I had the wonderful honour to keynote for the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), presenting a customized talk titled, “50 Shades of Beige: Building and Bridging Cultures with Communication”.

Prior to becoming a keynote speaker, I managed the immigration office for the Province of Alberta and had a settlement and services company assisting oil and gas expatriates working with multinationals. These experiences coupled with my passion for travel drove the content for this keynote.

Though customized for incentive travel, any company or association that has a global clientele or even a culturally diverse staff would benefit from some of the tactical strategies I shared.

How to Communicate with a Cross-Cultural Advantage

Successful organizations understand that being able to communicate cross-culturally in the workplace leads to enhanced productivity, performance, and employee engagement. Below are a few tips I shared to empower my audience to communicate with a cross-cultural advantage.

Learn Key Phrases

Many are intimidated to learn a new language or even a few words in a language that is not their mother tongue. It feels awkward and unfamiliar. Yet, a simple hello or thank you when traveling for work or even trying to explore a new global market can go far in building trust and connection. Xiè Xie (phonetically pronounced “ SHYEH – shyeh”) is thank-you in Mandarin and annyeonghaseyo (phonetically pronounced as “ahn-nyong-hah-seh-yo”) is a formal way to say hello in Korean. By getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and trying new things — even if unfamiliar — it can assist in fostering relationships.

Cultures, Values, and Beliefs

Values differ amongst cultures. Individualists who mostly reside in North America will place value differently than collectivists who mostly reside in India, China, Philippines, and Mexico.

Certain numbers carry significance with certain cultures. In China, the number 8 symbolizes wealth and prosperity. For example, a curated incentive travel program could be curated for the top 88 performers with 8 signature activities.

It comes down to the golden versus platinum rule. The golden rule is to treat people the way you wish to be treated yet the platinum rule is to treat people the way they wish to be treated.

Monochronic Verses Polychronic Time

Most individualist cultures believe in monochronic time. Monochronic time refers to a system where tasks are completed one at a time, following a linear pattern, emphasizing schedules, punctuality, and prioritizing one task at a time.

Most collectivist cultures believe in polychronic time. Polychronic time refers to a cultural perspective where multiple tasks or events can happen simultaneously, meaning people often multitask and prioritize relationships over strict schedules, viewing time as flexible and fluid, rather than linear; cultures considered polychronic often value “being” over “doing” and may prioritize personal connections during work hours. 

This construct can become very frustrating for individualistic cultures such as North Americans where the phrase “time is money” exists. This phrase does not exist outside of North America. It is imperative for individualists to understand when operating in global markets how important placing relationships over time can be. It might mean when traveling abroad for business development to schedule less meetings in a day and more time for “breaking bread” together.

I was overwhelmed, honoured, and humbled with the post-event feedback received including:

Your presentation was fantastic. I could leave the conference now and feel like I got my money’s worth with the education I wanted this week.

One of the best, if not THE best, keynote I’ve ever experienced in my decade in this industry. Thank you so very much for these data driven, cultural insights, as we came together as one, globally.

Important conversation and education especially in a world where more unity and connectivity is needed. You are helping accomplish this. Thank you.

Though attendees represented different cultures, countries, and corporations, we came together as one.

Ready to Build Cross-Cultural Communication in Your Organization?

Tina Varughese is a globally recognized human connection expert and bestselling author. She inspires audiences to transform their workplaces into environments where employees feel empowered to share ideas, ask questions, take risks, and communicate openly without fear of judgment or retribution. Her proven tools and techniques help organizations build cultures of collaboration, curiosity, and compassion — remaining adaptive, agile, and authentic to pave the way for impactful change.

Contact us to learn more about Tina and how her engaging keynotes transform workplaces through authentic communication, inclusive leadership, and human connection that drives meaningful organizational change.