First, we need to realize that the saying “Northeasterners are straightforward” is just a cultural stereotype, and that straightforwardness also has its positive meanings, such as sincerity, openness, and efficient communication. In business negotiations, absolute “straightforwardness” is not necessarily disadvantageous, but in order to adapt to different business occasions and the other party’s culture, companies do need to help employees balance straightforwardness and strategic communication. Here are some feasible suggestions: 1. Develop and communicate clear negotiation strategies and codes of conduct • Set behavioral standards for communication and negotiation for all employees involved in negotiations, and clarify which expressions are more in line with the overall interests of the company. • Emphasize both sincerity and strategy in corporate culture, remind employees to respond flexibly in different scenarios, and avoid being too straightforward and leaving the other party with an offensive or rude impression. 2. Strengthen professional negotiation and communication training • Through professional training and workshops, employees can understand the negotiation etiquette and communication skills of different cultures. • Use case analysis and simulated negotiations to let employees experience and understand how to adjust their expressions to make communication more constructive and strategic. • Organize role-playing exercises to let employees learn how to transform straightforwardness into effective communication in virtual scenarios, and learn to listen and observe the other party’s reactions. 3. Personalized coaching and continuous feedback • In daily management, provide one-on-one coaching for individual employees’ communication styles to help them recognize their strengths and areas that need adjustment. • Establish a feedback mechanism to review after each negotiation to discuss which practices were successful and which areas can be improved, so as to provide a basis for improving communication methods in the future. 4. Integrate multiple cultures and learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses • Encourage team members to share their communication experiences and skills, so that straightforward styles can complement other more subtle strategic communication methods. • In cross-cultural negotiations, colleagues with different backgrounds or longer negotiation experience can be invited to participate so as to provide a “bridge” when necessary and adjust the overall negotiation rhythm and style. 5. Establish a communication culture within the company • Advocate an inclusive and open corporate culture, do not simply characterize a certain type of employee based on region or traditional impressions, but focus on how to maximize the individual strengths of each person. • When problems arise, discuss and improve based on facts and specific cases, rather than generally criticizing the communication style of a “group”. In short, through training, standardization, coaching and cultural construction, the company can not only help employees with straightforward personalities to appropriately adjust their expressions during negotiations, but also fully retain their advantages of sincerity and efficiency, and effectively enhance the competitiveness and professional image of the entire team in various negotiation occasions.