Tapping Into Patterns

How to communicate effectively with a global mindset

The most influential photograph ever taken was not taken on the earth at all, but from a viewpoint far above—it is the iconic Earthrise photo, where the earth is shown rising in the distance beyond the barren lunar surface, captured by the first human crew turning around while their spacecraft navigated the moon in lunar orbit. Imagine the enormity of the earth at that moment as a small, delicate blue ball, a single fragile home to one humanity. A home that we are caretakers of together.

And just for a moment, imagine turning in desolate space at this monumental instant, seeing this blue jewel floating softly before your faceplate. Witness in your “mind’s eye” distances vanish and divisions dissolve. A vision of blue and green, with humanity, joined together within this wondrous, but fragile, sphere. A place we’ve called home for thousands of years. Picture everything we have been, are, and might become right at your fingertips in one singular vision. As the photographer and astronaut of the Apollo 8 mission, William Anders, said about that moment of turning around to look back, “We set out to explore the moon, but instead discovered the earth.”

Summoning this vision is important—both as a global communicator and as a world changer.

The most powerful cognitive shift can happen when an astronaut turns back in spaceflight to view the earth; in that moment, all boundaries fall away and clouds of difference part to reveal a fragile planet that we all share. This is termed the overview effect, and in fact, this shift in awareness can be so great that many have said that an astronaut’s view of the earth is the key to sustainability and world peace. So, how do we bring this perspective to our work on Earth in the global marketplace? 

Astronauts have described this transformative experience as leading to a profound sense of interconnectedness, and this interconnectedness is what we need to tap into when we interact across the global canvas. Cultures are now merging from traditional spheres of communication into one dynamic landscape, and the role of the global communicator has taken center stage. But how do we arrive at the skills to communicate and, ultimately, innovate together across the global canvas? We first have to expand our minds and skills interculturally—we have to develop a global mindset.

The key to becoming a global communicator is tapping into the communication patterns between us. If cultures can be defined as “patterns of thinking and doing,” then in our globalized era, these patterns have begun to intersect and overlap now more than ever—recognizing these patterns is our key to communication success. For example, emailing is all too common for many of us, but bringing yourself to a level of effectively emailing counterparts in the US, China, Brazil, or Germany—or anywhere in the world—requires us to “upgrade” our skills with key strategies for an expanded and productive network of global interaction. The first part of each chapter in the book gives a framework; the second part connects the framework to practical strategies across key professional skills, including effective emailing, negotiation, and public speaking—a collection of in-demand performance areas needed to inform and enrich interactions across world markets. These frameworks provide an easy-to-implement path to global communication.  

Drawing on our research backgrounds in psycholinguistics and intercultural communication, we bridge the gap that exists between traditional training in cultural-specific knowledge and the practicalities of putting that knowledge into practice. There has yet to be a dedicated model of cultural competence that shows us how to jump from abstract concepts into an actionable set of principles we can use in today’s global business landscape. However, the solution to communicating effectively across cultures resides in integrating “blueprints” we can then actively work from—connecting perception to specific behavioral skills—ultimately, expanding our ability to operate across cultural settings and enter the future transactions of global business, international relationships, and worldwide innovation.

At the most fundamental level, becoming a global communicator is about more than increasing our earning potential, economic opportunities, and productivity—ultimately being a global communicator is about an authentic dedication to human relationships. To truly integrate world cultures, we professionals and global leaders alike must integrate a vigilant commitment to an understanding of those cultures and their many attributes, psychologies, values, and traditions. With understanding comes connection, and with the dedication to relationships comes the true connection of trust with which to build influence. Once we begin to develop our intellectual and emotional understanding of world cultures, we open limitless opportunities for connection and expansion into new cultural spheres and global market spaces.

The skills within this global mindset allow you to master the art of communicating successfully across all cultures, while honoring the larger cultural context and, at the same time, recognizing the individual within the culture.  Traditional views tend to present a study of culture-driven from fragmented culturally-specific perspectives; however, this book offers a global look at culture akin to the overview effect, a larger perspective on the different continents of the world, and subsequently a wider range of actions for connecting that world. The goal of this book is to be part instructional text and part empowering workbook, with exercises designed to impart valuable self-discovery. At the same time, the tips and strategies intended to inform and enrich interactions, as well as bring global awareness to business communities across world markets and international economies.

Finally, the global communicator is focused on long-term thinking as opposed to short-term thinking—a perspective that is not always culturally universal but, to the global communicator, is essential to establishing everlasting professional international relationships. Globalization is a long-term process. As the world continues to become more integrated through global business practices, an intercultural perspective will become the driving force for succeeding globally, at the individual, national, and multinational levels.

Mastering the art of communication is both the journey and the reward of living for all of us in our shared world as we seek to connect even more deeply with those around us. We are shapers of a better future when we work together.