CULTURAL COMMUNICATION BARRIERS Week 3

2. CULTURAL COMMUNICATION BARRIERSWeek 3 Matakuliah : V0052 Tahun : 2008

3. Learning Outcomes On completion of this unit, the students should be able to identify and recognize major barriers to effective cross-cultural communication. Mahasiswa dapat mengidentifikasikan dan mengenali jenis-jenis hambatan pada komunikasi antar budaya. HO 0708

4. Subjects • Language • The influence of culture on communication • Non-verbal communication HO 0708

5. Week 3Seven Barriers to Cross Cultural Communication • Language • Influence of culture on communication • Non-verbal communication • Preconceptions and stereotypes • Tendency to make judgements • High level of stress • Workplace issue HO 0708

6. Week 3LANGUAGE Skills for language competency • Read • Write • Listen • Speak HO 0708

7. Week 3LANGUAGE Reducing the language barrier • Be aware of the difficulties caused by slang, colloquialisms, idioms • Speak clearly and simply at a normal volume • Be prepared to clarify meanings (both yours and theirs) • Check to establish that all parties understand • Be aware of your own communication style • Avoid humor and sarcasm HO 0708

8. Week 3LANGUAGE Australian Use of English • Speak quickly/accents • Use slang/colloquialisms/idioms • May use humor or sarcasm • Assume that you are understood because people smile and say yes • Use of tag questions • Use of double negatives • Broken English • Raise the voice if not understood the first time • Abbreviations HO 0708

9. Week 3LANGUAGE GROUP DISCUSSION • How do Indonesians use English in a way that causes problems for the overseas customers? • How about: American? • British? • Singaporean? • Japanese? HO 0708

10. Week 3INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON COMMUNICATION • Politeness and respect • Expression of emotion, disharmony and loudness • Apologies • Greetings • Names • Face or self-respect • Social status HO 0708

11. Week 3INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON COMMUNICATION • Politeness and respect • What are the 2 most used words that show politeness .. PLEASE THANK YOU • Are there any rules regarding their use? • Do we expect everyone in our society to use these terms? HO 0708

12. Week 3INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON COMMUNICATION • Expression of emotion, disharmony and loudness • E.g. Australians tend to be direct in their communication and will display emotions • Some Asian and Pacific peoples may interpret any open display of emotions as a lack of self-discipline and poor taste HO 0708

13. Week 3INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON COMMUNICATION • Apologies • The rules governing politeness and apologies vary greatly in different cultures • Australians tend to apologize more frequently than some other cultural groups HO 0708

14. Week 3INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON COMMUNICATION • Greeting and Small Talk • Australians tend to ask “How are you?” and make comments on the weather • Other cultural groups may ask “Have you eaten already?” or Where have you been?” • Asians when being friendly will ask “Are you married?” – “How old are you?” HO 0708

15. Week 3INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON COMMUNICATION • Names • Naming systems will vary between cultures • Ask the guest how to address them Example: • Malay • Male = Asmi bin Ahmad (“bin” means “son of” Ahmad) • Female = Suraya binti Ahmad (“binti” means “daughter of”) • Chinese • Leem See Sing Lim is the family name. Many will add a Western first name (James Lim) or reverse the order of their Chinese name whilst living in Australia. HO 0708

16. Week 3INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON COMMUNICATION • Face • Self-respect or face is often very important in other cultural groups • It is important to avoid public criticism or disagreement • Social Status • In some culture, status (related to age, education, wealth or position) governs relationships and behaviour to a much greater degree than in Australia. HO 0708

17. Week 3Non-Verbal Communication • Approx. 65% communication is non-verbal communication • Characteristics of non-verbal communication: • Non verbal communication exists • You can’t not communicate • Non-verbal communication is culture-bound • Transmits feeling and attitudes • Serves many functions • Ambiguous HO 0708

18. Week 3Characteristics of Non-Verbal Communication • Non-verbal communication transmit feelings and attitudes Without being able to use words, people’s bodies generally express how they feel – nervous, embarrassed, friendly, angry, happy, etc. • Non-verbal communication serves many functions • Repeating • Substituting • Complementing • Accenting • Regulating • Contradicting HO 0708

19. Kinesics and Paralinguistic Week 3Non-Verbal Communication • Kinesics= the study of body language – involves analysis of posture, movement, facial expression, eye management gestures, proxemics (use of space – acceptable social distance when talking) • Paralinguistic = rate of speech, volume, pitch, tone of voice – also effect communication HO 0708

20. Week 3Non-Verbal Behavior HO 0708

21. Week 3Non-Verbal Communication • Eye Contact • As an Anglo-Australian, to impress someone with your honesty, you would probably look directly at the person while speaking • In many cultures, however, lowered eyes indicate an attitude of respect, rather than admission of guilt • Eye contact will also be affected by gender difference HO 0708

22. Week 3Non-Verbal Behavior • Facial Expression • Smiling has quite different functions in different cultural context – Westerners are so used to equating it with friendliness, good humor, amusement. HO 0708

23. Week 3Non-Verbal Behavior • Distance • Intimate Distance Skin contact and ranges out to about 18 inches • Personal Distance Ranges from 18 inches to 4 feet • Social Distance Ranges from 4 to 12 feet • Public Distance Running outward from 12 feet HO 0708

24. Week 3Non-Verbal Behavior • Social Distance • A casual conversation in Australia (polite and customary distance) = approx. 2-4 feet from the other person • In Middle Eastern or Latin America cultures, in a casual conversation you should stand very close – within a foot; purposefully breathe in the other person’s face as you talk HO 0708

25. Week 3Non-Verbal Behavior • Touching • When, where and how you touch others is determined by many factors, such as age, sex, social setting, status difference and emotional climate • Touch can communicate many messages: • Functional/professional (dental exam, haircut) • Social/polite (handshake) • Friendship/warmth (clap on back) • Love/Intimacy (some caresses, hugs) • Sexual arousal (some kisses) HO 0708

26. Week 3Non-Verbal Behavior • Hand Gestures • Most basic gestures may be quite different in another cultural setting • Pointing, waving goodbye – all can be the subject of misinterpretation HO 0708

27. Week 3Non-Verbal Behavior • Dress/ Clothing Clothing conveys messages to the others: • Economic level/ background • Educational level/ background • Trustworthiness • Social position/ background • Level of sophistication • Level of success • Moral character HO 0708

28. QUESTIONS? HO 0708

29. Review Questions 3 • List the seven barriers to cross cultural communication • Name types of non-verbal behavior and give examples • How do you reduce the language barrier? HO 0708

30. Group Assignment for Week 4 Type of assignment : Presentation Topic : How non-verbal communication can be a barrier in intercultural communication Presentation time : 10 minutes per group Note : Presentation should be typed on A4 size paper using times new roman or arial font 12 HO 0708