Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Saving Face summary
Maya Hu-Chan
How to Preserve Dignity and Build Trust
26 mins
Brief summary
Saving Face by Maya Hu-Chan explores the cultural differences in navigating conflicts and building relationships across East and West. It offers practical strategies and principles to build trust and strengthen communication in a diverse workplace.
Topics
Table of Contents
Saving Face
Summary of 9 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 9
“Face” is a complex social currency that governs our relationships.
Here’s a disaster scenario: You’re in charge of your company’s cash flow process. Under your watch, someone has embezzled huge amounts of money. Worse still, you didn’t catch the theft until it was too late. Will your colleagues take you seriously ever again?
Well, that depends. If your boss disciplines and demeans you in a company-wide email, probably not. But if she talks to you in private and then publicly announces that she trusts you to redesign a more secure system, you might leave the situation unscathed.
The difference? In the second scenario, your boss has helped you save face.
The key message here is: “Face” is a complex social currency that governs our relationships.
The concept of “face,” as in the phrase “saving face,” can be hard to define. That’s because in this context, “face” doesn’t mean your physical visage. This version of face is a rough translation of the Chinese word miàn zi. It doesn’t have an exact equivalent in English. However, it’s close to concepts like respect, dignity, and credibility.
So, your “face” corresponds to the level of esteem you have of yourself and to the status and respect you are given in your community. Someone with lots of face, like an honored elder, will carry themselves with confidence and pride and often be treated with appreciation and deference by others. Someone with little face, like a disgraced politician, can expect the opposite; they will be mocked and ridiculed.
It’s important to remember that face isn’t a constant quality. In practice, it’s actually more like money. It can be accrued and lost over time in accordance with your actions. A healthy relationship built on empathy and respect will increase face for both participants. However, being deceitful or disrespectful will make you lose face in the eyes of others.
While this may all sound very abstract, it’s actually a useful way of understanding the social world. Consider your own life. Those you know who are successful in business or popular in your community most likely cultivate face for themselves and others. And you’ve probably considered the status of your own face at work and at home – even if you didn’t use that same terminology.
In the next blink, we’ll continue exploring how face works. And, crucially, we’ll look at how to avoid losing it.
Want more?
Read or listen to the key ideas
from 7,500+ titles
Read or listen to the key ideas
from 7,500+ titles
Key ideas in Saving Face
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Saving Face about?
Saving Face (2020) adapts the multifaceted concept of “face” to the modern world. This practical guide shows how to build and maintain healthy and productive business and social relations across time and space.
Saving Face Review
Saving Face (2021) by Maya Hu-Chan is a thought-provoking exploration of cross-cultural communication in the global workplace. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It offers practical strategies to navigate the complexities of cultural differences, fostering understanding, and building strong relationships.
- The book provides real-life examples and case studies, offering valuable insights into the experiences of individuals from different cultures and backgrounds.
- With its insightful analysis of communication styles and cultural norms, the book keeps readers engaged, presenting a fascinating perspective on the global business landscape.
Best quote from Saving Face
The ability to save face is the first and most important step in a leaders ability to retain talent and have the group work as a team.
—Maya Hu-Chan
Who should read Saving Face?
- Managers interested in fostering a humane, communicative, and inspiring workplace
- Remote workers attempting to sustain healthy business relationships
- Anyone curious about cross-cultural psychology
Categories with Saving Face
Book summaries like Saving Face
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
33 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
Saving Face FAQs
What is the main message of Saving Face?
The main message of Saving Face is the importance of cross-cultural communication and understanding.
How long does it take to read Saving Face?
The reading time for Saving Face varies depending on the reader's speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Saving Face a good book? Is it worth reading?
Saving Face is a valuable read for anyone interested in improving their cross-cultural communication skills. It offers practical insights and strategies in a concise format.
Who is the author of Saving Face?
The author of Saving Face is Maya Hu-Chan.
What to read after Saving Face?
If you're wondering what to read next after Saving Face, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- How Highly Effective People Speak by Peter Andrei
- How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- The Humor Habit by Paul Osincup
- Resilient by Rick Hanson with Forrest Hanson
- Difficult Conversations Don't Have to Be Difficult by Jon Gordon & Amy P. Kelly
- Super Human by Dave Asprey
- What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School by Mark H. McCormack
- Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan
- The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins