Transcript chapter 3 - siwah-usk

3.1
CHAPTER 3
Communicating
Interculturally
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.2
Chapter 3 Objectives
 Discuss trends that have made
intercultural business
communications so important.
 Discuss culture and subculture and
culture’s four basic characteristics.
 Delineate the differences between
high-context and low context cultures.
 Recognize cultural differences.
 Discuss ethnocentrism and
stereotyping.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.3
Chapter 3 Objectives
continued
 Discuss three ways to improve
communication with people who speak
English as a second language; then
discuss three ways to improve
communication with people who do not
speak your language at all.
 Explain why studying other cultures
helps you communicate more
effectively.
 Illustrate how word choice affects
communication among people from
other cultures.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.4
Intercultural Communication
 The process of sending and receiving
messages between people whose
cultural backgrounds lead them to
interpret verbal and nonverbal signs
differently.
 Two trends contribute to the
importance of intercultural
communication:
 Market globalization
 Cultural diversity
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.5
Market Globalization
 Market globalization is the increasing
tendency of the world to act as one
market:
 Domestic markets are opening to
worldwide competition
 Technology brings people closer
through travel and communication
 Increasing numbers of people work
in multicultural settings
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.6
Cultural Diversity
 Encompasses differences in race,
gender, age, culture, family structure,
religion, physical ability, and
educational background
 Affects how business messages are
conceived, planned, sent, received, and
interpreted
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.7
Improving Intercultural Sensitivity
 Culture is a shared system of symbols,
beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and
behaviors.
 Subcultures are distinct groups that exist
within a major culture.
 Examples of subcultures in the United States






Mexican Americans
Mormons
Wrestling fans
Russian immigrants
Disabled persons
Harvard graduates
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
A Few Basic
Concepts About Culture
 Culture is learned.
 Cultures vary in stability.
 Cultures vary in complexity.
 Cultures vary in tolerance.
Misunderstandings arise when senders
encode messages based on the
assumptions of their own culture and
then receivers decode those messages
based on the assumptions of their own,
separate culture.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.8
3.9
Cultural Differences
 Cultural Context: is the pattern of physical
cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit
understandings that convey meaning
between members of the same culture
 High-context culture: majority of the
message is communicated indirectly
(nonverbally)
 Low-content culture: majority of message
is communicated directly (words)
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.10
High Context Cultures
 High-context cultures (Japanese, Chinese,
Arab, Greek, Mexican, Spanish) tend to rely
less on verbal communication and more on
the context of nonverbal actions and
environmental setting to convey meaning.
 High context cultures
 Put less emphasis on the written word
 Consider personal pledges more
important than contracts
 View the law with flexibility
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.11
Low Context Cultures
 Low-context cultures (German,
Scandinavian, North American,
English, French) tend to rely more on
verbal communication and less on
circumstances and cues to convey
meaning.
 Low-context cultures
 Value the written word
 Consider written agreements binding
 View the law strictly
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.12
Creating Ethical Messages
When communicating across cultures,
apply these four basic principles:
Seek mutual ground to allow clearest
possible exchange of information.
Send and receive messages
without judgment.
Send messages that are honest.
Show respect for cultural differences.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Recognizing
Cultural Differences
Negotiating styles
Decision-making process
Problem-solving techniques
Ethics
Status
Manners
Time
Personal space
Body language
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.13
3.14
Overcoming Ethnocentrism
 Ethnocentrism is the belief
that one’s own cultural
background is superior to
that of others.
 Stereotyping is predicting
behavior based on particular
groups or classes.
 To overcome ethnocentrism,



Acknowledge distinctions
Avoid assumptions
Avoid judgments
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Improving Communication
Across Cultures
3.15
 To communicate more effectively with
people from other cultures, you need to
 Overcome language barriers
 Study other cultures
 Develop effective written skills
 Develop effective oral skills
 Language barriers exist because
 Your culture and subculture dictate the
words you choose to use
 Words can be interpreted in more than one
way
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Unfortunate Translations in
International Marketing
Company/product
English
3.16
Translation
Dairy Association
“Got Milk?”
“Are you lactating?”
(Mexico)
Chevrolet - car
Nova
“No va” = “doesn’t
go” (Latin America)
Coors Beer
“Turn It Loose”
“Suffer from diarrhea”
(Latin America)
Pepsi Cola
“Come Alive with
Pepsi ”
Clairol – curling
iron
“Mist Stick”
“Pepsi brings your
ancestors back from
the grave” (China)
Sounds like slang for
manure (Germany)
Secured from the Internet
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Overcoming
Language Barriers
Breaking Through
ESL Barriers
 Avoid using slang
and idioms.
 Pay attention to local
accents and
pronunciation.
 Be aware of vocal
variations.
Breaking Through
Foreign Language
Barriers
 Learn a foreign
language.
 Use an intermediary
or translator.
 Offer language
training programs.
 Study other cultures.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.17
Developing Intercultural
Communication Skills
• Assume differences.
• Be flexible.
• Take responsibility.
• Emphasize some
• Withhold judgment.
common ground.
• Show respect.
• Empathize.
• Tolerate ambiguity.
• Recognize bias.
• Learn patience and
persistence.
3.18
• Send clear messages.
• Deal with the individual.
• Know when to be direct.
• Avoid the superficial.
• Evaluate feedback to
assess your hypothesis.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.19
Writing Effective Messages to
International Audiences
 Use plain English.
 Be clear.
 Avoid slang and idioms.
 Be brief.
 Use short paragraphs.
 Use transitional elements.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.20
Improve Your Oral Skills
 Try to eliminate noise.
 Look for feedback.
 Rephrase sentences
when necessary.
 Clarify your true intent
with repetition and
examples.
 Don’t talk down to the
other person.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.21
Improve Your Oral Skills
continued
 Use objective, accurate language.
 Listen carefully and patiently.
 Adapt your conversation style to
the other person’s.
 Clarify what will happen next.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Let’s
Discuss
Test Your
Knowledge
 How have market globalization and
cultural diversity contributed to the
increased importance of intercultural
communication?
 What is the relationship between
culture and subculture?
 What are the four basic
characteristics of culture?
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
3.22
Let’s
Discuss
Test Your
Knowledge
3.23
continued
 How do high-context cultures differ
from low-context cultures?
 In addition to the contextual
differences, what other categories of
cultural differences exist?
 What four principles apply to ethical
intercultural communication?
 What is ethnocentrism, and how can it
be overcome in communication?
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Let’s
Discuss
Test Your
Knowledge
3.24
continued
 Why is it a good idea to avoid slang
and idioms when addressing a
multicultural audience?
 What are some ways to improve oral
skills when communicating with people
of other cultures?
 What is the purpose of back-translation
when preparing a message in another
language?
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall