Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner illustrate this
phenomenon in the diagram below.
A conversation between two Anglo-Saxon/
American speakers typically resembles a tennis
match: Speech is “volleyed” back and forth, with
each speaker slightly overlapping the other.
In a conversation between speakers from a
Latin American or Middle Eastern background,
conversational pauses are shorter, and there’s
much greater overlap between speakers. Finally,
the conversation shown between two speakers
from an Asian background includes extremely
lengthy pauses for the proper and respectful time
allotment for understanding and reflection, with
no overlap between speakers.
As coaches, we’re tasked with understanding
and adapting to the cadences of our clients’
conversations. I’m most familiar with the
back-and-forth of many American coaching
conversations, but I’ve trained myself to become
comfortable jumping into conversation with—and
sometimes even talking over—my Latin American
clients. On the flip side, although I still find long
silences uncomfortable, I’ve learned to embrace
them with many of my East Asian clients, lest I risk
interrupting their natural thought process.
When you find a block or resistance to the
coaching process, try using contextually formed
powerful questions. When I learned that Helen
had come to the U.S. from China as a young
professional, I incorporated open-ended
questions about Chinese cultural norms and
professional expectations into our conversation.
For her, these norms are implicit—they’re
something she just “knows.” As a skilled coach, I
helped her understand how these implicit cultural
norms might not serve her as they did previously.
More than One Tool
It’s important to remember that many factors we
consider as we engage with clients from our own
culture can and should be accounted for when
we initiate intercultural coaching. Consider how
cultural norms (both your own and your client’s)
can shape answers to the following questions:
• Do you prefer starting a conversation with
niceties or getting right to business?
• Is it important to “save face” and be allowed to
gracefully exit a situation where you may have
made a mistake?
• How do your rhythms of communication differ?
A Question of Culture
• What expectations are implicit regarding the
formality of a professional relationship?
As coaches we ask powerful questions to expand
the dialogue around behavioral choices which
evoke a deeper awareness of the challenges your
client is experiencing. But understanding cultural
context will allow you to ask even better questions.
• Is conflict managed directly or indirectly,
or is it situational depending on the power
structure? How are different styles (evasive,
weak, domineering) viewed?
Patterns of Verbal Communication
Anglo-Saxon/American
Speaker A:
Speaker B:
Latin/Middle Eastern
Speaker A:
Speaker B:
Asian
Speaker A:
Speaker B:
Graphic adapted from “Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business,” by Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner (3rd ed., McGraw-Hill, 2011).
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Coaching World |
August 2013