Communicating Across Cultures

1
Communicating Across Cultures
Chapter 4
2
What is Communication?

• Communication describes the process of sharing
  meaning by transmitting messages through media
  such as words, behavior, or material artifacts.

3
The Communication Process(Exhibit 4-1)
Medium
Receiver
Sender
Decode Meaning
Meaning Encode
Message
Noise
Culture
Feedback
4
Terms in Communication

• Intercultural communication is when a member of
  one culture sends a message to a member of
  another culture.
• Attribution is the process in which people look
  for the explanation of another persons behavior.

5
Guidelines for Creating Trust(as suggested by
John Child)

• Mutual benefit
• Improve predictability
• Develop mutual bonding

6
Cultural Variables Affecting Communication

• Attitudes
• Social Organization
• Thought Patterns
• Roles
• Language
• Nonverbal Communication
• Time

7
Context

• In high-context cultures, feelings and thoughts
  are not explicitly expressed instead, one has to
  read between the lines and interpret meaning from
  ones general understanding.
• In low-context cultures, where personal and
  business relationships are more separated,
  communication media have to be more explicit.
  Feelings and thoughts are expressed in words, and
  information is more readily available.

8
Guidelines for Effective Communication in the
Middle East

• Be patient.
• Recognize that people and relationships matter
  more to Arabs than the job, company, or contract
• Avoid expressing doubts or criticism when others
  are present
• Adapt to the norms of body language, flowery
  speech, and circuitous verbal patterns in the
  Middle East, and dont be impatient to get to
  the point.
• Expect many interruptions in meetings, delays in
  schedules, and changes in plans.

9
Managing Cross-Cultural Communication

• Developing cultural sensitivity
• Careful encoding
• Selective transmission
• Careful decoding of feedback
• Follow-up actions

10
Behaviors Most Important to Intercultural
Communication Effectiveness(as reviewed by
Ruben)

• Respect
• Interaction posture
• Orientation to knowledge
• Empathy
• Interaction management
• Tolerance for ambiguity
• Other-oriented role behavior

11
Personality Factors For Effective Intercultural
Communication(as reviewed by Kim)

• Openness traits such as open-mindedness,
  tolerance for ambiguity, and extrovertedness
• Resilience traits such as having an internal
  locus of control, persistence, a tolerance of
  ambiguity, and resourcefulness