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November 2010 INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION Karin Klitgaard Møller Head of Sekretariat for Internationalisation Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen
November 2010
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Karin Klitgaard Møller
Head of Sekretariat for Internationalisation
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen
November 2010
WHAT
• Culture
• Communication styles
• Culture Shock
Fell free to comment/ask questions!
November 2010
CULTURE
The most important part of culture
for a traveller is which is internal
and hidden
Hall 1976
The opposite is high culture –
art literature, music and the like.
November 2010
CULTURE
When one enters another culture it is somewhat like two icebergs colliding – the real clash occurs beneath the water where values and thought patterns conflict.
Edward T Hall 1976
November 2010
November 2010
CULTURE
High and low context:
High – nonverbal, polychronic
Low – verbal, monochronic
November 2010
HIGH CONTEXT
• The context plays an important role• Non-verbal aspects give more information than verbal messages• Silence has a meaning – internalized understandings of what is
communicated • Long term relationships • Strong boundaries - who is accepted as belonging vs who is
considered an "outsider" • Knowledge is situational, relational. • Decisions and activities focus around personal face-to-face
relationships, often around a central person who has authority.
Examples:Country: China, Japan, Small religious congregations etc.
November 2010
LOW CONTEXT
• Messages are mainly verbally conveyed, everything is said in words
• Largely unaware of nonverbal cues
• Rule oriented, people play by external rules
• More knowledge is codified, public, external, and accessible -explicit.
• More interpersonal connections of shorter duration
• Knowledge is more often transferable
• Task-centered. Decisions and activities focus around what needs to be done, division of responsibilities.
Examples:
USA, Europe, a chain supermarket, a convenience store, sports where rules are clearly laid out etc.
November 2010
NONVERBAL LANGUAGE
Experiences with non-verbal communication?
November 2010
NONVERBAL LANGUAGE
• Body language
• Facial expressions
• Interpersonal distance
• Touch language
• Smell
• Courtesy style
• Silence
• Turntaking
• Tone of voice
• Rythm/Speed
• Posture
• Clothes
November 2010
CONCEPT OF TIMEPOLYCRONIC VERSUS MONOCHRONIC Polycronic:
• Everything takes its own time
• Commitments in time mean little
• Involved with family and friends
• Plans are changed frequently
• Many things simultaneously
• The ”here and now ” is important
• Holistic world view
Monochronic:
• Time needs to be controlled
• Promptness
• Committed to the job
• Deadlines and plans
• One thing done at a time
• Emphasis on past and future
November 2010
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN COMMUNICATION STYLES
DIRECT vs INDIRECT
Direct: Say what you mean, truth important
Indirect: Imply what you mean, temper truth
Indirect techniques of communication
Saving Face is key in indirect styles
November 2010
INDIRECT TECHNIQUES
� Use qualified yes to mean no
� Tell a story as way to say no
� Change subject
� Ask a question to give negative answer
� Return to previous point to show disagreement
November 2010
DISCUSSION
What’s the difference between
GENERALIZATION
vs.
STEREOTYPE?
November 2010
STEREOTYPING
• Attributions to group behavior
• Each individual belonging to a certaingroup, has all the characteristics of that group
November 2010
GENERALIZATION
•General preference of a group of people
•Loosely held hypothesis about a groupof people
November 2010
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
Frequency
Culture ACulture B
Behavior rangeon a certaintrait
November 2010
CULTURE SHOCK
It occurs as part of a broader culture leaning process. This process, this progression through the different stages of personal development, challenges one’s sense of self, cultural identity and worldview.
Michael Paige – Education for the Intercultural Experience 1993
November 2010
THE 3 U´S
When?
•Uncertainty
•Unpredictability
•Uncomfortable
November 2010
CULTURE SHOCK
Arrival/ “Honeymoon” Stage:
Everything is new and exciting
Culture Shock Stage:
You start to experience difficulties with everyday things, as they are different from home.
Adapting Stage:You slowly start to understand the new culture and feel more in balance. You feel an urge to belong
Re-entry Shock Stage:This stage takes place when you return to your home country
November 2010
CULTURE SHOCK & RE-ENTRY
Culture shock is the expected confrontation with the unfamiliar;
Re-entry shock is the unexpected confrontation with the familiar.
R. Michael Paige 2002
November 2010
CULTURE SHOCK Symptoms – both physical and mental
• Boredom, loneliness
• Allergies, pain
• Obsession with own health
• Sleeplessness, excessive need of sleep
• Mood changes, depression, powerlessness
• Anger, animosity against other people
• Identification and idealisation of home culture
• Trying to absorb everything within the new culture too fast
• Not capable of solving even the most simple problems
• Loss of self confidence and insecurity
• Development of stereo-types in the new culture
• Strong longing for family and friends back home
• Feeling overlooked
November 2010
CULTURE SHOCKGood ideas:
• Accept that you cannot know everything
• Keep an open mind
• Try to do things that you did at home
• Stay in touch with family and friends at home –
it is OK to miss them
• Get to know someone from the new culture
• Talk to a friend or somebody else
• Stay active – physical activity often helps!
• Learn from experience – but be patient, learning new things takes time.
• Remember the good things as well!
• Knowing about culture shock helps!
November 2010
CULTURE SHOCK
Luckily most of us eventually will adapt to the new environment and during that process we learn something new and a new way to see the world. We often gain insight in our own personality and the huge influence culture has on it – it is however, rarely painless.
Michael Paige – Education for the Intercultural Experience 1993
November 2010
PLEASE FILL IN!
November 2010
10. Family is important
9. Job shows status
8. 4/5 is that May 4th or April 5th?6. In Japan this is important!
5. Not only the immediatefamily is important!
7. + 1 year
November 2010
THE INTERCULTURAL COMPETENT ADVISOR
• Focusses on relationships and processes more than immediate results, is an expert in the management of uncertainty and anxiety, and findsunexpected solutions that work.
• Tools and skills rather than facts! (like riding a bike, you cannot learnfrom a book, you have to practice)
November 2010
Other training courses and the conferences
SAFSA 1 Advising International Students Florence Italy March 2011
SAFSA 2 Cultural Learning in Education Abroad -Copenhagen March 2012
SAFSA 3 Intercultural Competency: Makinginternationalisation work on campuses – 2011
Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication –Portland July 2011 - www.intercultural.org
EAIE conferenceCopenhagen September 13-16 2011
November 2010
The world is a great book of which they who never stir from home - read only a pageSt. Augustine
The world is a great book of which they who never stir from home - read only a pageSt. Augustine
November 2010
THE PROFESSIONAL HELPING RELATIONSHIP
Characteristics:
• Mutual trust and understanding
• Mutual positive expectations
• Mutual motivation to invest in the relationship
• Lack of reciprocity
• Fixed roles
• Unequal distribution of power
November 2010
ADVISING TECHNIQUES
• Paying attention
• Listening
• Dealing with silence
• Taking time
• Summarising
• Suspending judgment
• Reflecting feelings
• Asking for clarification
• Confronting
• Using metaphors and stories
• Giving feed back
• Giving support and motivation
