Unit-3 MHR-106 Cross Cultural Communication

8/2/2019 Unit-3 MHR-106 Cross Cultural Communication

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Cross Cultural Communication

MHR- 106

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A Communications Model

Channel

Sender Message Audience

Feedback



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A Better Communications Model

Context

Channel

Sender Message Audience

Feedback



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Good Intercultural CommunicatorsAre….

Aware values &

behaviors notalways “right.”

Flexible & open to

change.



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And…..

Sensitive to verbal& nonverbalbehavior.

Aware of values,beliefs, practices of other cultures.

Sensitive todifferences within

cultures.

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HIGH CONTEXT VS. LOW CONTEXT

CULTURES

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High-Context Cultures Infer information from

message context, rather thanfrom content.

Prefer indirectness, politeness& ambiguity.

Convey little information

explicitly.Rely heavily on nonverbal

signs.

Asian

Latin American

Middle Eastern

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Low-Context Cultures

Rely more on content

rather than on context.

Explicitly spell out

information.

Value directness.

See indirectness asmanipulative.

Value written word more

than oral statements.

European

Scandinavian

North American

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Communication Process andVerbal Communication Styles

Communication

The process of transferring meanings from sender to receiver

Verbal communication styles

Context is information that surrounds a communication andhelps convey the message

Messages are often highly coded and implicit in high-context

societies, such as Japan and many Arab countries

The message is explicit and the speaker says precisely what

he or she means in low-context societies such as the United

States and Canada

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Explicit and Implicit Communication

High-context/implicit

communication

cultures

Low-context/explicitcommunication

cultures

Germans

Swiss Germans

Scandinavians

North Americans

French

English

Italians

Latin Americans

Arabs

Japanese

Adapted from Figure 7 – 1: Explicit/Implicit Communication: An International Comparison

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Table 7 –1

Major Characteristics of Verbal Styles

Phases of Multicultural Development

Adapted from Table 7 – 1: Major Characteristics of Verbal Styles

Indirect vs.

direct

Indirect

Direct

Implicit messages

Explicit messages

Collective, high context

Individualistic, low context

Succinct vs.elaborate

Elaborate High quantity oftalk

Moderate uncertaintyavoidance, high context

Exacting Moderate amountof talk

Low uncertainty avoidance,low context

Succinct Low amount of talk High uncertaintyavoidance, high context

Cultures in WhichMajor Interaction Focus Characteristic It

Verbal Style Variation and Content Is Found

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Table 7 –1

Major Characteristics of Verbal Styles

Phases of Multicultural Development

Cultures in WhichMajor Interaction Focus Characteristic It

Verbal Style Variation and Content Is Found

Adapted from Table 7 – 1: Major Characteristics of Verbal Styles

Contextual vs.

personal

Contextual Focus is on the

speaker and rolerelationships

High power distance,

collective, high context

Personal Focus is on thespeaker and personalrelationships

Low power distance,individualistic, low context

Affective vs.

instrumental

Affective Language is process

oriented and receiverfocused

Collective, high context

Instrumental Language is goaloriented and senderfocused

Individualistic, low context

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Indirect and direct styles

In high-context cultures, messages are implicit and indirect

Voice intonation, timing, and facial expressions play importantroles in conveying information

In low-context cultures, people often meet only to accomplish

objectives and tend to be direct and focused in their

communications

Verbal communication styles (continued)

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Elaborate and succinct styles

Three degrees of communication quantity — elaborate,exacting, and succinct.

The elaborating style is more popular in high-context culturesthat have a moderate degree of uncertainty avoidance

The exacting style focuses on precision and the use of the rightamount of words to convey the message and is more commonin low-context, low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures

The succinct style is more common in high-context cultureswith considerable uncertainty avoidance where people tend tosay few words and allow understatements, pauses, and silenceto convey meaning.


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Contextual and personal styles

Contextual style is one that focuses on the speaker andrelationship of the parties

Contextual style is often associated with high-powerdistance, collective, high-context cultures

Personal style focuses on the speaker and the reductionof barriers between the parties

Personal style is more popular in low-power-distance,individualistic, low-context cultures


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Affective and instrumental styles

Affective style is common in collective, high-context cultures

and is characterized by language that requires the listener to

note what is said and to observe how the message is presented

The meaning is often nonverbal and requires the receiver to use

his or her intuitive skills to decipher the message

Instrumental style is goal oriented and focuses on the sender

who clearly lets the other party know what he or she wants theother party to know.

The instrumental style is more commonly found in

individualistic, low-context cultures


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Summary of Verbal Styles

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Communication Flows

Downward communication

Transmission of information from manager to subordinate

Primary purpose of manager-initiated communication is to

convey orders and information Managers use this channel for instructions and performance

feedback

The channel facilitates the flow of information to those who

need it for operational purposes

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Communication Epigrams

Adapted from Figure 7–2: Communication Epigrams

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Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication

The transfer of meaning through means such as bodylanguage and use of physical space

Kinesics

The study of communication through body movement andfacial expression

Eye contact

Posture

Gestures

Chromatics

The use of color to communicate messages

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Proxemics

The study of the way that people use physical space to

convey messages

Intimate distance is used for very confidential communications

Personal distance is used for talking with family and close

friends

Social distance is used to handle most business transactions

Public distance is used when calling across the room or giving a

talk to a group

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Personal Space in the U.S.

Intimate distance 18”

Personal distance 18” to 4’

Social distance4’ to 8’

Public distance 8’ to 10’

Adapted from Figure 7–3: Personal Space Categories for Those in the United States

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Chronemics

Monochronic time schedule

Things are done in a linear fashion.

Manager addresses Issue A first and then moves on to Issue B Time schedules are very important and time is viewed as

something that can be controlled and should be used wisely

Polychronic time schedules

People tend to do several things at the same time People place higher value on personal involvement than on

getting things done on time

Schedules are subordinated to personal relationships

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A hi i C i i



Achieving CommunicationEffectiveness

Improve feedback systems

Two basic types of feedback systems between homeoffice and affiliates

Personal (e.g., face-to-face meetings, telephoneconversations and personalized e-mail)

Impersonal (e.g., reports, budgets, and plans)

Language training

Cultural training Flexibility and cooperation

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Achieving Communication Effectiveness…

Slow Down.

Even when English is the common language in a cross

cultural situation, this does not mean you should speak at

normal speed. Slow down, speak clearly and ensure yourpronunciation is intelligible.

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Separate Questions.

Try not to ask double questions such as, ―Do you want to

carry on or shall we stop here?‖ In a cross cultural situation

only the first or second question may have beencomprehended. Let your listener answer one question at a

time.

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Avoid Negative Questions.

Many cross cultural communication misunder-standings

have been caused by the use of negative questions and

answers. In English we answer ‗yes‘ if the answer isaffirmative and ‗no‘ if it is negative. In other cultures a ‗yes‘

or ‗no‘ may only be indicating whether the ques-tioner is

right or wrong. For example, the re-sponse to ―Are you not

coming?‖ may be ‗yes‘, meaning ‗Yes, I am not coming.‘

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Take Turns.

Cross cultural communication is enhanced through taking

turns to talk, making a point and then listening to the

response.

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Write it Down.

If you are unsure whether something has been understood

write it down and check. This can be useful when using large

figures. For exam-ple, a billion in the USA is

1,000,000,000,000 while in the UK it is 1,000,000,000.

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Be Supportive.

Effective cross cultural communication is in essence about

being comfortable. Giving encouragement to those with

weak English gives them confidence, support and a trust in

you.

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Check Meanings.

When communicating across cultures never assume the other

party has understood. Be an active listener. Summarise what

has been said in order to verify it. This is a very effective

way of ensuring accurate cross cultural communication has

taken place.

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Avoid Slang.

Even the most well educated foreigner will not have a

complete knowledge of slang, idioms and sayings. The

danger is that the words will be understood but the meaning

missed.

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Watch the humour.

In many cultures business is taken very seriously.

Professionalism and protocol are constantly observed. Many

cultures will not appreciate the use of humour and jokes in

the business context. When using humour think whether it

will be understood in the other culture. For example, British

sarcasm usually has a negative effect abroad.

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Maintain Etiquette.

Many cultures have certain etiquette when communicating. It

is always a good idea to undertake some cross cultural

awareness training or at least do some research on the target

culture. Cross cultural communication is about dealing with

people from other cultures in a way that minimises

misunderstandings and maximises your potential to create

strong cross cultural relationships. The above tips should be

seen as a starting point to greater cross cultural awareness.

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Always Remember

Culture is not the same as race, ethnicity, or country of

origin. Although all of these things contribute to culture,

many other things do as well. You may have differences in

communication style with someone who looks just like you

and may have the same style as someone who looks much

different. The bottom line is: don't assume and remember

that everyone is an individual.

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THANK YOU

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Unit-3 MHR-106 Cross Cultural Communication

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