Communication is about sharing of information between two people.

We communicate with each other every day. We communicate through conversation, our expressions and body language, social media, email, telephone, etc. We have to admit the fact that we rely on our communication skills to further our friendships, plan vacations, order dinner, express our opinions, ask for help, negotiate deals, etc. 

However, in contemporary society, as the world is getting more and more hybrid and intercultural, we may confront various misunderstandings and confrontations that perhaps result from many different interacting sources such as inadequate perception and comprehension at different linguistic levels, gaps in interlocutors' knowledge of the world, and so forth. 

Considering this situation, "On The Table" is a special column launched by In Zhejiang, which primarily focuses on the topic of "communication" in today's globalized world. We would like to make it a column for each one of you to understand the causes of miscommunications and misunderstandings in a globalized world, so as to improve your intercultural communication skills. 

We are happy to receive your pieces on topics related to "communication", such as stories about communication in a cross-cultural organizational scenario, communication failures in your daily life, or some tips that you would like to share to help improve communication skills. 

Kindly send your pieces to our official mailbox: inzhejiang@126.com, or engage with us on our Facebook page, Twitter page with the hashtag #OnTheTable 

Editor: Ye Ke