How To Be Culturally Intelligent In Any Situation

Follow these four guidelines to deal with any situation in a culturally intelligent manner:

1. Begin with positive intent. Your first response to someone else’s behavior should not be to assume they are being rude—and also keep in mind that others may misconstrue your behavior.

2. Seek more information. Most behavior makes sense once explained.

3. Prepare. Consider frustrating situations you’ve encountered before and decide in advance how you’ll handle awkwardness graciously.

4. Be yourself, but adapt. You likely dress, speak, and behave differently in various familiar settings. For example, think about how you present yourself at work as opposed to how you act when you’re with friends. Be similarly willing to shift in intercultural encounters.

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