June 1, 2002

Clients and their customers are becoming increasingly global. The ability to cross international boundaries and communicate messages of multinational companies to a global audience requires a flexible and diverse workforce able to understand and interpret the subtle nuances of varied cultures. But what skills are needed to successfully execute public relations on a global scale? Are these skills learned or innate? To a large extent, core tactical skills are transferable from country to country, however, a truly accomplished global PR practitioner also possesses a high level of what is referred to as "cultural fluency." According to James Calvert Scott, in his article "Developing cultural fluency: The goal of international business communications instruction in the 21st century," (Journal of Education for Business, 1/01/1999), cultural fluency is defined as the "ability to identify, understand and apply cultural variables that influence the communicative behaviors of members of other groups, so the receivers' and senders' message meanings regularly match." Specifically, our ability to understand how audiences around the world are affected by different cultural, political and social influences, which ultimately impact the way they like to communicate.

Developing cultural fluency is, according to Scott, the goal of international business communication instruction in the 21st century - and nowhere is this more important than in the practice of global public relations.

Cultural fluency is largely inherent - PR skills are learned

Remember that the fundamental PR skills defining our profession, such as press releases, media relations and launch events, can be learned and applied around the world (with some minor adaptations). However, with an understanding of the cultural predispositions of a country, subtle nuances and "unwritten rules" in different regions - the true practice of global PR can really take place. Having cultural fluency goes beyond recognizing that different regions speak different languages and eat different foods. It is a fine art that comes with much practice and training.

Take for an example, a PR practitioner who moved from Australia to the U.S. In her first few weeks, she invited an editor of The Wall Street Journal and Fortune, among others to coffee. Her attempts failed, in part because this is uncommon practice in the U.S. This would've worked at home, where the pool is slightly smaller, the media community more familiar, and the editors of the most elite publications open and willing to meet and greet socially. Another example is of a UK-born practitioner that learned a lesson on how regions approach the concept of planning ahead. While arranging for a visit to Delhi from a senior executive at a multinational corporation, he attempted to schedule interviews weeks in advance. When he proceeded to call journalists, they were baffled as to why he had called so far in advance.

These very tactical examples illustrate that what can readily be assumed as standard operating procedure in one country, certainly is not in another. Cultural fluency must become a part of a PR practitioner's core proficiencies to be successful in practicing global public relations.

Recognizing and fostering cultural fluency

While most theorists recognize the need for cultural fluency in practicing international business, research suggests that few companies actually are able to develop a process for implementing. According to Scott, "A review of relevant literature suggests that theorists, researchers, and writers have given limited attention to the process of acquiring cultural fluency in business settings." We can see evidence of this in our own industry, as developments in international practice focus on methodologies and product sets rather than less tangible offerings such as cultural fluency. How can global PR agencies build cultural fluency? Here are a few tips:

1. Acknowledge diversity. Recognize that cultural differences do exist and show themselves in unexpected ways. For example, both verbal and non-verbal communication styles differ widely between cultures and can easily be misinterpreted by someone not familiar with varying cultural mores.
2. Develop a business structure of processes that acknowledge diversity. This begins by documenting the level of cultural diversity within the client's business and within the scope of PR being carried out. With a clear understanding of potential challenges, the efficiency of PR programs and therefore client budgets can be maximized.
3. Use local perspective as a powerful weapon. A well-developed level of cultural fluency is nothing without an equally acute sense of local perspective provided by people on the ground in those countries. Use perspective and knowledge of a local community as a powerful weapon.
4. Foster diversity among your own staff and use it as a training ground for working with clients. There is power to be gained by creating a team with no cultural boundaries. People in the organization get first-hand experience working with different cultures and can share their experiences with colleagues across the world. Clients gain the power of a consistent methodology and a wealth of different perspectives with multicultural experiences, ultimately leading to better consultancy. Provide your practitioners with forums to communicate with each other about their native countries, identify "cultural ambassadors" within your agency; expatriates and people who've worked abroad that can provide insight into the cultures they've experienced directly. There is no substitution for multicultural experiences, and an agency culture that fosters diversity reaps the benefits in both client and staff retention rates.
5. A company culture can serve as the common thread. Most importantly, a common company culture can serve as the backbone that supports and draws people together across multiple nations and ultimately fosters cultural fluency. A common corporate culture can take a primary role in driving behavior when it is based on principles that every one can understand and support - integrity, trust, work hard/play hard ethic, quality. This is where real richness of cultural fluency becomes apparent, as clients experience consistency not only in quality and type of service they receive from country to country, but also in the type of people they work with; "different but the same" as united by common corporate cultures, working toward the same goals.

Aedhmar Hynes is chief executive officer of Text 100 Public Relations, a global technology public relations agency.

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