Chapter 3: Communicating Interculturally

Summary of Learning Objectives

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Discuss two trends that have made intercultural business communication so important. Two trends have made intercultural business communication important. Market globalization, the first trend, is brought about by improvements in communication and transportation technology. Such technological advancements allow companies to sell and produce goods all over the world. As a result, more and more people are working in companies whose employees come from various national, ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds. This, of course, affects a country's cultural diversity, the second trend contributing to the importance of intercultural business communication. The U.S. work force includes recent immigrants (from Europe, Canada, Latin America, and Asia), people from various ethnic backgrounds (such as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans), and people who differ in other characteristics (such as gender, age, family status, and educational background). Thus, to be successful in today's workplace, you must be sensitive to cultural differences and possess good intercultural skills.

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Define culture and subculture, and list culture's four basic characteristics. Culture is a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for behavior. A subculture is a distinct group existing within a major culture, such as Russian immigrants or disabled individuals existing within the United States. Culture has four basic characteristics: (1) Culture is learned, (2) cultures vary in stability, (3) cultures vary in complexity, and (4) cultures vary in tolerance.

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Explain the importance of recognizing cultural differences, delineate the differences between high- and low-context cultures, and list four categories of cultural differences. People from different cultures encode and decode messages differently, increasing the chances of misunderstanding. By recognizing cultural differences, we don't automatically assume that everyone's thoughts and actions are just like ours. For example, high-context cultures convey meaning by relying less on verbal communication and more on nonverbal actions and environmental setting. They expect the audience to discover the meaning of a message, and they rarely state the rules of everyday life explicitly. Conversely, low-context cultures convey meaning by relying more on verbal communication and less on circumstances and cues. They expect the speaker to transmit the meaning of a message, and they usually spell out rules and expectations in explicit statements. The four categories of cultural differences are contextual differences, ethical differences, social differences, and nonverbal differences.

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Define ethnocentrism and stereotyping; then discuss three suggestions for overcoming this limiting mind-set. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge all other groups according to one's own standards, behaviors, and customs. Stereotyping is predicting individuals' behavior or character on the basis of their membership in a particular group or class. To overcome ethnocentrism, follow three suggestions: (1) Acknowledge distinctions, (2) avoid assumptions, and (3) avoid judgments.

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Discuss three ways to improve communication with people who speak English as a second language; then discuss three ways to improve communication with people who don't speak your language at all. When communicating with people who speak English as a second language, clarify your meaning in three ways. First, because language never translates word for word, avoid using slang and idioms. Choose words that will convey only the most specific denotative meaning. Second, listen carefully and pay close attention to local accents and pronunciation. Third, don't assume that people from different cultures use their voice the same way you do. Be aware of vocal variations across cultures. When communicating with someone who doesn't speak your language at all, you have three choices. First, you can learn a foreign language or at least show respect by learning a few words. Second, you can use an intermediary or a translator to analyze a message, understand its cultural context, and convey its meaning in another language. Back-translation helps ensure accuracy and avoid embarrassing mistakes. Third, you can teach others your language. Many companies offer language-training programs to employees who speak little or no English.

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Explain why studying other cultures helps you communicate more effectively, and list at least 7 of the 15 tips offered by successful intercultural businesspeople. Studying other cultures helps you send and receive intercultural messages more effectively. Even though you can't expect to understand another culture completely, you can increase your intercultural knowledge by reading books and articles about other cultures and by talking to people who do business in other cultures. Tips offered by successful intercultural businesspeople include the following: (1) take responsibility for communication, (2) withhold judgment, (3) show respect, (4) empathize, (5) look beyond the superficial, (6) be patient and persistent, (7) be flexible.

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Illustrate how word choice affects communication with people from other cultures; then list six recommendations for writing more effectively and nine guidelines for speaking across cultures more effectively. Word choice reflects the relationship between you and your audience; for example, the appropriate level of formality is achieved by word choice. To write more effectively, follow six recommendations: (1) use plain English, (2) be clear, (3) avoid slang and idioms, (4) be brief, (5) use short paragraphs, and (6) use transitional elements. To speak across cultures more effectively, follow these nine guidelines: (1) try to eliminate noise, (2) look for feedback, (3) rephrase your sentence when necessary, (4) clarify your true intent with repetition and examples, (5) don't talk down to the other person, (6) use objective and accurate language, (7) listen carefully and patiently, (8) adapt your conversation style to the other person's, and (9) clarify what will happen next.

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