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1. Chapter 3 1 Chapter Three Multicultural Component
to Public Speaking
2. Chapter 3 2
3. Chapter 3 3 Worldview Studying your worldview will allow you to see how you perceive the world and how that impacts the communication you may have with others, both as a public speaker and as an audience member.
In their book Cultural and Social Anthropology, authors Edward Hoebel and Everett Frost define worldview as “the human being’s inside view of the way things are colored, shaped, and arranged according to personal cultural preconceptions.”
As a public speaker who is addressing a multicultural audience it is good to know how your worldview impacts your message, your word choice, your delivery, and your perception of your audience members.
4. Chapter 3 4 Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism may be defined as “when one holds the mindset that one’s own culture is superior to others’.” Someone who is ethnocentric reasons that anyone who does not belong to his or her in-group is somehow wrong or even inferior.
As a public speaker you can avoid the negative effects of ethnocentrism by respecting the dignity of the values and beliefs of our multicultural society.
You may not agree with others’ values and beliefs, but the demonstration of respect of those values and beliefs will go a long way.
By signifying respect for the diversity of your audience, you will create a more open line of communication between the speaker and the audience.
5. Chapter 3 5 Stereotyping Stereotyping is categorizing individuals according to a set of characteristics assumed to belong to all members of a group.
Categories of stereotyping may include race, age, gender, occupation, religion, disability, socio-economic status, educational level, and region of residence.
Decategorization is the process of treating the person as an individual instead of assuming that they possess the same characteristics as every other member of the group to which you have assigned them.
6. Chapter 3 6 The Work of Geert Hofstede Hofstede’s work can be studied in greater detail in his book, Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values Hofstede’s research yielded four themes:
Individualism versus Collectivism
Power Distance
Masculinity
Uncertainty Avoidance
7. Chapter 3 7 Individualism and Collectivism On the individualism end of the spectrum would include: the United States of America, Australia, Great Britain, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Countries listed on the collectivist end of the spectrum would include Venezuela, Columbia, Pakistan, Japan, and Hong Kong.
8. Chapter 3 8 Individualism People in countries representing the individualistic category see their own personal goals as being more important than the goals of a particular group.
An “I” philosophy is prevalent in their behavior and thought.
In short, people in the individualistic cultures look out for number one, and place their own goals and needs above a group, or membership objectives.
Moreover, those in the individualistic cultures thrive on competition and the achievement of personal goals, as opposed to cooperation, and the attainment of group goals and a group’s purpose.
9. Chapter 3 9 Collectivism In the collectivist culture, the group’s goals are more important than those of the individual.
A “we” philosophy is the driver of behavior and thought.
In the collectivist culture there is a strong distinction between the members of the in-group (families, organizations, or groups) and members of the out-group (those not in the family, organization, or group).
There is a stronger sense of loyalty to the hierarchy and the in-group dynamic whether it is in the form of family or company, as opposed to those belonging to the out-group.
Moreover, it is understood that there is a strong need for cooperation, as opposed to competition, in dealings with others.
10. Chapter 3 10 Power Distance High-power distances would represent those who hold high power and the wide separation between the decision makers and those implementing the decisions.
On the other hand, low-power distance is the narrow distance between those in power and those implementing the decisions.
11. Chapter 3 11 High Power Distance Countries that would fall in the high-power distance category would be Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, and India.
Since there is a large gap between the decision makers and those implementing those decisions, more formality is shown in how one would address another person in a company, organization, or family.
12. Chapter 3 12 Low Power Distance The low-power distance philosophy believes that the disproportion of distance should be minimized as much as possible.
Countries that would fall under the low-power distance category would be New Zealand, Austria, Finland, and Denmark, just to name a few.
The philosophy in the workplace in these countries says that subordinates consider superiors to be on the same level in their interactions and status of importance to the organization or group.
13. Chapter 3 13 Masculinity and Femininity Masculinity refers to the values and beliefs of a country’s society in the areas of achievement, attainment of money, and accepted male-oriented roles.
Countries that embody masculine worldviews would be South Africa, Japan, Italy, Mexico, and the Philippines.
Masculine societies teach men that they are the central dominant figures, and women are expected to be encouraging and supportive of men.
14. Chapter 3 14 Femininity Cultures that embrace femininity value more caring and nurturing behaviors.
Countries that embody the femininity values would be Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Norway.
It is validated that men do not need to be assertive, and can accept caring and nurturing roles in society.
15. Chapter 3 15 High-Uncertainty Avoidance The direction of Hofstede’s ideas about uncertainty avoidance is how a particular culture feels about uncertain and ambiguous situations.
High-uncertainty-avoidance cultures work at avoiding uncertainty by utilizing written rules, regulations, and a strong structure in their daily lives.
Countries that fall under the high-uncertainty-avoidance category would be Japan, Belgium, Portugal, and Greece.
High-uncertainty-avoidance groups move at a slower pace and spend more time in the planning and detailing phase when making decisions.
16. Chapter 3 16 Low-Uncertainty Avoidance On the flip side the low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures accept the uncertainty in life.
Countries that are considered low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures are the United States, Netherlands, Ireland, Singapore, and Sweden.
Low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures are willing to take risks, are not in favor of rigid protocols, and are comfortable with the unusual.
Low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures run at a faster pace and make decisions more quickly.
17. Chapter 3 17 High-Context Communication In high-context cultures tradition and history are consistent over time. In the high-context culture the message is communicated through nonverbal gestures, proximity, and silence.
In addition, the high-context cultures demonstrate a stronger awareness of the overall background of the environment of the communication, as opposed to words alone.
18. Chapter 3 18 Low-Context Communication In low-context cultures the verbal message is the driver of the message and little “context” is incorporated into the meaning of the message.
Low-context cultures would include America, Germany, and Switzerland. Communication tends to be direct and unambiguous, so the message is clearly stated with little “context.”
