Apr 7: Cross-Cultural Communication and Nonverbals

Culture

• Modern business requires dealing with other cultures


• Shapes values, priorities, and practices

Successful Intercultural Communicator

• Aware of the values, beliefs, and practices in other cultures


• Sensitive to differences among individuals within a culture


• Aware that preferred values and behaviors are influenced by cultures and are not necessarily “right.”


• Sensitive to verbal and nonverbal behavior


• Flexible and open to change

Importance of Global Business

Video clip: "A Rude Introduction" (3 min 10 sec)

High-Context and Low-Context Cultures

• Values, Beliefs & Practices


• Often unconscious


• Affect response to people and situations


• Different cultures have different views of - Fairness - Competition - Success - Social status

International Business Communication

• Beyond a set of rules


• International business practices are constantly evolving/changing


• Seek out and talk to people from other backgrounds


• Enhance understanding of multiple perspectives

Writing to International Audiences

• Write in English unless fluent in audience’s language


• Buffer negative messages; make requests indirect


• Re-think audience benefits


• Allow extra response time

Nonverbal Communication

• Communication without words


• Signals such as smiles and gestures


• Can be misinterpreted as easily as words


• Important to be conscious of signals sent and received

Time

Monochronic culture

• Highly scheduled cultures,


• People focus on clock,


• Plan their time; avoid wasting it


• Time communicates importance,


• Lots of importance placed on punctuality


• Poor schedule adherence is interpreted as arrogance or incompetence


• If you live in the United States, Canada, or Northern Europe, you live in a monochronic culture.

Polychronic culture

• People focus on relationships


• Disregard clocks and planners


• Schedule and agendas are viewed as goals, not binding


• Promptness is not as important as completing a human interaction


• As a result, interruptions will delay appointments


• Forcing someone to wait is not intended as an insult


• If you live in Latin America, the Arab part of the Middle East, or sub-Sahara Africa, you live in a polychronic culture.

Voice Qualities: Stress and Volume

• Stress—emphasis given to one or more words...


• I’ll give you a raise. “…another supervisor wouldn’t”


• I’ll give you a raise. “…yes, but I really don’t agree”


• I’ll give you a raise. “…nobody else gets one”


• I’ll give you a raise. “…but just one”


• I’ll give you a raise. “…but nothing else you want”


• I’ll give you a raise. “…you deserve it”


• I’ll give you a raise. “…the raise will please both of us”

Personal space - distance one likes between self and others

• Lots: North Americans - North Europeans - Asians


• Little: Arabs - Latin Americans - French - Italians


• Some people more comfortable with touch than others

The middle finger in west may mean another thing in the east. A clip of the best and fascinating gestures from around the world, taken from BBC documentary the human animal- language of the body.

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Portions attributed to Locker, Kitty O. and Donna Kienzler. Business and Administrative Communication, 8/e. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2008.