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Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future. ~ Albert Camus
Culture is a learned pattern of behavior, and is a way in which a person lives his life. It is an integral part of every society, and creates a feeling of belonging and togetherness among the people of that society. Culture encompasses various aspects of communication, attitude, etiquette, beliefs, values, customs, norms, food, art, jewelry, clothing styles, etc. Every society has a different culture, which gives it an identity and uniqueness.
What is a culture?
Fundamental patterns of cultural difference.
Communication. Codes used in communication.
Intercultural communication.
Verbal and non-verbal communication differences.
Ten precautions in intercultural communication.
Ministry of education and science, youth and sport of Ukraine
National University of Ostroh Academy
College of Romance and Germanic Languages
Report on the topic:
Intercultural communication
Prepared by
Hanna Koliada
Group A-32
Ostroh, 2013
Contents
Culture is a complex system of behavior, values, beliefs, traditions and artifacts, which is transmitted through generations. Let us discover the meaning of culture, and its significance in the life of an individual and society.
Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future. ~ Albert Camus
Culture is a learned pattern of behavior, and is a way in which a person lives his life. It is an integral part of every society, and creates a feeling of belonging and togetherness among the people of that society. Culture encompasses various aspects of communication, attitude, etiquette, beliefs, values, customs, norms, food, art, jewelry, clothing styles, etc. Every society has a different culture, which gives it an identity and uniqueness.
In spite of the vast cultural diversity, there are certain elements of culture that are universal. They are known as cultural universals, which comprise certain behavioral traits and patterns that are shared by all cultures around the world. For instance, classifying relations, having some form of art and music, use of jewelry, classifying people according to gender and age, etc., are common in all cultures of the world.
Culture is learned
from the people surrounding us, our parents, guardians, relatives, etc.
The distinct set of beliefs, values, traditions and behavior is passed
down through generations. It is a collective phenomenon, and cannot
exist in isolation in a single individual. It is shared at various levels,
namely national, regional, gender, generation, corporate, social class,
etc., but is also rich in diversity. Residents of a nation share certain
aspects, whereas different regions within the nation have their own
unique blend of beliefs, values and styles, and so on.
Culture is cumulative and dynamic. The culture of any particular group
is constantly evolving and undergoing slow changes. Each generation
brings along a new set of changes and developments in the culture of
that society. Moreover, long-term exposure to different cultures leads
to the exchange of certain cultural aspects.
As people from different cultural groups take on the exciting challenge of working together, cultural values sometimes conflict. We can misunderstand each other, and react in ways that can hinder what are otherwise promising partnerships. Oftentimes, we aren't aware that culture is acting upon us. Sometimes, we are not even aware that we have cultural values or assumptions that are different from others. As you enter into multicultural dialogue or collaboration, keep these generalized differences in mind. Next time you find yourself in a confusing situation, and you suspect that cross-cultural differences are at play, try reviewing this list.
Different Communication Styles. The way people communicate varies widely between, and even within, cultures. One aspect of communication style is language usage. Across cultures, some words and phrases are used in different ways. Another major aspect of communication style is the degree of importance given to non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication includes not only facial expressions and gestures, it also involves seating arrangements, personal distance, and sense of time. In addition, different norms regarding the appropriate degree of assertiveness in communicating can add to cultural misunderstandings.
Different Attitudes towards Conflicts. Some cultures view conflict as a positive thing, while others view it as something to be avoided. Face-to-face meetings customarily are recommended as the way to work through whatever problems exist. In contrast, in many Eastern countries, open conflict is experienced as embarrassing or demeaning, as a rule, differences are best worked out quietly. A written exchange might be the favored means to address the conflict.
Different Approaches in Completing Tasks. From culture to culture, there are different ways that people move towards completing tasks. Some reasons include different access to resources; different judgments of the rewards associated with task completion, different notions of time, and varied ideas about how relationship-building and task-oriented work should go together. When it comes to working together effectively on a task, cultures differ with respect to the importance placed on establishing relationships early on in the collaboration. This does not mean that people from any cultural backgrounds are more or less committed to accomplishing the task or value relationships more or less; it means they may pursue them differently.
Different Decision Making Styles. The roles individuals play in decision-making vary widely from culture to culture. Be aware that individuals' expectations about their own roles in shaping a decision may be influenced by their cultural frame of reference.
Different Attitudes towards Disclosure. In some cultures, it is not appropriate to be frank about emotions, about the reasons behind a conflict or a misunderstanding, or about personal information. Keep this in mind when you are in a dialogue or when you are working with others. When you are dealing with a conflict, be mindful that people may differ in what they feel comfortable revealing. Questions that may seem natural to you -- What was the conflict about? What was your role in the conflict? What was the sequence of events? -- may seem intrusive to others. The variation among cultures in attitudes toward disclosure is also something to consider before you conclude that you have an accurate reading of the views, experiences, and goals of the people with whom you are working.
Different Approaches to Knowing. Notable differences occur among cultural groups when it comes to the ways people come to know things. Recent popular works demonstrate that our own society is paying more attention to previously overlooked ways of knowing. Indeed, these different approaches to knowing could affect ways of analyzing a community problem or finding ways to resolve it. Some members of your group may want to do library research to understand a shared problem better and identify possible solutions. Others may prefer to visit places and people who have experienced challenges like the ones you are facing, and get a feeling for what has worked elsewhere.
Communication is a process of exchanging verbal and non verbal messages. It is a continuous process. Pre-requisite of communication is a message. This message must be conveyed through some medium to the recipient. It is essential that this message must be understood by the recipient in same terms as intended by the sender. He must respond within a time frame. Thus, communication is a two way process and is incomplete without a feedback from the recipient to the sender on how well the message is understood by him.
Intercultural communication in its most basic form refers to an academic field of study and research. Its seeks to understand how people from different countries and cultures behave, communicate and perceive the world around them. The findings of such academic research are then applied to 'real life' situations such as how to create cultural synergy between people from different cultures within a business or how psychologists understand their patients.
The definition of intercultural communication must also include strands of the field that contribute to it such as anthropology, cultural studies, psychology and communication.
There are many researchers and academics of note within the intercultural field, who naturally all have different definitions of 'intercultual communication'. For example Karlfried Knapp defines it as "'Intercultural communication,' can...be defined as the interpersonal interaction between members of different groups, which differ from each other in respect of the knowledge shared by their members and in respect of their linguistic forms of symbolic behavior." For those wanting to dig a bit deeper it may be a good idea to look into the works of Edward T. Hall, Geert Hofstede, Harry C. Triandis, Fons Trompenaars, Clifford Geertz and Shalom Schwartz.
The theories developed by the researchers and academics can and have been applied to many fields such as business, management, marketing, advertising and website design. As business becomes more and more international, many companies need to know how best to structure their companies, manage staff and communicate with customers. Intercultural communication gives them an insight into the areas they need to address or understand. Intercultural communication theories are now also used within the education, health care and other public services due to growing multicultural populations.
Verbal communication is primarily based on vocabulary - both the use of it and the understanding of it. The goal of verbal communication is to ensure that the person conveying the message and the audience receiving the message are both interpreting the information in the same manner. This can be accomplished through non-verbal communication.
Non-verbal communication is best defined as "communication without words." Only when non-verbal communication comes into play, does the meaning of the vocabulary being used take on completely different meanings. For instance, the words "I love you" mean just that - I love you. Without any non-verbal influences, there really is not any misinterpretation. However, when emphasis is put on different words, the meaning of those three words can take on a whole new twist. Think about this, and how you interpret the different meanings. I love you. i LOVE you. i love YOU. In the first example, it could imply that only "I" love you, and no one else does. In the second example, it could emphasizing the fact that I love you, not just have an interest in you, or like you. In the last example, it could be conveying the fact that I do not love anyone else but you, or that I could not love anyone else any more than you.
Verbal communication uses a singular channel, whereas non-verbal communication uses multiple channels. It can take the form of codes that you can see and hear (visual/auditory). This includes kinesics, facial expression, paralanguage, and physical appearance. It can come in the form of contact, such as haptics (touch) and space (personal and territory). Codes also include place and time such as physical environment and chronemics (time).
Kinesics is the most obvious form of non-verbal communication and involves body position and movement. Body orientation is characterized by the degree to which we face toward or away from someone. Posture is important in conveying the way one feels. If you want to convey that you feel good about yourself, you obviously wouldn't want to slouch or look down at the ground.
Gestures are motions of the body, usually hands or arms, that have a communicative value. They are referred to as illustrators, emblems, and adaptors. Illustrators are movements that accompany speech and have no meaning when they stand alone. Emblems are deliberate nonverbal behaviors that stand alone and have a very precise meaning, such as the OK sign. Adaptors are usually unconscious and include self touching behaviors that often times indicate nervousness or self-consciousness.
Physical appearance is the perceived physical attractiveness that affects interaction between people. Body artifacts can be included in this. For instance, clothing, jewelry, metals, adornments, etc. can affect how people react and/or associate with one another. A prime example of this is in the school setting. Many times when you see groups of students congregated together , they usually dress in similar fashions (i.e. "goths" or "preps").
Facial communication is the one of the most tell-tale indicators of the meaning of what one is saying. Eye contact, though it can differ between cultures, is usually indicative of whether a person is actively engaged in a conversation, is tellling the truth, or is seeking to understand what is being said. Smiling, frowning, crying, and all other facial communication is also imparative to successful transmission of meaning.
The voice is an important part of the communication link. Paralanguage is a term given to nonverbal vocal messages that have communicative value. Paralanguage includes: emphasis (as mentioned earlier in the "I love you" example), rate (how fast a person talks), pitch (musical quality of voice - how high or low in a range a person talks), volume (how loud or soft a person talks), tone (emotion and attitude), and disfluencies. Speech disfluencies are any of various breaks, irregularities, or utterances that are often not consistent with any specific grammatical construction and occur within the flow of otherwise fluent speech. These include, for example, words and sentences that are cut off mid-utterance, phrases that are restarted or repeated, repeated syllables, grunts or unrecognizable utterances occurring as 'fillers', and 'repaired' utterances ("uh,", "um," "er," "eh," etc.).
There are many other comparisons that can be made between verbal and nonverbal communication. First, verbal communication is intermittent, while nonverbal communication is continuous. Second, verbal communication is clear (denotation), whereas nonverbal can be ambiguous (connotation). Third, there is a difference between the impact verbal and nonverbal communication has on the person trying to interpret the information they are being given. Verbal communication, or simply the words being spoken, can have a very different impact based on the nonverbal communication being used along with it. Last, on most occassions, verbal communication is deliberate, and at least to some degree thought-out. In contrast, nonverbal communication is often times unconscious and is an extension of our internal beliefs, emotions, feelings, and attitudes.
There are so many different audiences that we can be attempting to communicate with, that the variables are endless.
Slow Down. Even when English is the common language in a cross cultural situation, this does not mean you should speak at normal speed. Slow down, speak clearly and ensure your pronunciation is intelligible.
Separate Questions. Try not to ask double questions such as, “Do you want to carry on or shall we stop here?” In a cross cultural situation only the first or second question may have been comprehended. Let your listener answer one question at a time.
Avoid Negative Questions. Many cross cultural communication misunderstandings have been caused by the use of negative questions and answers. In English we answer ‘yes’ if the answer is affirmative and ‘no’ if it is negative. In other cultures a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ may only be indicating whether the questioner is right or wrong. For example, the response to “Are you not coming?” may be ‘yes’, meaning ‘Yes, I am not coming.’
Take Turns. Cross cultural communication is enhanced through taking turns to talk, making a point and then listening to the response.
Write it down. If you are unsure whether something has been understood write it down and check. This can be useful when using large figures. For example, a billion in the USA is 1,000,000,000,000 while in the UK it is 1,000,000,000.
Be Supportive. Effective cross cultural communication is in essence about being comfortable. Giving encouragement to those with weak English gives them confidence, support and a trust in you.
Check Meanings. When communicating across cultures never assume the other party has understood. Be an active listener. Summarize what has been said in order to verify it. This is a very effective way of ensuring accurate cross cultural communication has taken place.
Avoid Slang. Even the most well educated foreigner will not have a complete knowledge of slang, idioms and sayings. The danger is that the words will be understood but the meaning missed.
Watch the humor. In many cultures business is taken very seriously. Professionalism and protocol are constantly observed. Many cultures will not appreciate the use of humor and jokes in the business context. When using humor think whether it will be understood in the other culture. For example, British sarcasm usually has a negative effect abroad.
Maintain Etiquette. Many cultures have certain etiquette when communicating. It is always a good idea to undertake some cross cultural awareness training or at least do some research on the target culture.