Introduction Interpersonal communication refers to “communication that takes place between two parties” (Adler, 2006). It entails daily exchange of formalities and informality carried out through verbal or nonverbal means. The two parties involved in this communication engage in either sending or receiving messages. The effectiveness of this communication relies on immediate feedback. Several factors hinder successes of interpersonal communications. However, the main ones include misunderstanding and cultural difference. It is difficult to assume barriers in cross-cultural communications. The only solutions for managing such barriers depend on participants’ inputs in communications. For instance, individuals learn how to show interest and prepare to learn others’ culture, reduce vagueness, appreciate differences between themselves and others in different cultural set ups, perfect communications and prepare themselves for cultural shocks. In organisational set ups, culture plays a role in determining the manner in which employees approach authorities, the way they comprehend the significance of group synchronisation, gender issues and their reactions towards managing life issues. For individuals’ success in interpersonal communications with others from different cultures to occur, a number of essential skills and characteristics are critical success factors. They should demonstrate self awareness, patience, open-mindedness and desire for knowledge. The primary sets of skills above foster personal, intuitive, and sympathetic tactics of carrying activities in harmony that impart themselves to working with the unknown in intercultural set ups. However, individuals ought to utilise operational tools and practical skills to aid in self-expression and adaptation of styles of the aimed culture (Knapp and Vangelisti, 2008). Intercultural communication and success at work In today’s business competitive world, firms look to employ a range of workers that have abilities to communicate effectively with people of different personalities and cultural backgrounds. To achieve success in interpersonal communications at the workplace, appreciating cultural differences should be an initiative in the business world as this presents as an opportunity or threats in personal or business encounters. Individuals should possess what some authors refer to as “global mindset” that calls for a wider aspect of keenness, peripheral visions, and numerous interpretations which reflect open-mindedness instead of insisting on hypotheses” (Lane, 2009). Individuals should also strive and achieve cultural competence (DeVito, 2004). This entails recognising various conditions of minds, studying cultures, individuals’ customs, and preparedness to modify behaviours and prospects accordingly. People form opinions in processes of learning. Such opinions result into formations of attitude. Attitude leads to reactions in obvious ways towards objects or situations. These formations of attitude result into stereotypes, which people’s mental orientations utilise in labelling individuals (Adler, 2006). When people encounter new colleagues from foreign countries at workplaces, the first response is to stereotype, an indicating factor of bringing out cultural differences. How