The Hindu Business Line : What works with Americans

Use the subject ‘I’ and complete sentences; treating e-mails with the same respect as any other business document makes a good impression. “I will wait for your response,” is how line two in the mail should read.

The signature could have just said Pushpa or the full name Puspha Chandra. An initial appearing after a name is strange in the US.

After receiving these tips, Pushpa asked: “What else do I need to know when I work with Americans?” So I gave it a thought and decided to focus this week’s article on ‘Americans at work’. This is also the title of a book by cross-cultural guru Craig Storti, whom I met recently in Washington DC. He is American by birth and deeply sensitive about Easterners too.

Craig shared many thoughts about his countrymen and women, the “can-do people” — restless and driven, casual and direct— as he calls them, with me. How Americans behave at work and how to deal with them comes through in these insightful tips. I have his permission to share them with you.

Here are two specific communication dos and don’ts that one must follow while working with Americans.

Say the word “No”

Americans don’t understand indirect communicators: If you can’t do something you simply have to use the word ‘no’ in the sentence. No other nicety will drive home the point. For example:

Bob: “Are we still on schedule?”

Nitin: “Oh yes, we are working very hard on it.”

Bob: “Great, my teams are excited to see the finished product.”

If you think you didn’t really commit because you indicated that the project was running late with the phrase “we are working very hard,” then you are wrong. The American heard the “oh yes” and not the “no” and presumes it will be given on time. When you don’t deliver, there will be fireworks!

Avoid understatements

In India, we often talk of a “small suggestion” or something being a “little difficult”. Americans will give this no value while you are trying to save face by understating the matter. If you mention how complicated the job is or how the last time the American had helped you in the hope that he gets the message and offers help, it simply won’t happen. If you need help ask for it directly and boldly and simply use the word “Please” For example, “John, I find this task tough. Can you please work on it with me?” And John may say “sure” or “not right now,” but will know clearly what you need.

Don’t say you understand if you don’t

Americans don’t mind if you say you didn’t understand when they say something. But they do mind when you say you understood and then find you actually didn’t.

If you have a better idea, say so

John: “Let’s go ahead and use the alpha file for this project.”

Ashok: “John, I don’t agree with using alpha. Beta is a better solution. We tested it in our lab.”

Remember, Americans will not understand any of the following techniques that you and I may employ if we want to disagree on a subject:

Asking a lot of questions:

John: “Let’s use the alpha file.”

Ashok: “Oh, do you mean the alpha file which we used for the last project? Which we had in the Delhi and Bangalore teams? Will it work out fast enough?”

Changing the subject:

John: “Let’s use the alpha file.”

Ashok: “I sent the update on the other project also to your team last evening.”

Answering their question with another question:

John: “You will use the alpha file for this project, right?”

Ashok: “Why are we doing this programme in html?”

Saying nothing

Silence will be taken as agreement, not doubt as you may have intended.

So if you say things bluntly, it will actually work because they will only think it is direct. I know when Americans are direct, we may think they are rude and they need to soften up there.

The middle-ground needs to be reached and we simply have to be aware that we look at the world from two different cultural viewpoints. Adapting our styles makes for effective communication.

(The writer is CEO of Global Adjustments, a company that offers integrated India destination services and cross-cultural education delivered through the portal www.globalindian.com)