Cross-cultural Communication and Negotiation

1. Cross-cultural Communicationand Negotiation Chapter 7

2. Chapter Outline • The communication process • Noise in communication • Direct vs. formal communication • Non-verbal communication • Body movement and gestures • Space • Eye contact • Touching

3. Chapter Outline (2) • Monochronic vs. polychronic time • Practical issues in communication • Using interpreters • Communication with non-native speakers • Avoiding attribution errors

4. Sender meaning Encoding Medium Decoding Receiver interpretation Feedback The Communication Process • Communication is the process of transferring meaning from sender to receiver. The Communication Model

5. The Communication Process • Encoding: The sender expresses a meaning in a message • Medium: the means that a sender uses to transmit the message • Decoding: the receiver gets the message • Interpretation: the receiver tries to understand the meaning of the message • Feedback: The receiver responds to the message

6. Noise in Communication • Noise is a factor that causes the receiver to misunderstand the hearer's message. • "I wonder if you realize that what you think you heard is not what I meant to say". • "Yes" does not always mean "yes".

7. Basic Communication Styles • Direct communication: communication that comes to the point and lacks ambiguity • Formal communication: communication that acknowledges rank, titles, and ceremony in prescribed social interaction

8. Exhibit 12.2: Cultural Differences in Communication Styles

9. Context of Communication (1) • Context is the information that surrounds a communication and helps to convey the message • Low-context societies – U. S. and most northern European countries • Message is explicit and the speaker tries to say precisely what is meant • Direct style: focus on speaker's statements • Silence may make people uncomfortable • Facial expressions and body language may be easy to interpret, if you understand the gestures of the speaker's culture • Business meetings are often focused on objectives.

10. Context of Communication (2) • High-context societies – most Arab and Asian countries • Business meetings with new contacts focus on relationships first. Business comes later. • Indirect style: speaker does not spell out his message • Avoid saying "no" • Avoid embarrassing people

11. Context of Communication (3) • High-context societies (continued) • Messages often are implicit: Listener is expected to de-code verbal and non-verbal cues, such as voice, intonation, timing, body language • Silence is used to understand received messages and decide how to reply • If the culture is neutral (Asia), control body language and facial expressions – if you do not, people will not trust you or respect you.

12. Exhibit 12.1: Country Differences in High-Context and Low-Context Communication

13. Nonverbal Communication • Communication without words • Gestures and body language • Space • Touching • Eye contact • Non-verbal behaviors differ in different cultures • Major source of "noise" or misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication.

14. Body Movement • Communication through body movements • E.g., facial expressions, body posture • Most Asian cultures use bowing to show respect • No universal code for what body movements mean • Easy to misinterpret gestures

15. Space • Use of space to communicate • Each culture has appropriate distances for communication • North Americans prefer more distance than Latin American and Arab cultures • Closed offices vs. open offices

16. Space (2) • Distance • Intimate distance is used for very confidential communications • Personal distance is used for talking with family and close friends • Social distance is used to handle most business transactions • Public distance is used when calling across the room or giving a talk to a group

17. Intimate distance 18” Personal distance 18” to 4’ Social distance 4’ to 8’ Public distance 8’ to 10’ Personal Space in the U.S.

18. Seating in a Typical Japanese Office

19. Touching • Shaking hands, embracing, or kissing when greeting one another. Touching to emphasize a point • No touching or low touching • E.g., Japan, U.S., England, and many Northern European countries • Moderate touching • E.g., Australia, China, Ireland, and India • Touching • E.g., Latin American countries, Italy, and Greece

20. Eye Contact • Communication through eye contact or gaze • U.S. and Canada: people are very comfortable and expect eye contact to be maintained • China and Japan: eye contact is considered very rude and disrespectful

21. Monochronic Time • Things are done in a linear fashion. • Manager addresses Issue A first and then moves on to Issue B • Time schedules are very important. Time is viewed as something that can be controlled and should be used wisely • Be on time for appointments. • Perform services or deliver goods when promised. • Meetings have stated objectives and include only the people that need to be there.

22. Polychronic Time • People tend to do several things at the same time • People place higher value on personal involvement than on getting things done on time • Schedules are less important than personal relationships • People should be understanding about delays. • In Arab countries, several meetings may be going on in the same room at the same time.

23. Practical Issues in Cross-Cultural Business Communication • Interpreter’s role: to provide a simultaneous translation of a foreign language • Require greater linguistic skills than speaking a language or translating written documents • Have the technical knowledge and vocabulary to deal with technical details common in business transactions • Have to ensure the accuracy and common understanding of agreements

24. Successful Use of Interpreters • Spend time with the interpreter • Go over technical and other issues with interpreter for proper understanding • Insist on frequent interruptions when it’s necessary • Look for feedback and comprehension by watching the eyes

25. Successful use of Interpreters (2) • Discuss the message beforehand • Request that your interpreter apologize for your inability to speak in the local language • Confirm that all key components of the message have been properly comprehended

26. Communication with Non-native Speakers • Use the most common words with most common meanings • Select words with few alternative meanings • Follow rules of grammar strictly • Speak with clear breaks between words • Avoid sports words or words borrowed from literature

27. Communication with Non-native Speakers (2) • Avoid words or expressions that are pictures • Avoid slang • Mimic the cultural flavor of the nonnative speaker’s language • Test your communication success • Repeat basic ideas using different words when your counterpart does not understand • Confirm important aspects in writing

28. Avoiding Attribution Errors • Attribution: process by which we interpret the meaning of spoken words or nonverbal exchanges • Attribute meaning based on our taken-for-granted cultural expectations • Easy to make mistakes of attribution • Need to observe carefully • Avoid subtleties of a foreign language • Avoid complex nonverbal behaviors