Intercultural Communication

Transcription

1 Outline Intercultural Dr Richard Gulliford Dr Mahmoud Abubaker What is the intercultural communication? The Importance of intercultural communication Cultural Noise Time, context, individualist vs collectivist Non-verbal communication Effective intercultural communication Definition of Intercultural Intercultural communication is: communication between at least two people from different cultures. The essence of effective cross-cultural communication has more to do with releasing the right responses than with sending the right messages. Hall and Hall Culture is often defined in interrelation to Definition of Intercultural Culture is communication and communication It means that Culture is passed on is via culture communication and communication reflects one s culture! Importance of Intercultural Increasing interaction between people due to globalization Increasing diversity in workplaces Increasing need to develop caring, responsible and ethical business leaders Implication If intercultural communication is communication between at least two people from different cultures between people is essentially intercultural. Different types of cultures shape communication. Caring, responsible and ethical business leaders must be effective intercultural communicators. 1

2 Intercultural Cultural Noise Cultural Noise cultural variables that undermine the communication of intended meaning see Hofstede, Lewis, Trompenaars Attribution the process in which people look for an explanation of another person s behavior Some Types of Cultural Noise High context culture differ from low context culture How the individual is viewed in relation to the group Individualist vs collectivist How time is perceived Monochronic vs Polychronic How power is distributed High vs Low power distance Context around culture is critical to meaning: The degree to which information is explicit, vested in words, precise and unambiguous low context = the listener know little and needs to be told all The degree to which information is implicit, vested in shared experience and assumptions and conveyed through verbal and non verbal codes. high context= listener is already contextualised and needs to read cues carefully Low-context societies: speaker says precisely what he or she means people often meet only to accomplish objectives message is explicit High-context societies: Messages highly coded, indirect and implicit voice intonation, timing, and facial expressions important in conveying information 2

3 Cultural Noise - Language Cultural Noise Time Language an inability to speak the local language, and a poor or too literal translation are often causes for mistrust Pepsi s slogan Come Alive with Pepsi translated into German as Come out of the grave. Rendezvous lounges on 747 s were not used on airlines because in Portuguese rendezvous refers to prostitution Explore the internet for other examples Monochronic Cultures Also called: Rigid-time culture Do only one thing at the same time Appointments (time) are inescapable Punctuality is a norm of conduct Time is money Polychronic Cultures Also called: Fluid-time culture Do several things at the same time time engagements are more flexible work is considered less important than being polite, nice, helpful, etc. with other people Time is an opportunity Cultural Noise Individualist and collectivist Cultural Noise -High vs Low power distance In comparison with collectivist culture, In an individualistic culture communication is more direct. For instance, if A wants to know something from B, A will ask B a direct question which B is expected to answer just as directly. Any communication in this culture is expected to be very precise, such as the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom In comparison with collectivist culture, companies in individualistic cultures tend to judge and hire an applicant on the basis of his or her personal capabilities. Cultural Noise - Example Non-verbal communication The shortest way between two people is a smile 3

4 Non-Verbal Non-Verbal Body language Eye contact Laughter Touch Tone, volume and speed Turn-taking and silence Body jewellery, tattoos Eating, chewing, spitting, sneezing Oculesics Eye contact and gaze Kinesics - Body movement and facial expression Proxemics Non-verbal communication non-verbal language may have the following basic functions: 1) to communicate attitudes and emotions 2) to support the sense of words 3) substitution of verbal language Non-Verbal - Implications 1) to communicate attitudes and emotions 2) to support the sense of words This may take place in different ways: completing the sense of the words controlling synchronisation (among the different speakers of a group) producing feed back maintaining the attention Non-Verbal - Implications 3) to substitute verbal language body language, gestures Non-verbal language, depending on authors, makes from 50% to 70% of direct communication among human beings. Examples for Cultural Noise WBqw 4

5 Steps towards Effective Develop a sense of cultural awareness Do not be ethnocentric Listen genuinely when others speak Do not lapse into your own language while in the presence of others who do not speak it Take responsibility for the communication (e.g., if miscommunication happens, it is not always the other person s fault) informal understandings among individuals based upon trust an implicit understanding realistic commitments with good intentions to honourthem predictability: resolve conflicts and keep communication open mutual bonding through socialisingand friendly contact THANK YOU 5