BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Part 1:
Foundations of Business
Communication
 Recap of Last Lecture
• What is communication?
• Communication is divided into…?
• What is business communication?
• What is internal communication?
• What is external communication?
• What are the purposes of organization
documents?
 Overview
This lecture will touch on:
• Communication problems and their
solutions
• Intercultural Business Communication
Communication Problems
 Communication Problems
Why do communication problems happen?
• Inappropriate choice of words
• Inappropriate channel
• Inappropriate message
• Receiver inattention
• Lack of courtesy by the sender or the
receiver
• Nonverbal communication that does not
support the words
 Communication Problems
Why do communication problems happen?
• Poor layout and presentation
• Inappropriate timing
• Inadequate feedback
• Different cultural backgrounds
Solving Communication Problems
• Listen carefully
• Speak clearly and directly to the other
person
• Ask questions
• Give feedback
• Match the verbal and non verbal parts of
the total message
• Understand the culture of the receiver
 Solving Communication Problems
• Reduce information overload, and simplify
message complexity
• Minimize message competition
• Choose the correct method, medium &
channel
• Be ethical, polite and respectful of the
receiver
• Try to eliminate any physical distraction
Intercultural Business
Communication
 Intercultural Business
Communication
• As the world gets more globalized,
business must also follow the trend
• To find new customers, resources,
materials, money
• However, doing business on a global scale
can be daunting because of the many
dynamics in different societies
 Culture: The Basics
• Human values, priorities and practices are
shaped by the culture they grow up with
• As one ventures to other countries, they
will discover the uniqueness and
differences in the way other people
behave and work
 Culture: The Basics
• Culture - a shared system of symbols,
beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations and
norms of behavior
• Subcultures – distinct or hidden groups
that exist within a major culture
• Intercultural communication - process of
sending and receiving messages between
people of different cultures
 Culture: The Basics
Cultures can be categorized to two groups:
• High Context Cultures
• Low Context Cultures
 High Context Cultures
• Most of the information is inferred from
the context of the message
• Messages are not directly conveyed in the
message
• Japanese, Arabic, Latin America,
Malaysian cultures
 Low Context Cultures
• Most of the information is more explicitly
conveyed, with less emphasis on context
• Messages are more direct and straight-
forward
• German, Scandinavian, North American
cultures
 High & Low Context Cultures:
A Comparison
High Context Low Context
Preferred Communication Indirectness, politeness, Directness,
Strategy ambiguity confrontation, clarity
Reliance on words to
Low High
communicate
Reliance on non verbal
High Low
signs to communicate
Importance of written
Low High
word
Agreements made in
Not binding Binding
writing
Agreements made orally Binding Not binding
Attention to detail Low High
Source: Adapted from David A. Victor, International Business Communication (New York: Harper Collins, 1992)
 Cultural Differences
• All around the world, cultures differ from
one another
• The differences can either be very obvious
or very subtle
• Seen in non verbal & oral forms
 Cultural Differences:
Values, & Beliefs
• Values & Beliefs affect our response to
people and situations, usually
subconscious
• A society’s culture affects its members’
view and their responses
 Cultural Differences:
Values, & Beliefs
Values Cultures / Religion
Competition Americans & Japanese
Success Americans & English
Individualism Americans & Japanese
Work Culture Americans & Canadians
Food Consumption Muslims, Christians, Hindus
Surnames American/European & Asian
Writing System European, Arabic, Japanese
 Cultural Differences:
Practices
• People all over the word have either two
distinct working practices
• Monochronic – Do only one important
activity at a time
• Polychronic – Do several things at once
• The differences will indeed affect any
intercultural working environment
 Cultural Differences:
Non Verbal Communication
• Non verbal communication can also be
misinterpreted, especially in intercultural
communication
• The misinterpretation may happen in body
language, space, time perception & other
non verbal symbols
Time for a break!
 Body Language:
Eye Contact
• American Caucasians see eye contact as a
sign of honesty
• Other cultures view eye contact differently
• Puerto Rican children, Korean “rank”, male
& female
 Body Language:
Eye Contact
• The differences may lead to
miscommunication
• Eg. Superiors feel their subordinates are
disrespectful even though the
subordinates are being fully respectful
(based on their culture)
 Body Language:
Smiles
• Culturally, people smile for different
reasons
• Americans – doesn’t “mean” anything,
Germans – only at friends, Japanese –
only when they’re pleased or amused
 Body Language:
Gestures
• Gestures are simplified forms of “words”
channeled through body language
• Gestures can lead to miscommunication if
we do not know the meaning of the
gesture in foreign society
• No body gesture has the same meaning in
all societies
 Body Language:
Gestures
Gestures Cultural Meaning
Nodding head Malaysia – Yes
Bulgaria - No
Thumbs up America – good work, go
ahead
Greece – an insult
OK sign America – Okay
Southern Italy – Vulgar &
Obscene Meaning
France, Belgium – You’re
Worth Nothing
 Body Language:
Touch
• Some people are more comfortable to
touch than others
• A person who dislikes touch may seem
unfriendly than those who like it
• Holding hands between opposite sex are
acceptable in most European and
American countries but not in Asian
countries
 Space
• Personal space – distance someone wants
between him/her self and other people in
ordinary, non-intimate interchanges
• The differences can be seen between
male/female, different countries
• Asians, North Americans require more
space than Latin Americans, North
Europeans & Arabs
 Space
• People usually use furniture to distance
themselves from others and create
personal space
 Spatial Arrangements
• In America, the size, placement and
privacy of one's office shows their status
• In Japan, only highest executives and
directors have private offices because
private offices are “inappropriate and
inefficient”
 Time Perception
• People have different views and attitudes
toward time
• North Americans – “time is money” whilst
others view time in a more leisurely
approach
 Time Perception
• Time can be viewed in different “time
blocks”
• Americans – 5 minute, others – 15 to 30
minutes
• Lateness in appointments differ between
Americans and the others
 Other Nonverbal Symbols
• Clothes – symbol of status,
professionalism, credibility, occupation
group
• Colors – white (marriage in America,
death in Japan), red ink (to record death
but never to write about the living)
• Height – more usually signifies more
superior / authority
 Other Nonverbal Symbols
• Age – America values youth while in Asian
countries, wrinkles and grey hair is seen
as a sign of authority, superiority &
maturity
 Cultural Differences:
Oral Communication
• Learning a few basic phrases & sentences
can help when doing business
internationally
• Benefits you as a person (tourist) and
your business (more time to think)
• But, as in non verbal communication, oral
miscommunication may occur in
intercultural communication
 Cultural Differences:
Oral Communication
• Happens either during formal or informal
talk
• Compliments, Silence, Tone of Voice & the
Speaker’s Conversational Style
 Compliments
• Statements made that people interpret as
compliments and the socially correct way
to respond to them also vary worldwide
• Japanese – “You must be really tired”
means “You’re working hard, I recognize
and respect that” is replied with “Thank
you but I’m OK”
 Compliments
• For doing a good presentation, as an
example, Americans will reply “Thank you”
whilst Japanese will reply “No, it wasn’t
very good”
• Compliments between the opposite sex
should also be thought off carefully
 Compliments
• Women are usually uncomfortable with
compliments from man on their
appearance as it suggests they are being
treated as visual decoration not
contributing workers
 Silence
• Silence also has different meanings in
different cultures and subcultures
• Eg: Greeks are silent as a sign of refusal
whilst Egyptian see it as a sign of approval
 Tone of Voice
• Tone of voice refers to the rising or falling
inflection
• Informs whether a group of words is a
question/statement, show
confidence/uncertainty and
sincere/sarcastic
 Tone of Voice
• When there is a conflict between tone of
voice and the meaning of words, people
“believe” the tone of voice
• Eg: “I’ll give you a raise”
Speaker’s Conversational Style
• To understand someone from another
culture, we must understand their
conversational style
• They are either understatement or
exaggeration
• British, Japanese – Understatement,
Americans, Italians – Exaggeration
 Tips for Intercultural
Communication
• Acknowledge that cultural differences exist
• Learn as much as possible about other
cultures
• Develop general skills for dealing with
them
• Learn how to conduct yourself and know
what to expect with cultural diversity in
your own and other countries
 Tips for Intercultural
Communication
• Consider how to handle both written and
oral communication with people from
other cultures
Dealing with Language Barriers
• Barriers to oral communication -
differences in pronunciation, vocal
inflections and vocabulary can pose
problems that you’re speaking to people
form other cultures
• Never assume that everyone understands
English
• Watch out for clues or unique phrases (US
diaper = British napkin)
Dealing with Language Barriers
• Eliminate noise
• Rephrase your sentence when necessary
• Don’t talk down to the other person
• Use objective, accurate language
• Let other people finish what they have to
say
Dealing with Language Barriers
• Use short, precise words; rely on specific
terms
• Construct shorter & simple sentences
• Use short paragraphs – they help the
reader to understand
• Stay away from slang
Dealing with Language Barriers
• Try to be aware of unintentional meanings
(especially non verbal ones)
• Listen carefully and patiently
• Recognize that gestures and expressions
may differ in meanings
• Adapt your conversation style to the other
person’s
Dealing with Language Barriers
• At the end of a conversation, be sure that
you and others agree / see eye to eye
• Follow up with written letter or memo if
appropriate
 Conclusion
• Culture provides patterns for acceptable
behavior and beliefs
• There are two types of cultures – High
Context and Low Context
• Nonverbal communication can be
misinterpreted by body language, space,
time perception & other non verbal
symbols
 Conclusion
• Misinterpretation can also happen during
oral communication through Compliments,
Silence, Tone of Voice & the Speaker’s
Conversational Style
• To minimize these misinterpretation of
information, we must learn about the
other cultures and acknowledge that there
are differences