Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Chairman of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Ralph Waters Australians tend to have a loose and frank conversational style with some irreverence, according to British linguist Richard D. Lewis.
Lewis, in his book When Cultures Collide, uses charts and flow diagrams to show distinct approaches to communication during meetings by people from different countries.
He says: “Determining national characteristics is treading a minefield of inaccurate assessment and surprising exception. There is, however, such a thing as a national norm.”
He says a working knowledge of the basic traits of other cultures will minimise unpleasant surprises, give insights in advance, and enable us to interact successfully with other nationalities.
Lewis’ diagrams show how cultures use language to communicate during meetings, with wider shapes showing greater conversational range, obstacles marked in grey, and cultural traits noted as well.
Here’s the diagram for Australians:
See the diagrams for other countries here:
Read: 25 Fascinating Charts Of Negotiation Styles Around The World
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