How can knowing about another country or culture to solve miscommunications?

Well it can help in several ways. It's mostly about perspective, In America we give people a thumbs up as a sign of "good job" or to show that we understand what was told to us, overall its a positive gesture. In other countries like Thailand or Iran a thumbs up can mean the exact opposite of what we know about it. So if we were in Thailand and gave someone a thumbs up with a friendly smile, it would result in a negative response.