Cultural Perceptions Of Voice

Differences in cultural perceptions are numerous.  If you are in international sales, there are a variety of perceptions that may change when you start selling to different cultures.

Today, let’s look at the…

Sounds Of Languages

Volume

There are cultural differences in acceptable volumes.  Some cultures seem to only speak loud enough for others to hear them.  While in other cultures it is good to turn up the volume.

Intonation or pitch

Intonation is when we speak in a high or low pitch. Some cultures use a wider variety of intonations in their speech.

There are also cultural differences in perception here.  If you are not used to lots of intonations in speech, how would you react to someone who does this naturally?

Another example: A man with a high pitched voice come across differently in different cultures.

Stress or emphasis

Different languages put different emphasis on different parts of words and sentences.

For example, in English we put extra emphasis on important words when we speak.

So what happens when a non-native English speaker emphasizes English words differently. This can come across as strange and influence your perception of this communication.

Pace or speed

Do you notice how some languages seem to go faster than others? Now, can you think of any languages that seem to go slow?

And what about the length of silences in a conversation? There are also differences in cultural perception here too. Some people get uncomfortable sooner than others with silence in a conversation.

Flow of words

This is a hard one to describe if you have not heard many foreign languages.  There are languages where it is hard to identify the words.  The words seem to melt together rather than merge.

Now when someone speaks English as a second language and tries to flow the words together a bit too fast, what is your perception?

Objectivity In Cross-Cultural Communication

All of the above differences are interesting to notice.  But, as an international sales professional, there is little you can do about it.

Of course, you will always try to speak clearly with international clients, but even if you forget to do this, incomprehension on the other side, will make you slow down and take the time to speak well.

But, what about your own reactions?  Are you aware of how your own perceptions to the cultural differences you pick up from your international clients?  Does this influence your own communication?

The best line of action is to remain objective and tolerant to the differences you notice.  And if you think you should react to any differences in the elements above, at least wait long enough to make an more intellectual evaluation.

More From Cindy

Interested in reading more on my personal opinions and experiences with cultural communication and international sales?

CindyKing.biz on cross-cultural communication

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This is part of the Get International Clients Business Guide 5 Connect With Your International Markets Be sure to check out the other useful tips to connect with your international markets.

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Tagged as: cross communication, cultural behaviors, cultural perceptions, voice