Intercultural Business Presentations

In order for any kind of presentations to be effective, it is essential to appreciate the audience one is addressing. Hence, audience analysis is an important part of the initial preparation. Factors like the age group, the degree of professionalism and familiarity with the topic need to be taken into consideration. These considerations must include an assessment as to how much can be assumed to be already known. In an international business environment, another crucial dimension comes into play, namely the cultural particularities of the countries being involved in the interaction.
As Schmidt et al. point out, the key to success in intercultural relationships is the identification of similarities and differences as compared to one’s own culture (2007, p.65, 69). From this derives a cultural competence that enables to work effectively across cultures.
Cultural dimensions in models of national culture depicted by researchers like Hall and Hofstede can provide indications as to what might affect intercultural business presentations. Therefore these are to be considered in order to identify premises, which should be followed when preparing for such a cross cultural business setting. By doing so, it is assumed that the basic particularities of these dimensions are known and therefore do not need detailed explanation.