This kind of scenario happens everyday in a mixed culture organization. I have found many foreign executives to be quite successful in reducing this communication gap. Here are some tips that have worked -

• Slow down the speed of your speech. This helps a lot for Thais who are not that familiar with talking in English.
  • When you ask a Thai colleague a question, give him or her time to think about the answer. If you can encourage one word responses instead of sentences, this too would help. Most Thais were taught English in school with a major emphasis on grammar. We were given strong penalties for incorrect grammar. Consequently, when preparing a response in English, Thais are not only considering the answer, they are also translating the answer from Thai and trying to perfect the grammar mentally before saying one word. If Thai staff are encouraged to speak up with more emphasis on the content of the answer rather than the presentation and if they are not put under undue pressure to answer a question quickly then they will gain confidence.

  • Allowing staff time to write down what they are thinking before they respond to questions also helps encourage confidence.

  • Compliment when you get a response whether it is good or bad. I notice that the word "Interesting!" works well. This method is especially useful at the early stage when a foreign boss is just getting to know Thai staff.

  • Treating your staff to lunch from time to time helps build rapport. It is a great way of breaking the ice and you might be surprised how much more forthcoming your staff are over the table in an informal setting. You may get many more questions and feedback over lunch than you ever do in the boardroom.
  I hope the above tips will help your Thai staff relax. Eventually, after building trust and confidence, a foreign employer will be well rewarded by a team of loyal and positive Thai staff.

  Kriengsak Niratpattanasai
  DBS Thai Danu Bank, Bangkok, Thailand

  (This column also appeared in ethailand)