Download Introduction to Cross-cultural Communication

Title of the scenario
Introduction to cross-cultural communication
Language and level
All
Duration
1 hour
Final task
Complete a quiz to understand TABOOS!!
Type of Activity
Interactive
Type of input
Activities to raise awareness of culture
(transmissible tradition of Learned behaviour) as well as
context in communication
N. of exercises
5
Duration
1h plus (depending on how many tasks selected)
Contents
Explanation & activities to reflect on cross-cultural
communication
Communicative Function
Interaction between diverse participants
Name file storyboard
Cross cultural communicative awareness
GETTING TO GRIPS WITH CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Introduction
In today‟s world we live and work with people from many different backgrounds and traditions which
influence the way interaction occurs between us. In this introduction you are presented with some of
the issues that interfere with successful communication. We start by defining some terms used when
talking about cross-cultural communication and then focus on examples which are likely to give
problems. Enjoy the experience of exploring this important topic that is vital to your success.
What do you understand by the term ‘communication’?
The root- word means sharing or distributing between persons. Communication involves words &
non-words, processed to produce meaning within a situation. When words are not understood,
voice tone, facial expressions, gestures, movements, postures & appearance, as well as other
signs, signals & symbols in the context, are used to make meaning of events. Can you think of
examples from your own experience of trying to understand when words fail you?
Factors in the process are: source, channel, destination, code, message & context.
There are many inputs into this activity which must be understood for a message to be correct.
Speech is accompanied by complex sets of vocal, gestural, spatial/visual signs, signals & symbols.
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Non verbal aspects of communicating (NVC)
Prosody (pitch & stress patterns, pauses & timing) affects meaning of what is said as well as
Paralinguistic information (emotions from voice tone, accent conveying group membership, personality, manner,
appearance ,props, context clues etc.). Experts suggest that words count for around 7% of the affective
message with voice (38%) and gestures (55%). This suggests that 93% of the message impact is from
non-verbal information. (Mehrabin, Communication without Words, Psychology Today, Dec.1969 + others).
Does this surprise you? NVC manages a social situation, to sustain, support & replace words. Both verbal
& non-verbal communication reflects traditions and the norms of one‟s cultural group.
Some definitions
Communication: Dance & Larson (1976) collected 126 definitions of 2 kinds as a:
Process: sender directs a message through a channel (medium) to a receiver with effect.
Social activity: creating & exchanging meanings in response to the reality experienced.
Messages cannot transmit without conversion into an appropriate code for a channel used.
Thoughts are encoded in gestures, voice, facial expressions, speech, writing, pictures etc.
Culture refers to traditions within a community.
Signals are physical forms for messages: utterances, writing, gestures, telephone/radio transmissions
Signs are physical forms referring to something apart from them selves. E.g. arrow → (direction)
Icons look like what they stand for as in a passport photo.
Symbols have no visible connection with their signifier. Example:
€ and £ for euro & pound
Indices are unintentional signs like footprints, smoke curls, wall cracks etc.
Encoder is a physiological (brain) or technical (electricity media) device transforming a message
from source into a form (code) for transmitting to a receiver for decoding
Decoder is a sense organ/receptor/technical device converting a signal into a form to understand
There is close involvement of verbal & non-verbal aspects of interaction within communication.
Acts conveying meaning as „symbols’ are considered para-linguistic and refer to gestures, etc.
which support conversation but are not part of its grammatical structure.
As with verbal communication, much discourse is not concerned with issues within an immediate
context but refers to ideas outside this, reflecting the continuity and conventions of life. These include
interactions which symbolise dominance & submission, affection or possession as well as rituals such
as a Catholic‟s hand movement when they cross themselves.
2
Elements of symbolic coding are:
Body parts, dress & adornments (tattoos etc.); differences in body posture (standing, sitting etc)
position between people; limb movements; pace (fast/slow); face expressions; voice tone;
nutrients (individual food/drink consumed); body excretions (tears etc.)
Activity 1: In groups of 3 (1 observer & 2 speakers), choose a topic from the above codes to discuss.
An observer notes differences between speakers using criteria in the above list. Present these to the
whole group, noting similarities & differences in behaviour.
Activity 2: Look at the accompanying power point presentation. Some signs, symbols &
signals will be familiar but others unfamiliar. Compare group responses to these.
(Note: The stick alphabet word in the power point = SEE)
What to think about!
When you meet someone, how close would you stand by them? For some people this is about
11/2 metres. However, others prefer to be closer than this. So, what is a comfortable distance
for one may feel threatening to another, showing relative positioning between people. Those
who work with different cultures need to be aware of positional („proxemic‟) differences so that
they do not cause offence or make others feel uneasy.
Movements and gestures used by people also have different meanings specific to their culture.
Comparing group responses in the power point, you will find a spread across choices a, b & c
for the hand postion in slide 3. Differences in interpretation are found with other gestures.
Some point to their noses to mean „me’ which confuses people who point to their chest for this.
A temple-screw movement is a common gesture, except that it means „He’s crazy’ for some but
„He’s intelligent’ for others. These opposite interpretations could easily give offence!
A hitch-hiker‟s erect thumb might catch a lift in some places but would result in a stream of
abuse in others where it is regarded as an obscene gesture. It is wise to observe what is
appropriate behaviour in a particular context.
Task: In small groups, consider common gestures that you use when you communicate with other
people. Note differences in interpretation amongst yourselves. Present findings to everyone.
Understanding problems occurring from gesture language is important. A student, on world travels,
gave „thumbs-up‟ to local lads to be thumped as a result. It means OK for some but abuse for others.
Subtle problems
There are problems when speaking the common language of others you are with but use a
different accent, stress & intonation pattern than them. This is called „mother tongue interference’
& can give wrong signals & impressions. So, differences between Asian-English & English-English
leads to difficulties. Indian languages, like Punjabi & Urdu, have little stress which carries over into
the English spoken by Asians where they fail to make the difference clear between „last week’ &
„this week‟. It has implications regarding appointments misunderstood & missed and has been
noted in hospitals with staff using both stress-time & syllable-time languages. Some people find
the high pitch & stress, used by the English when explaining something or emphasising a point,
as too emotional. It is impolite, in some cultures, to reveal feelings in the way you speak. When
reprimanded for wrongs it‟s important to look in the eye of the person doing this in some cultures.
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However, in others, those reprimanded look down at their feet, which may be considered as rude &
offensive. These cause problems between persons as speech & actions may be interpreted differently.
Comparing a western culture (England) with an eastern one (Japan)
Cultural feature
Greeting
Entering a house
Taking a bath
Diet
Religion
Writing
Gardens
England
Shake firmly with right hand
Japan
Bow from the waistdegree depends on
relationship & context
Wipe shoes on the door mat
Remove shoes and use
slippers provided
Fill a body-length bath with hot water and
Bath is a waist-high tub
Wash yourself in the bath
Soap & rinse beside the
bath & soak in the clean
water in the tub
Bread, potatoes, vegetables, meat, cheese,
Rice, noodles, raw fish,
Cooked fish, cereals, milk, cakes, biscuits
cooked meat, bean curd
Christianity (likely)
Buddhism or Shintoism
(likely)
Roman alphabet: 26 letters
Ideograms (Chinese)
plus extra syllabic
characters
Flower beds, lawns, shrubs, trees.
Trees, shrubs, rocks, stones
Many in formal geometric patterns with bedding plants common
pools, natural landscapes
few flowers
Task: Use the model to compare your cultural features with another colleague from a
different background. Add more features if you can. Discuss issues arising from
differences & similarities that you find.
Cultural feature
Greeting
Entering a house
Taking a bath
Diet
Religion
Writing
Gardens
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Your culture
Another culture
Taboo or not Taboo!
Answer Yes or No to the following conventions
ACTION
YES
NO
Give a soft hand shake
Embrace and kiss on meeting people
Make immediate eye contact whatever a person‟s status
Are assertive without arrogance
Ask the age of someone you meet & declare your age
Give a more expensive gift than you are given
Ask about the family in a conversational exchange
Answer your mobile when with others
Bring other people to a meeting to support you
Sit down at a meal before being told your place
Leave something on your plate at mealtimes
Arrange early morning meetings
Do deals outside rather than inside a meeting
Talk about money in social situations
Dress appropriately for informal/formal occasions
Sit down at a drinks party
Stand/sit close to others
Invite unknown people to a meal
Laugh/giggle when in conversation
Blow you nose in company
Spit/blurb in front of others
Remember that all the above actions are taboo for some people so if you have
answered ‘YES’, check that you can do this in your present situation!
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Guidelines for teachers
1.
Present the concept of across-cultural awareness as appropriate for the group:
(i.e. speaking & behaving in a different context compared to a familiar one).
2.
Discuss with your students how they would like to complete tasks/activities.
3.
In small groups, ask participants to discuss how to present themselves to be
understood whilst not giving offence to others by the way they speak/behave.
4.
Each group presents results of tasks in the way they have discussed.
5.
Make participants aware of criteria for effective communication across cultures.
6.
When giving results of tasks to everyone, make sure each person contributes to the
presentation & discusses this in their group plan for the presentation.
Criteria for effective communication
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1.
Talk slowly & clearly without shouting – an audience normally has good hearing!
2.
Use short, simple sentences, but do not talk as if listeners are stupid.
3.
Avoid pidgin forms like “Me jack, you Jill” & speak simply but correctly.
4.
If possible, use words that may be similar in other foreign languages.
5.
Illustrate words with gestures (not exaggerated to detract from the message)
6.
In a written document, illustrate key concepts with images (pictures, charts etc.).
7.
When using words linked to your own culture, explain meaning clearly & simply.
8.
If listeners are unlikely to understand a vital word, use other language translations.
9.
Never use acronyms without explaining their meaning.
10.
Avoid idiomatic expressions.
11.
Cultural specifics need explanation (history, music, food, places, monuments).
12.
Rephrase messages frequently to provide further chances to grasp the meaning.
13.
Remember it is more difficult to understand your language than you may think.
14.
Pause & check often for understanding, using feedback (listener expressions)