Unit 4

Business Communications

Communicating Interculturally

By Ms K HURDAY

2018
What Is Culture?
Symbols Beliefs

Culture Is A Shared System

Thought Patterns
Values Norms
Behaviors

Communication

Attitudes Expectations
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What Is Culture?
 For the purposes of communication, culture can be defined as a
shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations,
and norms for behavior.
 Today’s workforce is composed of people from many cultures. The
interaction of culture and communication is so pervasive that
separating the two is virtually impossible.
 To a large degree, one’sculture influences the way one think and
behave, which naturally affects the way one communicate as both
a sender and a receiver.
Intercultural Sensitivity

Assume Differences Tolerate Ambiguity

Withhold Judgment Look Past the Surface

Show Respect Note Cultural Biases

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Intercultural Sensitivity
 Cross cultural communication is more effective , by following the following
tips:
• Assume differences until similarity is proved. Do not automatically assume
that others think, believe, or behave as you do.
• Withhold judgment. Accept differences in others without judging them.
• Show respect. Learn how respect is communicated in various cultures
(through gestures, eye contact, and so on).
• Tolerate ambiguity. Learn to control your frustration when placed in an
unfamiliar or confusing situation.
• Look beyond the superficial. Do not be distracted by things such as dress,
appearance, or environmental discomforts.
• Recognize own cultural biases. Learn to identify when your assumptions
are different from those of another person.
Intercultural Sensitivity

Remain Flexible Learn When to be Direct

Seek Common Ground Observe and Learn

Deal with Individuals Review Travel Books

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 Intercultural Sensitivity
• Be flexible. Be prepared to change your habits and attitudes when
communicating with someone from another culture.
• Emphasize common ground. Look for similarities from which to work.
• Deal with the individual. Communicate with each person as an
individual, not as a stereotypical representative of another group.
• Learn when to be direct. Investigate each culture so that you will know
when to send a message in a straightforward manner and when to be
indirect.
• Observe and learn. The more you learn, the more effective you will be.
• Review travel guidebooks. These books are a great source of
information about norms and customs in other countries.
Cultural Differences

Contextual Issues Law and Ethics

Nonverbal
Social Customs
Communication

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Cultural Differences
 Problems arise when we assume, wrongly, that other people’s
attitudes and lives are like ours.
 Start by unlearning the “Golden Rule,” of treating others as you
would want them to treat you.
 Instead, treat others the way they want to be treated.
 intercultural sensitivity can be improved by recognizing and
accommodating cultural differences in such areas as context,
ethics, social customs, and nonverbal communication.
Cultural Context

High High
Context Decision-Making Practices Context

Problem-Solving Methods

Low Negotiating Styles Low

Context Context
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 Cultural Context
 People assign meaning to a message according to cultural context:
physical cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit understanding that
convey meaning between two members of the same culture.However
,Culture varies across countries:
 In a high-context culture, people rely less on verbal communication and
more on the context of nonverbal actions and environmental setting to
convey meaning. In a low-context culture, people rely more on verbal
communication and less on contextual cues.
 Cultures differ in their tolerance for disagreement when solving problems.
Low-context businesspeople typically enjoy confrontation and debate, but
high-context businesspersons shun such tactics.
 Members of low-context cultures see their negotiating goals in economic
terms. To high-context negotiators, immediate economic gains are
secondary to establishing and maintaining long-term relationships.
Legal and Ethical Views

Seek Mutual Ground

Withhold Judgment

Respect Differences

Send Honest Messages

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Hall
Legal and Ethical Views

 Cultural context also influences legal and ethical behavior. For example,
because low-context cultures value the written word, written agreements
are binding. High-context cultures put less emphasis on the written word and
consider personal pledges more important than contracts. They also tend to
view law with flexibility; low-context cultures value the letter of the law.
 When communicating across cultures, keep messages ethical by applying
four basic principles:
 Actively seek mutual ground.
 Send and receive messages without judgment.
 Send messages that are honest.
 Show respect for cultural differences.
Social Customs

Formal Informal
Rules Behavior Rules

Status
Manners
and Wealth

Concept of System of Respect for

Time Values Authority

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 Social Customs
 Social behavior varies among cultures, sometimes dramatically.

 Such behavior is guided by numerous rules, some of them formal and specifically
articulated (table manners are a good example) and others more informal and
learned over time (such as the comfortable standing distance between two
speakers in an office or the acceptability of male and female employees socializing
outside work).

 The combination of formal and informal rules influences the overall behavior of
everyone in a society, or at least most of the people most of the time, in such areas
as manners, attitudes toward time, individual versus community values, attitudes
toward status and wealth, and respect for authority.
Nonverbal Communication

Communication Process

Decoding Interpreting
Verbal Messages Nonverbal Signals

Cultural Context
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Nonverbal Communication

 Nonverbal communication is a vital part of the

communication process.
 Everything from facial expressions to style of dress can
influence the way receivers decode messages, and the
interpretation of nonverbal signals can vary widely from
culture to culture.
 Don’t assume that the gestures you grew up with will
translate to another culture; doing so could lead to
embarrassing mistakes.
Negative Cultural Attitudes

Ethnocentrism

Xenophobia

Stereotyping
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 Negative Cultural Attitudes
 The very nature of culture being automatic, coherent, and complete can lead
the members of one culture to form negative attitudes about—and rigid,
oversimplified views of—other cultures.
 Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge all other groups according to your own
group’s standards, behaviors, and customs. When making such comparisons,
people too often decide that their group is superior. An even more extreme
reaction is xenophobia, a fear of strangers and foreigners. Clearly,
businesspeople who take these views will not interpret messages from other
cultures correctly, nor are they likely to send successful messages, either.
 Distorted views of other cultures or groups also result from stereotyping, assigning
a wide range of generalized attributes to an individual on the basis of
membership in a particular culture or social group, without considering the
individual's unique characteristics. Whereas ethnocentrism and xenophobia
represent negative views of everyone in a particular group, stereotyping is more
a matter of oversimplifying and failing to acknowledge individuality.
What Is Cultural Pluralism?

Avoid Assumptions

Accepting
Avoid Judgments
Multiple Cultures

Admit Distinctions

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 What Is Cultural Pluralism?
 To show respect for other people and to communicate effectively in business,
adopt a more positive viewpoint: cultural pluralism is the practice of
accepting multiple cultures on their own terms.
• Acknowledge and accept distinctions. Don’t ignore differences between
another person’s culture and your own.
• Avoid assumptions. Don’t assume that others will act the same way you do,
operate from the same assumptions, or use language and symbols the same
way you do.
• Avoid judgments. When people act differently, don’t conclude that they are
in error, that their way is invalid, or that their customs are inferior to your own.
Written Intercultural Skills

Use Plain English

Strive for Clarity

Use Proper Addresses

Cite Numbers Carefully

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Multicultural Speaking Skills

 Speak clearly and simply

 Look for feedback

 Rephrase as needed

 Clarify your meaning

 Do not “talk down” to others

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Multicultural Speaking Skills

 Learn important phrases

 Listen with care and respect

 Adapt your conversation style

 Check for comprehension

 Clarify what will happen next

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Feedback in the Workplace

Constructive Destructive
Feedback Feedback

Process Focused Personal Attacks

Outcome Focused Unclear Guidelines

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Feedback in the Workplace

 Whether giving or receiving criticism, same must be

done in a constructive way.
 Constructive feedback, sometimes called constructive
criticism, focuses on the process and outcomes of
communication, not on the people involved.
 In contrast, destructive feedback delivers criticism with
no effort to stimulate improvement.
Etiquette in the Workplace

Respect

Courtesy

Common Sense

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Communication Technology

Maintain Perspective

Use Tools Wisely

Connect with People

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Communication Technology
• Keep technology in perspective. Technology is an aid to interpersonal
communication, not a replacement for it. The sheer number of possibilities
in many technological tools can also get in the way of successful
communication.

• Use tools wisely. You don’t have to become an expert to use most
communication technologies effectively, but you will need to be familiar
with the basic features and functions of the tools your employer expects
you to use.
• Reconnect with people frequently. In spite of technology’s efficiency and
speed, it may not be the best choice for every communication situation.
Even in the best circumstances, technology can’t match the rich
experience of person-to-person contact. Moreover, even the best
communication technologies can’t show people who you really are.
Thank you