write a Discussion Forum post , critically analysing the topic :

Introduction

Understanding the specific cultures of different countries plays a very important role in business communication. Cultural differences between countries often affect business communication to a large extent. Therefore, the purpose of this discussion is to discuss the challenges that culture brings to transnational business communication and the importance of understanding different cultures in business communication.

Body

Business communication refers to the process of communication among employees or between employees and customers or between managers and employees and customers or other cooperative partners in the workplace or outside the workplace. In the process of communication, both parties often use the way of oral communication, non oral communication, letter communication, and other e-mail communication (Hooker, 2012). Therefore, both sides need to have proficient communication skills to ensure smooth communication.

On the one hand, cultural differences between different countries will affect the nonverbal communication in business communication between the two parties. People from different cultural backgrounds have different perceptions and reactions to nonverbal communication, such as eye contact or body language (Gallois, & Callan, 1997). For example, the body movements of the American people are more open and tend to express their feelings more openly; while the body language of British people is more conservative, and they pay attention to controlling their emotions and protecting their privacy. Therefore, cultural differences will bring challenges to the non-verbal communication of transnational business communication.

On the other hand, cultural differences between different countries will affect transnational business exchanges. As the workplace becomes more and more diverse, more and more different cultures pour into the workplace, which will bring obstacles to business communication or lead to pragmatic failure (Rosenbloom & Larsen, 2003). For example, when signing a contract, different cultures may have different standards and definitions for a term or concept in the contract, resulting in significant information asymmetry in the contract. Therefore, the company should train the employees the skill of cross-cultural communication.

Conclusion:

In short, culture plays a very important role in business communication and is a necessary skill for all employees in the workplace.

References:

Gallois, C., & Callan, V. J. (1997).Communication and culture: A guide for practice. John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Hooker, J. (2012). 19 Cultural Differences in Business Communication.The handbook of intercultural discourse and communication,29, 389.

Rosenbloom, B., & Larsen, T. (2003). Communication in international business-to-business marketing channels: Does culture matter?.Industrial marketing management,32(4), 309-315.