step, but that alone does not constitute thorough preparation. You need to prepare strategically. When you're not prepared, you make avoidable mistakes and are surprised by things that you should have seen coming. Not surprisingly, this has a negative impact on your performance. It's easy to over-complicate preparation, but it's better to just keep it simple. I suggest you use what I call the three minute prep. You can use it in any difficult conversation, but it works especially well in culturally sensitive situations. Before your next conversation, ask yourself these three questions. Number one, what do I hope to accomplish? Number two, given what I know about them and the situation, what is likely to be their goal? And number three, what are three open-ended questions that I can ask them that will help me to understand their position? Just taking the time to answer these three questions will do wonders for your confidence and performance in these conversations.

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