What steps can you take to improve your intercultural conversation skills,both as a speaker and as a listener?

To be more effective in intercultural conversations,remember these tips: (1)Speak slowly and clearly; (2)don't rephrase until it's obviously necessary (immediately rephrasing something you've just said doubles the translation workload for the listener); (3)look for and ask for feedback to make sure your message is getting through; (4)don't talk down to the other person by over enunciating words or oversimplifying sentences; and (5)at the end of the conversation,double-check to make sure you and the listener agree on what has been said and decided.As a listener,you'll need some practice to get a sense of vocal patterns.The key is simply to accept what you hear without jumping to conclusions about meaning or motivation.Let other people finish what they have to say.If you do not understand a comment,ask the person to repeat it.Any momentary awkwardness you might feel in asking for extra help is less important than the risk of unsuccessful communication.