CULTURAL COMMUNICATION BARRIERS Week 3

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CULTURAL COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Week 3

Matakuliah : V0052Tahun : 2008

Bina Nusantara HO 0708 3

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit, the students should be able to identify and recognize major barriers to effective cross-cultural communication.Mahasiswa dapat mengidentifikasikan dan mengenali jenis-jenis hambatan pada komunikasi antar budaya.

Subjects

•Language•The influence of culture on

communication•Non-verbal communication

Week 3

Seven Barriers to Cross Cultural Communication

1. Language2. Influence of culture on

communication3. Non-verbal communication4. Preconceptions and stereotypes5. Tendency to make judgements6. High level of stress7. Workplace issue

Week 3

LANGUAGE

Skills for language competency

Read Write Listen Speak

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LANGUAGE

Reducing the language barrier• Be aware of the difficulties caused by slang,

colloquialisms, idioms• Speak clearly and simply at a normal volume• Be prepared to clarify meanings (both yours and

theirs)• Check to establish that all parties understand• Be aware of your own communication style• Avoid humor and sarcasm

Australian Use of English• Speak quickly/accents• Use slang/colloquialisms/idioms• May use humor or sarcasm• Assume that you are understood because people smile and

say yes• Use of tag questions• Use of double negatives• Broken English• Raise the voice if not understood the first time• Abbreviations

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LANGUAGE

GROUP DISCUSSION• How do Indonesians use English in a way that

causes problems for the overseas customers?• How about: American?• British?• Singaporean?• Japanese?

Week 3LANGUAGE

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INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON COMMUNICATION

• Politeness and respect• Expression of emotion, disharmony

and loudness• Apologies• Greetings• Names• Face or self-respect• Social status

• Politeness and respect– What are the 2 most used words that

show politeness ..

PLEASE THANK YOU

– Are there any rules regarding their use?– Do we expect everyone in our society to

use these terms?

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• Expression of emotion, disharmony and loudness– E.g. Australians tend to be direct in their

communication and will display emotions– Some Asian and Pacific peoples may interpret any

open display of emotions as a lack of self-discipline and poor taste

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• Apologies– The rules governing politeness

and apologies vary greatly in different cultures

– Australians tend to apologize more frequently than some other cultural groups

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• Greeting and Small Talk– Australians tend to ask “How are you?”

and make comments on the weather– Other cultural groups may ask “Have

you eaten already?” or Where have you been?”

– Asians when being friendly will ask “Are you married?” – “How old are you?”

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• Names– Naming systems will vary between cultures– Ask the guest how to address them Example:

• Malay– Male = Asmi bin Ahmad (“bin” means “son of”

Ahmad)– Female = Suraya binti Ahmad (“binti” means

“daughter of”)

• Chinese– Leem See Sing

Lim is the family name. Many will add a Western first name (James Lim) or reverse the order of their Chinese name whilst living in Australia.

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• Face– Self-respect or face is often very important in

other cultural groups– It is important to avoid public criticism or

disagreement

• Social Status– In some culture, status (related to age,

education, wealth or position) governs relationships and behaviour to a much greater degree than in Australia.

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Non-Verbal Communication

• Approx. 65% communication is non-verbal communication

• Characteristics of non-verbal communication:– Non verbal communication exists– You can’t not communicate– Non-verbal communication is culture-bound– Transmits feeling and attitudes– Serves many functions– Ambiguous

• Non-verbal communication transmit feelings and attitudesWithout being able to use words, people’s bodies generally express how they feel – nervous, embarrassed, friendly, angry, happy, etc.

• Non-verbal communication serves many functions– Repeating– Substituting– Complementing– Accenting– Regulating– Contradicting

Week 3

Characteristics of Non-Verbal Communication

Kinesics and Paralinguistic

• Kinesics = the study of body language – involves analysis of posture, movement, facial expression, eye management gestures, proxemics (use of space – acceptable social distance when talking)

• Paralinguistic = rate of speech, volume, pitch, tone of voice – also effect communication

Week 3

Week 3Non-Verbal Behavior

Clothing

Non Verbal Behavior

Eye Contact

Social Distance

Facial Expression

Hand Gestures

Body Posture

Touching

• Eye Contact– As an Anglo-Australian, to impress someone with your

honesty, you would probably look directly at the person while speaking

– In many cultures, however, lowered eyes indicate an attitude of respect, rather than admission of guilt

– Eye contact will also be affected by gender difference

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Non-Verbal Behavior

• Facial Expression– Smiling has quite different functions in different

cultural context – Westerners are so used to equating it with friendliness, good humor, amusement.

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Non-Verbal Behavior

• Distance– Intimate Distance

Skin contact and ranges out to about 18 inches

– Personal DistanceRanges from 18 inches to 4 feet

– Social DistanceRanges from 4 to 12 feet

– Public Distance Running outward from 12 feet

• Social Distance– A casual conversation in Australia (polite and customary

distance) = approx. 2-4 feet from the other person – In Middle Eastern or Latin America cultures, in a casual

conversation you should stand very close – within a foot; purposefully breathe in the other person’s face as you talk

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Non-Verbal Behavior

• Touching– When, where and how you touch others is

determined by many factors, such as age, sex, social setting, status difference and emotional climate

– Touch can communicate many messages:• Functional/professional (dental exam, haircut)• Social/polite (handshake)• Friendship/warmth (clap on back)• Love/Intimacy (some caresses, hugs)• Sexual arousal (some kisses)

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Non-Verbal Behavior

• Hand Gestures– Most basic gestures may be

quite different in another cultural setting

– Pointing, waving goodbye – all can be the subject of misinterpretation

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Non-Verbal Behavior

• Dress/ ClothingClothing conveys messages to the others:– Economic level/ background– Educational level/ background– Trustworthiness– Social position/ background– Level of sophistication– Level of success– Moral character

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Non-Verbal Behavior

QUESTIONS?

Review Questions 3

1. List the seven barriers to cross cultural communication

2. Name types of non-verbal behavior and give examples

3. How do you reduce the language barrier?

Group Assignment for Week 4

Type of assignment : PresentationTopic : How non-verbal communication can be a barrier in intercultural communicationPresentation time : 10 minutes per groupNote : Presentation should be typed on A4 size paper

using times new roman or arial font 12

CULTURAL COMMUNICATION BARRIERS Week 3

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