Culture is one of the factors that determine the way people think, act and interact.

Every country
has a specific inherent culture, which can vary from one region to another.
Everything you say is influenced by culture. You operate with a set of invisible beliefs, values,
and assumptions that become apparent to other people in the way you behave. Culture is
important to the way you communicate, even though it is often hidden. Understanding more
about culture can be a real bonus when working as part of any global organization. Showing
your customers and coworkers in different countries that you are in tune with them, and that
you appreciate and value the differences between you, can help get your working relationships
off to a flying start.
When we visit another country where a different language is spoken, it is obvious that it is
necessary for someone to speak the others language in order to surmount this barrier and
verbally communicate. What is not so obvious, however, is that cultural barriers are greater than
language barriers and they frequently provoke reactions that are both negative and emotional.
What is considerate behavior in one country may be rude in another. What is a sensitive issue to
one culture, to another may not be a point of any consequence. Therefore, we really need to
learn
to
speak
the
culture.
Communication specialists estimate that some two-thirds to three-fourths of our
communication takes place nonverbally through behavior. Behavior itself is learned from our
culture and all behavior communicates. Since we cannot stop behaving in one way or another,
we cannot stop communicating. Therefore, during all of the waking hours that we spend with
other human beings we "speak" volumes through the behavior our culture drilled into us.
As culture influences behavior and ones reaction to a given situation, it is a primary element of
communication in general and even more so in a business environment. Doing business with
foreigners is particularly delicate: It can differ from one culture to another and what is
customary in one country could be considered extremely rude in another one needs to be aware
of the other persons culture when a transaction is at stake.
In the high-context Chinese culture formality is very important and hierarchy is a big part of the
culture. It is therefore especially important to take these cultural aspects into consideration
when doing business with China. Part of the business etiquette is to hand out or receive a
business card with both hands, and it is considered rude not to look at it carefully before putting
it away. In some countries, negotiations cannot take place before socializing, drinking tea or
coffee or having a meal.

Cultural Barriers to Effective Communication:

Effective communication with people of different cultures is especially challenging. Cultures
provide people with ways of thinking--ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world. Thus
the same words can mean different things to people from different cultures, even when they talk
the "same" language. When the languages are different, and translation has to be used to
communicate, the potential for misunderstandings increases.
Stella Ting-Toomey describes three ways in which culture interferes with effective cross-cultural

understanding. First is what she calls "cognitive constraints." These are the frames of reference
or world views that provide a backdrop that all new information is compared to or inserted into.
Second are "behavior constraints." Each culture has its own rules about proper behavior which
affect verbal and nonverbal communication. Whether one looks the other person in the eye-or
not; whether one says what one means overtly or talks around the issue; how close the people
stand to each other when they are talking--all of these and many more are rules of politeness
which differ from culture to culture.
Ting-Toomey's third factor is "emotional constraints." Different cultures regulate the display of
emotion differently. Some cultures get very emotional when they are debating an issue. They
yell, they cry, they exhibit their anger, fear, frustration, and other feelings openly. Other cultures
try to keep their emotions hidden, exhibiting or sharing only the "rational" or factual aspects of
the situation.
All of these differences tend to lead to communication problems. If the people involved are not
aware of the potential for such problems, they are even more likely to fall victim to them,
although it takes more than awareness to overcome these problems and communicate effectively
across cultures.