Today, I’m joined by Dr. Catherine Hua Xiang, an applied linguist, educator, and award-winning author who specializes in intercultural communication and language learning. Catherine leads East Asian languages at the London School of Economics and Political Science, serves as Program Director for LSE’s BSc International Relations and Chinese program, and is the UK Director of the Confucius Institute for Business London.

In this episode, Catherine and I explore what great communication really looks like in a global environment. We talk about building rapport and managing relationships, why knowing your audience is more than just a best practice, and how cultural differences shape expectations, politeness, and even everyday interactions.

As AI continues to change how we work and communicate, Catherine offers a powerful reminder about the unique value of learning other languages and what it unlocks in empathy, perspective, and connection.

Let’s dive in.

Additional Resources:

► Follow Communispond on LinkedIn for more communication skills tips:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/communispond

► Connect with Scott D'Amico on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdamico/

► Connect with Catherine on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-hua-xiang-75890599/

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https://communicast.simplecast.com/

► Learn more about Communispond:

https://www.communispond.com