11 Cross-Cultural Communication

Cross Cultural
Communication

2
○ Culture includes in itself all our way of life

WHAT IS ○ Modes of behavior
CULTURE? ○ Our philosophies and ethics
○ Our manners and morals
○ Our customs and traditions
3
External(Surface)Culture:
• Explicitly Learned
• Conscious
THE CULTURAL • Easily Changeable
ICEBERG • Objective Knowledge
Internal(Deep)Culture:
• Implicitly Learned
• Unconscious
• Difficult to change
• Subjective Knowledge
4
Developing Cultural Competency
Cultural competency is
the ability of a person to
effectively interact, work,
and develop meaningful
relationships with people
of various cultural
backgrounds.
“
5
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is perceiving one's own cultural beliefs
and customs as superior to those of other people.
Some people are ethnocentric on purpose and
genuinely believe their own culture is superior to
others.
For example: Adolf Hitler
That said, ethnocentrism is not inherently intentional.
STEREOTYPING
Stereotypes are beliefs about the
characteristics of an out group or its
members.
Stereotypes originate from social
categorization. We thereby ignore their
individual traits, impose a certain
interpretation on them and reduce our
view of them to a simplified image.
7
Overcoming
Ethnocentrism
and
Stereotyping
1 2 3
Avoid assumptions Avoid judgements Avoid Distinctions
• Don’t assume others will act the • When people act differently don’t • Don’t ignore the differences
same way you do assume they are in error between another person’s culture
and your own
8
Recognizing One can begin to learn how people in other cultures want to be
Variation in a treated by recognizing and accommodating eight main types of
cultural differences:
Diverse World
• Contextual
• Legal and ethical
• Social
• Nonverbal
• Age
• Gender
• Religious
• Ability
9
Cultural context is the pattern of physical

cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit
Contextual understanding that convey meaning
between two members of the same culture.
Differences
• High Context culture: people rely less on verbal
communication and more on the context of non-
verbal actions and environmental setting to convey
meaning. China, Japan and some Arab nations are
identified to have high context cultures
• Low Context culture: people rely more on verbal
communication and less on circumstances or cues to
convey the message. USA, Germany, Switzerland
are often identified to have low context cultures
10
Contextual Contextual differences affect the way

Differences businesspeople approach situations.
For instance, in low context cultures,
businesspeople tend to focus on the results of the
decisions they face, a reflection on the cultural
emphasis of logic and progress.
11
Legal and Culture context influences legal and

Ethical ethical behaviour, which in turn can
Differences affect communication.
Example: A manager from US company

would tend to view a signed contract as
end of negotiation process, his or her
counterpart in many Asian cultures
might view the contract as more fluid
12
Social Norms and Custom Differences
The nature of social behaviour varies among cultures,
sometimes dramatically. Some rules are formal and
specifically articulated, whereas others are informal and
learned over time.
Social norms vary from culture to culture in the following

areas:
• Attitude toward work and success

• Roles and status
• Use of manners
• Concepts of time
• Future Orientation
• Openness and inclusiveness
13
Nonverbal communication can be helpful guide to

determining the meaning of the message- but this
Non Verbal holds true only if the sender and receiver assign the
same meaning to nonverbal signals.
Communication
Difference To understand this difference we need to observe how
people behave in the following areas:
• Greetings
• Personal space
• Touching
• Facial Expressions
• Eye contact & posture
• Formality
Age Differences
Multiple generations within a culture present another
dimension of diversity. Today’s workplaces can have three,
four or even 5 generations working side by side.
Here are the labels and birth years used by the Pew
Research Centre:
• The Silent Generation
• Baby Boomers
• Generation X
• Millennials
• Post –Millennials
15
Gender Gender influences workplace communication in several important
Differences ways:
• Perception of men and women in business varies from culture to
culture
• Ratio of men to women increases as we move up the corporate
ladder
• Evidence suggest that men and women tend to have somewhat
different communication style
• Outdated concepts of gender and sexual orientation continue to be
a source of confusion, controversy and discrimination.
16
ADAPTING TO OTHER CULTURES
Here are four general guidelines that can help all business
communicators improve their cultural competency
Awareness
Preparation
Language
Humour
17
In this age of globalization language continues to

be a barrier. Non-verbal communication has still
Intercultural not been explored to an extent. Communication
Communication: across the cultures successfully requires a variety
of skills as shown below.
Surviving In a
Global World
18
Studying Other Cultures and Languages

There are many ways to improve intercultural communication
Respecting Preferences for Communication Style
Writing Clearly
Speaking and listening carefully
Listen carefully
Helping others to adapt your culture

Respecting Preferences
for Communication Style
Communication in many other cultures is
more formal and less direct than it is in the
United States, and politeness is valued
highly.
Writing Clearly
Choose Choose words carefully.
Avoid Avoid words with multiple meanings.
Write Write short and clear sentences.
Use Use transitions generously.
Address Address international correspondents properly.
Cite Cite numbers and dates in local formats.
Avoid Avoid slangs and idiomatic phrases.
Avoid Avoid humour and references to popular culture.

20
21
Speaking and Listening skills
Speak in correct tone and pitch.
Maintain the correct communication speed and volume (should

not be too loud or too low).
Choose words sensibly so that it does not hurt the sentiments

of others.
The communication should be meaningful.
The style of delivery of messages should accommodate the

needs of listeners and the circumstances of the conversation.
Speak in different native and regional languages.
Pay special attention to vocabulary accents, gestures, etc.

22
Listening Skills
01 02 03 04
Be patient while Do not interrupt, Reply only after Understand the
listening to let the speaker getting the meaning of
others. complete the complete speakers’
communicating question. statement before
points. reacting to it.
23
Helping others to adapt your

culture
• It will create a more

productive workplace.
• It will teach us about various
cultures.
• Business relationship will be
stronger.
24
Introduction:
The Lewis Model
The Lewis Model was The model aims to

constructed by Richard Lewis
for purpose of culture promote “harmony
classification through understanding”
25
The Model Linear-active

Classifies
cultures into
three main types
Multi-active
Reactive
26
Linear-Active Cool Factual
Decisive Planners
27
Warm
Multi-active
Emotional
Impulsive
Talkative
28
Courteous
Reactive Amiable
Accommodating
Compromiser
Good Listener
29
30
31
What does the

Lewis Model
tell us?
How people from different

cultures vary in their concepts of How their communication styles
time and space: how they handle are reflected in the language
interpersonal distance, silence, patterns they use
and eye contact
32
THANK YOU

11 Cross-Cultural Communication

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

11 Cross-Cultural Communication

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

11 Cross-Cultural Communication

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Cross Cultural

○ Culture includes in itself all our way of life​

Developing Cultural Competency

Cultural context is the pattern of physical

Contextual Contextual differences affect the way

Legal and Culture context influences legal and

Example: A manager from US company

Social norms vary from culture to culture in the following

• Attitude toward work and success

Nonverbal communication can be helpful guide to

Gender Gender influences workplace communication in several important

ADAPTING TO OTHER CULTURES

In this age of globalization language continues to

Studying Other Cultures and Languages

Respecting Preferences for Communication Style

Speaking and listening carefully

Helping others to adapt your culture

Avoid Avoid words with multiple meanings.

Write Write short and clear sentences.

Use Use transitions generously.

Address Address international correspondents properly.

Cite Cite numbers and dates in local formats.

Avoid Avoid slangs and idiomatic phrases.

Avoid Avoid humour and references to popular culture.

Maintain the correct communication speed and volume (should

Choose words sensibly so that it does not hurt the sentiments

The communication should be meaningful.

The style of delivery of messages should accommodate the

Speak in different native and regional languages.

Pay special attention to vocabulary accents, gestures, etc.

Helping others to adapt your

• It will create a more

The Lewis Model was The model aims to

The Model Linear-active

Linear-Active Cool Factual

What does the

How people from different

You might also like

○ Culture includes in itself all our way of life