Download Quick Learning Guide Chapter 3 - Business Communication Network

 Quick
Learning Guide
Chapter 3
Communicating in a
World of Diversity
Excellence in Business Communication, 9th Edition
SUMMARY
OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1
2
3
4
5
6
THE BIG IDEAS
Discuss the opportunities and challenges of intercultural communication. The global
marketplace spans natural boundaries and national borders, allowing worldwide competition
between businesses of all sizes. Therefore, today’s businesspeople are likely to communicate across
international borders with people who live in different cultures. Moreover, even domestic
workforces are becoming more and more diverse, with employees having different national,
religious, and ethnic backgrounds. In this environment, companies can benefit from a broad range
of viewpoints and ideas, get a good understanding of diverse markets, and recruit workers from the
broadest possible pool of talent. However, intercultural communication presents challenges as well,
including motivating diverse employees to cooperate and to work together in teams as well as
understanding enough about how culture affects language to prevent miscommunication.
•
A global perspective and a diverse
workforce can be major competitive
advantages, but intercultural
communication requires special care
and attention.
•
You belong to several cultures, and
each one shapes your view of the
world and your communication style.
•
Cultural bias can lead to negative
mindsets such as ethnocentrism,
stereotyping, and even xenophobia.
Define culture, and explain how culture is learned. Culture is a shared system of symbols,
beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for behavior. Culture is learned by listening to
advice from other members of a society and by observing their behaviors. This double-edged
method uses direct and indirect learning to ensure that culture is passed from person to person and
from generation to generation.
•
Improving your cross-cultural
communication skills requires
understanding other cultures—and the
effect your own cultures have on you.
•
You can take specific steps to make
your written and spoken messages
easier for cross-cultural audiences to
understand.
Define ethnocentrism and stereotyping, and give three suggestions for overcoming these
limiting mindsets. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge other groups according to the standards,
behaviors, and customs of one’s own group. Stereotyping is assigning a wide range of generalized
attributes to individuals on the basis of their membership in a particular culture or social group,
without considering an individual’s unique characteristics. To overcome ethnocentrism and
stereotyping, follow three suggestions: (1) Avoid assumptions, (2) avoid judgments, and (3)
acknowledge distinctions.
Explain the importance of recognizing cultural variations, and list eight categories of cultural
differences. People from different cultures encode and decode messages differently, increasing the
chances of misunderstanding. By recognizing and accommodating cultural differences, we avoid
automatically assuming that everyone’s thoughts and actions are just like ours. Begin by focusing
on eight categories of differences: contextual differences (the degree to which a culture relies on
verbal or nonverbal actions to convey meaning), legal and ethical differences (the degree to which
laws and ethics are regarded and obeyed), social differences (how members value work and success,
recognize status, define manners, and think about time), nonverbal differences (differing attitudes
toward greetings, personal space, touching, facial expression, eye contact, posture, and formality),
age differences (how members think about youth, seniority, and longevity), gender differences (how
men and women communicate), religious differences (how beliefs affect workplace relationships),
and ability differences (inclusive strategies that enable people with disabilities to more fully
communicate with the rest of the workforce).
Identify the steps you can take to improve your intercultural communication skills.
Communicating successfully between cultures requires a variety of skills, all of which you can continue to
improve throughout your career. Make your intercultural communication effective by studying other
cultures; studying other languages; respecting your audience’s preferences for communication style;
writing as clearly as possible; speaking as clearly as you can; listening carefully; using interpreters,
translators, and translation software when necessary; and helping others adapt to your own culture.
List seven recommendations for writing clearly in multilanguage business environments. To
write effectively for multilingual audiences, follow these recommendations: (1) Use simple, clear
language; (2) be brief; (3) use transitional elements; (4) address international correspondence properly;
(5) cite numbers and dates carefully; (6) avoid slang, idiomatic phrases, and unfamiliar jargon; and (7)
minimize or avoid humor and references to popular culture.
Copyright 2011 Bovée and Thill LLC KEY TERMS
diversity All the characteristics and
experiences that define each of us as
individuals
intercultural communication The
process of sending and receiving
messages between people whose cultural
backgrounds could lead them to interpret
verbal and nonverbal signs differently
culture A shared system of symbols,
beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and
norms for behavior
ethnocentrism The tendency to judge
other groups according to the standards,
behaviors, and customs of one’s own
group
xenophobia Fear of strangers and
foreigners
stereotyping Assigning a wide range of
generalized attributes to an individual on
the basis of membership in a particular
culture or social group
cultural pluralism The practice of
accepting multiple cultures on their own
terms
cultural context The pattern of physical
cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit
understanding that convey meaning
between two members of the same culture
Click here to get the latest information on
Chapter 3 topics at http://real-timeupdates.com
KEY
TERMS (continued)
CHAPTER OUTLINE
high-context
culture Culture in which
people rely less on verbal communication
and more on the context of nonverbal
actions and environmental setting to
convey meaning
64
Understanding the Opportunities
and Challenges of Communication
in a Diverse World
64
The Opportunities in a Global
Marketplace
low-context culture Culture in which
people rely more on verbal communication
and less on circumstances and cues to
convey meaning
64
The Advantages of a Diverse
Workforce
65
The Challenges of Intercultural
Communication
idiomatic phrases Phrases that mean
more than the sum of their literal parts
66
Table 3.1 (page 76) Doing Business in Other Cultures Figure 3.5 (page 75) Components of Successful Intercultural Communication Communicating in a diverse business environment is not always an easy task, but you can continue to improve your sensitivity and build your skills as you progress in your career Enhancing Your Sensitivity to
Culture and Diversity
66
Understanding the Concept of
Culture
67
Overcoming Ethnocentrism and
Stereotyping
67
Recognizing Variations in a
Diverse World
73
Adapting to Other Business
Cultures
74
Adapting to U.S. Business
Culture
74
Improving Intercultural
Communication Skills
75
Studying Other Cultures
76
Studying Other Languages
77
Respecting Preferences for
Communication Style
77
Writing Clearly
79
Speaking and Listening Carefully
81
Using Interpreters, Translators,
and Translation Software
81
Helping Others Adapt to Your
Culture
Checklist:
Improving Intercultural
Communication Skills
Figure 3.2 (page 69) How Cultural Context Affects Business Cultural context influences the nature of business communication in many ways. Note that these are generalized assessments of each culture; contextual variations can be found within each culture and from one individual to another. •
Understand your own culture so that you
can recognize its influences on your
communication habits.
•
Study other cultures so that you can
appreciate cultural variations.
•
Study the languages of people with whom
you communicate, even if you can learn
only a few basic words and phrases.
•
Help nonnative speakers learn your
language.
•
Respect cultural preferences for
communication style.
•
Write clearly, using brief messages, simple
language, generous transitions, and
appropriate international conventions.
•
Avoid slang, humor, and references to
popular culture.
•
Speak clearly and slowly, giving listeners
time to translate your words.
•
Ask for feedback to ensure successful
communication.
•
Listen carefully and ask speakers to repeat
anything you don’t understand.
•
Use interpreters and translators for
important messages.