Cross-Cultural Awareness for English Teachers: Enhancing Communication and Understanding

1. Cross-Cultural Awareness for English Teachers and English Teaching英語教師的跨文化覺知與英語教學 Cheng-Ji (Paul) Lai, Ph.D.

2. Agenda • Communication • Cultural Values • Taiwanese Communication Styles V.S. Western Communication Styles • Other Communication Styles

3. Core Cultural Values • 1.What are some examples of our/your culture’s value patterns/virtues? That is, what is generally thought to be a good or important thing to do, to be, or to have? A bad thing to do, to be, or to have?

4. Debriefing • Where did you learn your cultural and/or personal values? Identify some influential sources. • Gender? Family? Cultural? Ethnic?

5. Core Cultural Values • “Values are shared ideas about what is right or wrong, fair or unfair, and important or not important.” (Ting-Toomey & Chung, 2005, p.54)

6. Core Cultural Values • Cultural values are cultivated through our socialization(社會化).

7. Core Cultural Values • 1. Cultural values are implicitlyunderstood by members in the same cultural communities during communication. • So, very often, we don’t have to explain our actions to ingroups.

8. Core Cultural Values • 2. Cultural values create a comfort zonefor ingroup members since we share similar verbal and nonverbal ways of communication, ways of doing things, and all other beliefs.

9. Core Cultural Values • 3. Cultural value patterns also serve as guidelines when we evaluate our own behaviors and the behaviors of others.

10. Communication/Negotiation Sender Meaning Receiver Interpretation Encoding Decoding

11. Communication Styles • Communication styles are deeply influenced the communication styles which are also directly influenced by one’s cultural values.

12. Agenda • Simulated Communication Case # 1: The Parable • Core Values • Typical Eastern Communication Styles & Core Value of Face/Guan-Xi • Typical Western Communication Styles & Confrontation

13. Debriefing • While you’re negotiating with Easterners (e.g., Taiwanese, Korean) in this class, what communication/negotiation patterns did you observe? • While you’re negotiating with Westerners (e.g., European, Northern and Southern American) in this class, what communication/negotiation patterns did you observe?

14. Oriental Communication Styles • Many Easterners don't like to say 'no' straightforward. • Sometimes the lack of an answer is equal to a ‘no,’ or, in some cases, a ‘yes’ without a follow-up could mean “no.”

15. Scenario 1 • In Taiwan, someone invites you to his/her home for dinner as a courtesy, you might say “okay.” • But a 'yes‘ or “okay” without a follow-up could mean “no.”

16. Scenario 2 • When you are giving someone a ride with the air condition on, your passenger says, “it’s cold in here," What do you think this means? • The passenger might be asking the driver to turn up the temperature but he or she feels embarrassed to order/impose the driver.

17. Face • “Saving face,” to me, means …

18. Face • Face is a sense of social self-worth (評定價值), self-image(個人形象), reputation(名聲) that a person wants others to have of her or him.

19. Face • If one’s face is threatened or is lost, both internal pressure (e.g., self-worth, self-image) and external pressure (e.g., family reputation, societal expectation) increase.

20. Example • In a collectivist culture, if one member of a family commits a crime and is imprisoned, the whole family would lose face (e.g., ashamed) in the neighborhood because they would not dare or would feel vulnerable to face neighbors’/others’ judgment.

21. Question • 1. I would experience “uncomfortable face loss” or “face-threatened” when someone attacks/challenges my.. • Ability (e.g., profession, economic ability, worth) • Personality • Integrity • Faith/belief/value • Habits /living style

22. Question • 2. When someone threatens my “face” in a communication situation (e.g., being criticized, corrected, laughed, caught cheating/corrupting), I would tend to… • Laugh over it • Keep silent • Attack back • Escape/hide

23. Question • 3. “Saving face,” to me, means …

24. Two Types of Face Concerns in Negotiations • 1. Self-face concern means that we are much more interested in maintaining our identities and favorable self-images in our interaction with others.

25. Two Types of Face Concerns in Negotiations • 2. Other-face concern means that we are much more interested in upholding others’ self-image by providing respect and support while interacting with others.

26. Question • 4. To help the other person to “save face” in a conflict situation, you usually tend to …

27. Face-Saving • Thus,intypical Eastern-style negotiations, people tend to use positive • statements (e.g., compliment) • behaviors (e.g., silence), • actions (e.g., forgive, comfort) • to prevent losing face of self and others, in order not to destroy their relationship (Guan xi).

28. Face • In a collectivist culture, if one member of a family commits a crime and is imprisoned, the whole family would lose face (e.g., ashamed). • Neighbors would avoid speak to the family or mention about the incident to preserve their families’ faces.

29. Question • 4. In most conflict/embarrassing situations, I am usually concerned with: (check one) • A. saving my own face • B. saving the other conflict party’s face • C. saving both faces

30. Scenario 1 • Mrs. Lin (knock the door): Hello, Mrs. Lai…..huh! Oh! Your son Paul is entering high school Karaoke contest, isn’t he? I envy you because you must be so proud of his talent….I am really impressed by his enthusiasm because, every day, he practices so hard, for hours and hours, until late at night…

31. Scenario 1 • Can you tell the real meanings/message sent by Mrs. Lin and why? • Orientals sometimes use “roundabout” way like 先褒後貶 (praise the counterpart first before getting into the criticism/comments) to negotiate over issues that would possible damage one’s guan-xi or face!

32. Scenario 1 • Mrs. Lai: Oh! I’m so sorry..Paul is just a beginner and he isn’t very good. Also what’s the future of being a singer? Sorry he is practicing singing so late. We didn’t realize you could hear all the noise next door. I’ll tell him to stop right away. I am so sorry about the trouble we have caused to you.

33. Scenario 1 • Can you tell the real meanings/message sent by Mrs. Lai? • In response to one’s criticism, many Orientals use also use “roundabout” way like 先貶後道歉 (depreciate themselves/lower themselves down before apologizing/speak in a humble way ) in order not to sound arrogant and cause another conflict.

34. Scenario 1 • Mrs. Lin: Oh! It’s okay! Don’t blame him! (Other-face concern: to preserve the face of others and guan xi between the two families)…

35. Agenda • Simulated Communication Case # 1: The Parable • Core Values • Typical Eastern Communication Styles & Core Value of Face/Guan-Xi • Typical Western Negotiation Styles & Confrontation

36. Reflection Question • What are some features you observe from negotiating with Americans/Canadian/ some Europeans?

37. Scenario 2 • Bella (knock at her neighbor’s door): Excuse me, it’s past 12 o’clock already, and your loud music and dancing around are really disturbing my sleep. Please stop your jumping and banging around immediately! I have an important job interview tomorrow morning, and I want to get a good night sleep. I need to pay my rent!

38. Scenario 2 • Sean (resentfully): Well, this is the only time I can rehearse! I have an important audition coming up tomorrow. You’re not the only one that is starving, you know. I also need to pay my rent. Stop being so petty.

39. Questions • 1. What would you do if you were Bella? • 2. What would you do if you were Sean? • 3. What would you do if Sean continue to make loud noise after you’ve confronted him?

40. Scenario 2 • Bella (frustrated): I really think YOU”RE being VERY ANNOYING and INTRUSIVE. There is an apartment noise ordinance, you know. And if you don’t stop banging around immediately, I’m going to file a noise complaint with the apartment manager and he could evict you.

41. Scenario 2 • Sean (sarcastically and turning up the music even louder): Whatever! Do what you want. I’m going to practice as I please.

42. Questions • 1. Are you comfortable confronting people like this? Why or why not? • 2. When would you tend to confront people? • -your boss/classmate went behind your back and criticized you? • -someone misunderstood you? • -received lower grade than you expected?

43. Easterners 1. Relying upon physical, interpersonal context 2. Expected to infer part of the message 3. Be sensitive to nonverbal cues 4. Less verbalized Westerners 1. Verbalized & explicit 2. Don’t assume listeners understand from the context 3. Rely on detailed instructions and procedures 4. Less sensitive to nonverbal cues Eastern/Western Negotiation

44. Eastern/Western Negotiation

45. When Direct Meets Indirect and Vice Versa • Do you have any examples about negotiating with people using different negotiation styles (i.e., direct & indirect) ?

46. Example • Taiwanese: We’re going to COSTCO this weekend for grocery shopping. • American: Great! Big and cheap hypermarket. How are you guys going there? • Taiwanese: We probably will take bus.「I hope he can give us a ride」 • American:「If they need a ride, they will ask me」Nice! Well, have a nice shopping there. • Taiwanese: 「If he wants to give us a ride, he will offer it, forget it! I will ask someone else!!!」Sure!

47. Agenda • Simulated Communication Case # 1: The Parable • Core Values • Typical Eastern Communication Styles & Core Value of Face/Guan-Xi • Simulated Communication/Negotiation # 2: The Marriage • Typical Western Communication Styles & Confrontation

48. Other Communication/Negotiation Styles • (i) High involvement vs. High considerateness • (ii) Ping-pong style vs. Bowling style

49. High Involvement • Talk more • Interrupt more • Expect to be interrupted • Talk more loudly at time • Talk more quickly than those from culture favoring “high considerateness” • (e.g., Italian, Greek, Spanish, South American)

50. High Considerateness • Speak one at a time • Use polite listening sounds • Refrain from interrupting • Give plenty of positive and respectful responses • (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, American)