Download Communication Across Culture

Communication Across
Cultures
Dan Pratt
Josh Fernandez
Charles Rath
Laura Thomas
Lindsey Hughes
•
“…the values, attitudes, beliefs,
orientations, and underlying assumptions
prevalent among people in a society”
- Dominant Cultures
- Co-Cultures
http://jrenseyblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/muslim-culture-in-us.jpg
• Intercultural communication occurs
when interactions are affected by
the differences between those
cultures.
-Culture Shock
• Factors that effect differences in culture:
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Age
Religion
Race and Ethnicity
Social Class
Sex and Gender
Age and Communication
• Age has a strong impact on communication due
to the large difference in experiences.
• Differences in technology have created some of
the largest communication issues.
•
“…the conceptual world of the two
generations are very different. And so are the
ways in which they have learned to learn: the
young people of today understand instinctively
that their games are their very best teachers.” –
Marc Prensky
Age and Communication
• Have you ever had to introduce a parent or
grandparent to a smartphone?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyahTmX_sIs
Religion
• Religion is frequently the most controversial
topic among individuals when opinions differ.
• In communication, religion not only can cause
argumentative situations, but it can also
simply be the source of a common
misunderstanding.
http://www.cuttingedge.org/NEWS/earth7.jpg
• According to the World Almanac, only 6.6
million people are non-religious or atheist.
• Over 10 major religions and over 25 sects are
listed in the Encyclopedia of Religious
Practices
Stereotypes and Prejudice
Race and Ethnicity
• Different racial and ethnic groups are parts of
different cultures.
• Communication is largely affected by the ethnic
group you belong to.
• The major barriers are verbal and non-verbal
communication
• Ethnocentrism plays a big part in
misunderstandings. The larger countries tend to
think the whole world operates the same way
they do.
Verbal
• Each culture has it’s own language, so
communication between different ethnic
groups and cultures can be difficult.
• “To do so [translating], one has to have deep
understandings of both cultures and both
languages.” – Lim
– Basically the key to understanding
language is understanding the culture.
Non-verbal
• Just like words, gestures also have different
meanings across cultures.
• Max Kirch, in The Modern Journal of
Language, states that the use of foreign
gestures can cause just as much confusion as
the use of foreign words.
– It creates a “foreign accent” if you will
Social Class
• Determined by income, education, occupation,
and social habits
• Often determines where one lives, therefore who
associates with one another.
Types of Social Classes
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Capitalist
Upper-Middle
Middle
Working
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC6izGmB
ox0&feature=related
Sex and Gender
Masculine and Feminine Cultures
Masculine Cultures
Feminine Cultures
(Mexico, Italy, Japan)
(Norway, Denmark, Sweden)
• Maintain traditional sex
roles
• Often value masculine
traits more highly
• Fewer sex-role
expectations
• Men and women take
on a variety of roles
dependent on context
Hofstede (2000)
Gender Traits
Masculine Traits
Feminine Traits
Emphasis on:
Emphasis on:
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•
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• Service
• Nurturing
• Investment in
relationships
• Helping behaviors
Performance
Ambition
Assertiveness
Competitiveness
Material success
Communication in Masculine and
Feminine Cultures
In masculine cultures:
• Men less likely to be
nurturing or caring
• Women less likely to be
assertive or argue
persuasively
In feminine cultures:
• Both men and women
tend to have a mix of
traits
• Tend to be more flexible
in the way they
communicate
+
Examples of Differences in
Communication

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When women have a problem
or need to make a decision,
they are more likely to talk to
other women

Men keep their problems to
themselves

Don’t see the point in sharing
their personal issues
Women are relationship
oriented

Status and dominance are
important to men

Look for things in common
to relate with other women
Lieberman “Differences in Male
and Female Communication
Styles”
Examples of Differences in
Communication
• “Women get things
done at work by
building relationships”
• “Men build
relationships when
they are working on
tasks with each other”
• Men like to tell and give
• Women focus on
bonding by sharing
experiences and asking
questions
information rather than
ask questions
• Men share experiences
as a way of establishing
dominance