Learning how to adapt to new environments is a valuable skill. Adapting to a location correctly could be critical for your safety, whether in a hostile environment or unfamiliar territory. Knowing how to act appropriately will help you stay safe and build resilience.
In this article, our CEO explores the significance of cultural awareness and why respectful communication can make a difference in any environment. Use these insights to enhance your safety and relationship-building skills in diverse situations and locations.
1) Cultural Awareness and Local Customs
Adapting to a new environment is critical when working or travelling abroad. It is vital to take a bit of time to understand more about where you are. Once you "fit in", you will feel more comfortable and protected. Understanding local customs can make a huge difference and make you feel less like a fish out of water.
Cultural Nuances
Knowing different cultural nuances can help you to integrate better into the local environment. So, what is a cultural nuance? These are subtle differences between behaviour, communication, and customs in countries. Taking time to understand them can prevent potential conflicts.
Showing Respect
Respecting the local customs and culture will also help you gain the support of the local community. Then, if anything goes wrong while you are there, you will be in a far safer position. People are far more willing to help somebody who is respectful towards them.
Practical Advice:
In addition to observing local behaviours and customs, you should never forget to use simple gestures, regardless of who you engage with. Using “Please” and “Thank you” might seem simple, but people appreciate these common courtesy gestures. That person you were kind to could become your “friend in need”.
2) The Role of Respectful Communication in Safety
Respect can be a tool of safety when you are away from home. Demonstrating respect can foster good relations with whoever you meet. It protects you in an unfamiliar environment. That person you were kind to a moment ago could become your “friend in need” in an emergency.
Treat Every Location the Same
It doesn’t matter where you go. You could be staying in a hotel on holiday or deployed anywhere where there may be hostilities. Remembering to be polite with whoever you encounter is the easiest way. Showing respect and being courteous will give you more back in return than anything else you do.
Practical Advice:
Be polite and greet hotel staff, fixers, drivers, and locals even if they may not be polite back to you at that stage. These actions can help in forming quick, positive alliances. It’s about looking for safety in numbers. These alliances could protect you in a dangerous or unusual situation.
3) Building Rapport in Challenging Situations
Developing rapport with locals or coworkers can help you adapt to a new environment. It can also act as a buffer in a challenging or high-stress situation. A quick question or brief conversation can create goodwill. This rapport can be essential when tensions arise.
How To Build Rapport
Building rapport is not challenging to master. It’s about sparking a conversation and showing interest. Imagine that you are talking to a good friend or family member. It will help you relax so you can have a genuine conversation. It all comes down to being decent, even with people who might be awkward with us.
Practical advice:
Ask a receptionist how their day is. Watch for their response to the question. Look at the body language and then react accordingly. Or if a colleague seems stressed, say, “Hi, I noticed you’re feeling off. Is everything okay? Can I help with anything?” Your colleague will feel seen and supported.
4) Understanding Context and History for Improved Interactions
There may also be a cultural background to your new environment. Looking into the “backstory” of a country and knowing historical contexts can also improve interactions. The Crusades and the caste system are good examples. Knowing your history can help you understand their origins and create a bond.
For example, sometimes you can go into a country where people still hate the old Crusades. You have to go in with the mindset of breaking that down. As a proud Welshman, this situation has helped me bond with many people who are also proud of their unique history.
Practical Advice:
Remember to be open to learning about the social and historical landscape of the place. Also, be prepared to accept that sometimes, cultural attitudes are rooted deeply in history.
5) Recognising and Adapting to Organisational Cultures
Depending on where you have been sent to work, there may be a completely different type of organisational culture. You need to get up to speed straightaway and show respect to the local business hierarchy. By following this, you can ensure smooth, professional interactions at work.
A good example is the strict protocols you must follow in Japan. If you go for a business meal in Japan, everybody respects the Chairman. When the Chairman is ready to leave, everything stops, and everybody has to leave at the same time as them.
Practical Advice:
Observe and adapt to workplace hierarchies and local customs so you can work professionally. Before you go to the location, you can learn this as part of your cultural awareness training.
6) Maintaining Resilience and Adaptability in All Situations
It’s important to know that adapting isn’t just about fitting in. It’s also about handling an unfamiliar or hostile environment effectively. Becoming self-aware of how you act in different places and situations can help you become more resilient. It can boost your confidence further, and over time, you become more adaptable.
Practical Advice:
Practice self-awareness and being respectful and not arrogant. Encourage and cultivate a resilient mindset in yourself. It will help you become more adaptable and thrive in varied environments.
In Summary
Staying in hostile or unfamiliar locations can present different challenges. Adapting can increase your safety in diverse environments and complex interactions. Cultural awareness, respectful communication and rapport-building skills can help.
Adapting to your environment can make you more resilient and boost your security. It will also help to foster positive relationships and create cross-cultural understandings. You will arrive as a stranger and leave as someone who has made genuine, personal connections in a new country.
At Blue Mountain Group, our mission is to create a safer world. If you would like to join us and learn more about our Hostile Environment Training (HEFAT) courses, you can download our brochure here. We are also available to help you with any questions. Please fill out our quick and easy form, and we will get back to you.