Cultural Intelligence to Empower Women in Global Trade

It was a privilege to talk to a room full of inspiring female entrepreneurs earlier in April about the power of cultural intelligence and global communication skills when doing business overseas. 

The theme of the event was Empowering Women in Global Trade and talks covered the practicalities of exporting overseas, from market research and due diligence to working to effectively with partners to navigating safety regulations.

My talk was a deep dive into bridging cultures and mastering communication for global success and I shared practical tips including:

• When considering cultural differences go small; one side of a country may have very different norms to the other side, or the public sector may operate very differently to the corporate world

• Remember that operating in a second language is hard and simplifying your communication will help partners to process your message more easily

• Pay attention to what is not said as much as the spoken or written message

• Consider how you build credibility in the cultures you are exploring

• Use experts for translation and go for localisation rather than simple translation – I shared some marketing gaffes that highlight the importance of this

I echoed other speakers’ messages about investing time in building relationships and ensuring you do your cultural due diligence.  My key message was that we need to reflect on how we come across when working in unfamiliar markets and to remember that what works well at home may not be as effective in another culture. 

Your normal may not be other people’s normal and the platinum rule is more important than the golden rule. We should treat other people as they would like to be treated rather than as we would like to be treated. Cultural intelligence means understanding other perspectives and knowing when and how to adapt our own behaviours.

Thanks to the Department for Business and Trade for organising this insightful event and inviting me to speak.