Chapter- 2 Cross-Cultural Communication

1. Chapter- 2Cross-Cultural Communication Md. Al-Amin BUS 251

2. What Is Culture? • Culture is the learned behaviour • “Culture is the way we do the things around here” (Deal and Kennedy, 1982)

3. Importance of Cross-Cultural Communication • Being able to communicate across cultures is necessary for business operations. • It helps in- • selling products internationally • understanding and satisfying customers’ needs • attracting and recruiting a wide variety of good employees

4. Problems of Cultural Differences • Ethnocentrism: viewing own culture as normal and other cultures as bad, wrong, peculiar • Miscommunication is not always the main problem • We tend to over-generalize cultural practices • We fail to figure out the cultural differences

5. Factors Affecting the Culture • Role of religion • Religious values largely shape the cultures • Think for a moment about how “100% halal soaps” turned the things around for Aromatic • Think of the impact of Ramadan on the business organization and their policies

6. Factors Affecting the Culture (cont.) • Topography • Determine what types of people live in a particular place • Life under a broiling sun creates different habits and values than life in a darker and colder place • Food habits, clothes and life styles are largely determined by the area you live in

7. Factors Affecting the Culture (cont.) • Country’s History • Consider certain events or systems of the country that have affected the national memory • Our liberation war, 21st February and so forth

8. Dimensions of Cultural Differences • Physical Dimensions • Mental Dimensions

9. Physical Dimensions of Cultural Difference • Body positions and Movements • Physical behavior differ by culture and the difference can affect the culture

10. How do our our body positions and movements differ from others? • Squatting • Steps • Standing up when someone enters the room • Up-and-down and side-to-side movement of the head • Two fingered- sign

11. How do our our body positions and movements differ from others? (cont.) • Ok sign • Bow on meeting • Pointing out • Eye Contact • Handshakes • Greetings/ smile

12. Mental Dimensions of Cultural Differences • Attitudes of different cultures toward various factors of human relationships play the vital role • A good communicator involves studying the embedded mental dimensions or attitudes of people • If you fail to measure these dimensions, you would fail to manage them

13. Mental Dimensions of Cultural Differences (cont.) • Time • In some countries (e.g. UK, USA), people tend to be monochronic • In some countries (e.g. Bangladesh, India) people tend to be polychronic • Attitude toward space • How much distance? • Close or far?

14. Mental Dimensions of Cultural Differences (cont.) • Attitude toward body odors • Some cultures view these as unsanitary • Some cultures view these as something that friends should experience (breathe the breath/ feel the presence by smelling)

15. Mental Dimensions of Cultural Differences (cont.) • Frankness • Low- context cultures: communicates explicitly (e.g. American and German cultures) • High- context cultures: communicates implicitly (e.g. Bangladesh, Indonesia)

16. Mental Dimensions of Cultural Differences (cont.) • Social Hierarchy • Some cultures hold strict social classes • Classes will determine how people are treated in communication • Income, title, occupation and origin might be asked

17. We are done with part 1

18. Mental Dimensions of Cultural Differences (cont.) • Workplace Values • Attitude toward hard work and planning • Americans vs. Spanish workplaces • Attitude toward relationship with the employers • Japanese vs. Bangladeshi workplaces

19. Mental Dimensions of Cultural Differences (cont.) • Expression of emotion • Public displays of affection • Asians vs. Westerns • Display of laughter • Western vs. Japanese • Display of sorrow • Middle Eastern vs. Western cultures

20. Problems of Language • Languages are established based on the concepts, contexts, experiences and views of particular cultures • Even a word that seems the same in 2 languages may have different meanings • The meaning of the word “florist” has different meanings in different languages • Sometimes a word in one language has no corresponding word in another (e.g. supermarket; French have no words to distinguish between brain and mind, and men and gentlemen; Russians have no words for efficiency and challenge; Italians have 500 words for types of pasta)

21. Problems of Language (cont.) • Grammatical differences can have the impact on communication • Some languages (e.g. Urdu) don’t have gerunds, and some have no adverbs and/ adjectives. • More than one meaning for many words (The Oxford English Dictionary uses over 1500 words to define what)

22. Problems of Language (cont.) • Manners of expression can make the differences • Business couldn’t be better • We could never be too nice to our customer • What does YES mean? (Chinese YES often means “I’m listening”)

23. Difficulties with English • Two-Word Verbs • Nonnative speakers of English struggle with the use of TWO- WORD VERBS • A wording consisted of (1)a verb and (2) a second element, combined with the verb, produces a meaning that the verb alone doesn’t have • Give (verb)+ up (a second element), give (verb)+ away (a second element), break+ away, break+ down

24. Two-Word Verbs • Convert two-word verbs into one-word verbs when communicating with nonnative speakers of English • Identify the substitutes for the following verbs: • Give up • Speed up • Go on • Put off • Take off • Come in, go in, get in • Figure out, sort out • Take away • Blow away • Think up

25. Two-Word Verbs Substitutes

26. Slang • Slang can problems if the audiences are not familiar with them • Examples- • Basket case • Cake-walk • 24/7 • Kickoff • Out in the left field • Strike out • Get the ball rolling

27. More Examples • This is just off the top of my head • He frequently shoots from the hip • They couldn’t make the heads or tails of the report • Your prediction was right on target • Don’t let him get your goat

28. Slang • Don’t: This is just off the top of my head • Do: Here is a quick idea • Don’t: He frequently shoots from the hip • Do: He frequently acts before he thinks • Don’t: They couldn’t make the heads or tails of the report • Do: They couldn’t understand the report • Don’t: Your prediction was right on target • Do: Your prediction was correct • Don’t: Don’t let him get your goat • Do: Don’t let him upset you

29. Advice for Communicating Across Cultures • Do your research • Study the topography, climate, location, religion and history • Learn something about the language and learn to speak if you can • Learn about the values, beliefs, manners and lifestyle • Know yourself and your company well • Some people forget to research themselves • Always try to understand the business you represent

30. Advice for Communicating Across Cultures (cont.) • Adapt Your English to Your Audience • Try to simplify your English • Talk slowly, especially if you have a strong accent • Avoid the questions that can be answered with a YES/NO • Avoid negative questions • Be open to Change • Openness and tolerance will help to broaden to your experience and conduct effective communication • Mutual respect is the key to successful cross cultural communication

31. We are done! Thank you!