International Communication: Checking Comprehension

"Alright, another thing you might want to try when you are communicating with people from different cultures is check frequently for comprehension. And what I'm talking about is you're exchanging information, you're talking, they're talking...you may not always know for sure if they are fully comprehending, understanding what you're talking about, especially if they're giving you back a lot of non-verbals, like just nodding their head or saying, "uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh". So you want to make statements to them, "Do you understand what I'm talking about?" "Do you understand what I'm saying?" "Do you understand that there will be a test on Friday?" And these...it's better if you do specific statements like, "Do you understand that there will be a test on Friday?" rather than "Do you understand?" So you don't have to do it after everything you say, but it's a really good idea, as the conversation is developing and going along that every once in awhile you throw in the question, checking for comprehension, making sure they understand, because for them, on the other end, if they don't understand and you are not asking them if they understand, they might feel really bad saying "I don't understand." So always be checking."