Yes-Yes or Yes-No? How Cross-Cultural Communication Affects P.R

Hi guys,

My name is Molly and I am one of a lucky few to have nabbed myself an intern position at GO Communications. GO is an international Public Relations firm based in Malaysia. So that’s where you’ll currently find me; living and working in the hot, bustling madhouse that is Kuala Lumpur.

I walked into this experience with my expectations deliberately low. As I started telling people leading up to departure, all I want to do is keep an open mind and be receptive to new experiences (side note:  it probably sounded more like ‘well, um, I just want to be open-minded and not, like, freak out or anything’). When asked what I looked forward to most, the answer was simple; the chance to work in an entirely different culture, broaden my horizons and the food of course. Boy, have I got all that I wished for!

Malaysia is country that is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. This diversity affects everything from politics, to business, to the languages spoken day-to-day. The three largest demographic groups are Malay (60.3%), Chinese (22.9%), and Indian (7.1%) – each of these groups bring their own belief, values and way of life to this melting pot of a country. Another game-changer is the state’s religion; the constitution of Malaysia declares it to be Islamic whilst allowing freedom for Non-Muslims.

So how does all of this affect my work at GO? Where do I start! First, the office operates around the three primary language groups of the country; English, Chinese, and Malay. Not only does this make the task of media monitoring more challenging, it also means that any transaction outside the office involves interacting with people whose English may not be 100%. To date I've found intercultural communication involves being patient, remaining calm and enunciating clearly in order to make sure wires aren’t being crossed.

Religion also plays a part in the corporate world. Being an Islamic country modest work attire is a must. This rule does not really apply in the GO Office (heck, my colleagues walk around in thongs!) but when entering government buildings women are required to be covered and at any event you attend it’s safest to adhere to that rule too. Given this, I never leave for a day at work without a jacket slung under my arm – just in case!

Last but certainly not least, the concept of ‘saving face’ is huge in Malaysia. Saving face is a desire to avoid embarrassment, to maintain dignity and preserve your reputation. In an attempt to avoid disappointing you, many Malaysians say ‘yes’ even if  they may not actually mean the affirmative (Yes-no is a thing here –Gah, so confusing!).  This has huge implications for public relations and business in general. Imagine pitching an idea to a client and not knowing whether they truly like your idea. Or perhaps, calling a newsroom to see whether they are covering your event and only receiving an ‘um, yes…’ in reply. To overcome this, you often you have to talk around the topic to determine whether their yes is real.  This can make day-to-day planning very uncertain; but it also makes you more attune to peoples body language, their gestures and their tone of voice. Given the fact that most of the time it’s not what people say; it’s the way they say it, learning how to be more observant will do nothing but benefit me in the future.

Until next time,
Molly