One good place to begin thinking about cross-cultural communication is with a hard look at your own assumptions about others. It’s likely that your judgment on what’s “normal” is based on assumptions you are not even aware of. But remember: behavior that is considered out of place in one context may appear perfectly normal in another. What’s considered “normal” in a Facebook note or text message would be anything but in a request for an internship with a law firm. If you want to communicate with people across cultures, try to learn something about the norms in those cultures and, even more important, be aware of the norms that guide your own behavior.

Remember that most of us tend to see our own way as the “normal” or right way to do things. How do your own values and assumptions guide your thinking and behavior? Keep in mind that if your ways seem inherently right, then—even without thinking about it—you may assume that other ways are somehow less than right.