International Communication Paper

The single most important problem faced in cross-culture communications is ignorance. Interacting with foreign nationals is a tricky business. The road is paved with shortcomings, potholes, roadblocks, and signals misinterpreted by the other side. So how do we deal with this dilemma of international communication? We must know our target audience. The focus of this paper will be involved with Customs and Courtesies, approaches in business, and culture awareness. I will tailor this discussion from a Middle East perspective, for all these communication issues that you will find thru out the world, the problems are alive and well in the middle east. Being a Special Forces soldier for the last twelve years and training thousands of their troops,
Family is the number one priority in the Middle East and it carriers more weight than business. It is as important and is directly linked to the Muslim faith. The American public is currently finding out about the dark side of this faith via 9/11. The Muslim faith is the largest in the world. It is also one of the most calm and caring religions in existence. I have seen very powerful people in the Saudi government get a call from their wife or their mother and leave from an important negotiations right in the middle of it. When I asked later out of concern for this man, he informed me that the cat was sick and that his mother was very upset. This is an example of the priority that they place on their
Greetings can make or break a deal in the Middle East. If you do the standard American greeting; bold, firm handshake, aggressive, and eye-to-eye contact you are already setting yourself for a lose-lose situation. Being Humble in their culture is a sign of strength, not weakness and being outspoken and aggressive is considered rude and UN civilized. As you can see from the material above, this will be a very complicated process. Mannerisms are also very important. Hand gestures or talking with your hands is considered rude and the left hand is considered evil and is not used when eating or extended in any form or fashion. Touching is considered polite and shows friendship and the togetherness of two minds. This is between men. There is no touching of women in public of any kind from men. They walk around holding hands and hold the hands of their