Bridging the Culture Gap: A Practical Guide to International Business Communication, 2nd Edition

Bridging the Culture Gap is a practical guide to international business communication. The more national boundaries a company crosses, the greater the scope for misunderstanding and conflict, especially as globalization gathers momentum and contact between business people from other countries becomes more frequent. To succeed internationally, it is essential to be able to break the barriers of culture, language and set patterns of thinking.

As globalization continues to gathers momentum, the contact between business people from other countries is becoming more and more frequent. The more national boundaries a company crosses, the greater the scope for misunderstanding and conflict. To succeed internationally, it is essential to be able to break the barriers of culture, language and set patterns of thinking.

The second edition of Bridging the Culture Gap, written by two of Canning's most experienced trainers, is a distillation of many years' work and is based on the real-life business situations of their international clients. You'll find out how to interpret the party line, communicate with style, get your message across, be sensitive to other cultures, and ultimately, win the deal. This fully updated new edition also includes a new chapter on making yourself understood in English.

Packed with fascinating cases, cultural awareness scales, communication style tests and practical tips, this lively guide will help anyone - of any nationality - to become a better communicator. Whether you're planning to give a presentation to a cross-cultural group or about to negotiate with an overseas client, Bridging the Culture Gap will ensure that your cultural awareness antennae are well tuned.

About the Authors

Penny Carté is a modern languages graduate who has lived and worked in France, Italy and Japan. During her 31 years with Canning she has run tailored courses for multinational companies from the automotive, pharmaceutical, chemical and financial sectors, and has travelled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. She now specializes in one-to-one coaching, helping senior managers to prepare for specific projects. Since 1988, she has also written and edited a wide range of cross-cultural, management skills and English for Business training materials.

Chris Fox is a politics graduate. He spent six months as a radio broadcaster in Belgrade during the Balkan conflict before taking up a position at the University of Reading, where he taught political and cultural theory. He then went on to work as a researcher and negotiator within a trade union before joining Canning in 1999. He specializes in running media, presentation and negotiation skills seminars across a wide range of sectors, as well as acting as Key Account Manager to some of Canning’s biggest clients, and overseeing Canning’s marketing activities.