Joab Meyer has been studying Chinese language and culture for nearly 20 years and lived in Shanghai for seven years. He is passionate about the knowledge of Chinese culture being effectively applied in developing healthy communities and companies in the fast-changing China market. To that end, he has published China-related field research on technology transfer, intellectual property protection and the strategic importance of corporate social responsibility. He has also spoken in the U.S. and China about a variety of business topics including the effective use of social media tools and best practices for leadership development. He is eager to use his skills to play an active part in the transformation that is taking place in China.
Feel free to connect with Joab by e-mail, Twitter (@joabmeyer) or LinkedIn.
When we encounter cross-cultural differences like the indirect communication style featured in my recent post on the rule of three we have a choice. You either complain about the difference and become frustrated or seek to understand it better and adapt.
Effective communication requires engagement from both ends of the communication cycle—both the ability to send a message and receive feedback from your audience. Using this cycle to reach a common understanding is more of an art than a science—even when we communicate with others from our home culture. However, it is even more challenging when communicating cross-culturally in China.
The first two parts of this series outlined the importance social media tools in China and drilled down into what makes the WeChat messaging platform so innovative. This post will focus on practical tips for using any social tool to drive deeper connections and more effective interactions with your Chinese colleagues.
What makes WeChat innovative is not only that it offers first rate messaging features, but more importantly provides easy access to other valuable services.
Social media is impacting societies across the globe, but China's social technology landscape is unique and largely unknown to those outside China. Honestly, how many people outside of China have ever heard of any of the popular social technology brands listed in the image below?