BUSINESS ENGLISH

CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND SOCIALISING

Unit 1: Building A Relationship
 Building A Relationship
• In building a relationship, cross-cultural
understanding is one thing that needs to be
done in order to use language effectively and
sensitively to facilitate communication.
 CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

• In learning any languages, besides learning to

master the four skills namely speaking skill,
listening skill, writing skill and reading skills,
learners are also expected to master about
cross cultural understanding.
• It means that the learners need to know
properly the culture of the country and the
people where the language is from.
 Cont.
• Cross cultural understanding simply refers to
the basic ability of people to recognize,
interpret and correctly react to people,
incidences or situations that are open to
misunderstanding due to cultural differences.
 The Role of Cross Cultural Understanding in
Language Learning
• Cross culture understanding plays a significant role in
communicating with people from different countries
since language and culture are inseparable.
• Therefore, when learners are learning a language, at
the same time they should learn the culture of the
country and the people of where the language is
from.
• It is done in order to avoid miscommunication and
misunderstanding.
 Guidelines In Using Language
 Be aware
Non native speaker are often unfamiliar with
idiom and confuse by the shades of meaning of
words. Therefore,pretending to understand
when you don’t is often dictated by culture’s
desires to be courteous, to seek harmony and
conversation-free relationship, and to avoid
embarrassment.
 Cont.
 Choose words carefully
To communicate cross-culturally, avoid words
that disrespect or belittle others. Remember
that jokes can also wound, especially the kind
that make fun of a people or their beliefs.
Avoid idioms, slang, jargon, acronyms
These expressions are seldom taught at school
or in formal language courses.
 Cont.
 Respect the basic rules of correct grammar
and standard syntax (sentence structure)
Most people who learn second languages know
their grammar.
 Be polite and formal
Indonesian people are not as casual as other
people from different countries. Be polite. Avoid
informality.
 Cont.
 Avoid jokes and humor
Beware of sharing the latest joke. Besides, you need to
remember that laughter in many cultures signifies
embarrassment or nervousness.

 Listen
Listening involves putting aside your own self- interest so that
you can step behind another’s eyes and see things from that
perspective. Further, this is a great compliment to the person
with whom you’re communicating as well as tangible proof of
your commitment to understanding.
 Cont.
 Value Silence
Try to become more comfortable with silence.
For example, many Asian cultures appreciate
periods of silence and do not like to be hurried.
 Welcoming Visitors

• In doing business, cross-cultural

understanding is very important in building a
relationship since it has to be done in order to
use language effectively and sensitively to
facilitate communication.
• This includes when welcoming visitors who
attend a business meeting for the first time.
 Cont.
• In welcoming visitors for the first time, there
are things that need to be considered.
 Their origins and cultural ethics
 Taboo things to be done/ talked about
 The presence of particular drinks in business
meeting (alcohol, coffee, tea)
 The use of body language (eye contact,
gesture, facial expressions)
 Cont.
• Stages of a meeting:
Welcome and Introductions
 Small talk/ Settling In
 Preliminaries / Plan for the visit
 Begin business discussions
 Small Talk
• In doing business meeting; the presence of
small talk is needed.
• It is done in order to engage interest and
build a comfortable atmosphere for each
other.
 Cont.
• In doing business meeting; there are some topics that are
recommended for small talk because they will be suitable in most
situations.
• They are:
 Work and location
 Transport for work
 Work in general
 Weather
 Free time, Hobbies, Sport
 Holidays
 Food and drinks
 Education and business training
 Cont.
• Usually, these small talks are done during
these particular moments.
• They are:
During breaks
Meals
Social occasions
Evenings
Moving from one place to another.
 Cont.
• Small talk helps develop good relations and
good atmosphere.
• Usually, small talk happens between casual
acquaintences, people who meet in the
course of their work, perhaps engage in
different fields, or staying in the same hotel
or travelling on the same plane.
THANK YOU