Communicating Across Cultures

Professor Prem Ramburuth

(Textbook Ch: 5)
(Additional Readings)
 Aims of Lesson

Consider the importance of cross cultural communication skills and

understanding

Recognize cultural variables in the communication process and factors that

can cause noise in that process

Appreciate the cultural variables that affect communication for both the
sender and the listener / receiver

Explore communication across cultures based on key cultural dimensions

To be aware of the impact of IT on cross-border communications

Consider strategies for developing cultural sensitivity and learn how to

manage cross-cultural business communications

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 Complexity of Communication

Culture and cultural differences

Different programing and
orientation
Cultivating trust
Requires a common understanding
Understanding nonverbal signals
Being aware of communication
barriers and overcoming them
Being aware of technology and its
impact on communication
Seeking to develop the necessary
knowledge and communication
skills, combined with effective
managerial skills
 The Communication Process

Sender Medium Receiver

Meaning Encode Message Decode Meaning

Noise

Culture

Feedback

Context
 Noise and Attribution in Communication

Cultural noise: cultural factors that

undermine the communication of
the intended meaning

Attribution: the process in which people look

for the explanation of another person’s
behavior; the explanation is usually
attributed to the other person’s
characteristics
 Cultural Noise in International Communication

Behavior Attribution
German: “What can be done to German: “I am giving him some
make sure this project is responsibility.”
completed on time?”
Indian: “He is the boss, why is he
asking me?”

Indian: “I don’t know. What do German: “Can’t he take

you suggest?” responsibility?”

Indian: “I asked him for

instructions.”

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 Cultural Variables Impacting on Communication

Language:
Spoken or written language is a frequent cause of miscommunication,
stemming from a person’s inability to speak the local language, a poor or
too-literal translation, a speaker’s failure to explain idioms, or a person
missing the meaning conveyed through body language or certain symbols

Attitudes:
Attitudes underlie the way we behave and communicate and the way we
interpret messages from other people. Ethnocentric attitudes are a
particular source of noise in cross-cultural communication.
Other factors could include stereotyping, perceptions/misperceptions, or
adopting an ‘us’ and ‘them’ approach

Thought Patterns:
The logical progression of reasoning varies widely around the world. Why
and how?

Interpretation and Translation

Culture, Cognition and Communication

Steers (2017) , p. 143

 Selecting a Medium of Communication
The medium chosen for the message depends on a variety of factors

The key is to find out how communication is transmitted in the local organization
e.g., how much of the communication flows downward or upward (depending on
the hierarchical structures)
Find out how much of the communication is consultative (horizontal)
Understand the informal channels of communication (including how the
grapevine works)
Recognize cultural variables that impact on the medium chosen
Face-to-face communication is often best for relationship-building, personal
interaction and allows for immediate verbal and visual feedback.
When face-to-face communication is not possible, teleconferencing and
telephone calls may be more desirable than email.

To keep lines of communication open, managers need to monitor agreed

understanding of what has been discussed and agreed upon. e.g. Contract ‘follow
through’ can be particularly difficult in International Business negotiations given that
cultures have different ideas about what constitutes a contract.
The Impact of Social Media on Global Business

• Managers in international businesses

are grappling with the question of how
to benefit from social media networks

• Social media are potential sources of

rich information outside the normal
chain of communication

• Measuring the effectiveness of each

source of social media is a challenge

• The potential for communication

blunders exists across all forms of
media!
 VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Namasté is a common greeting used on the Indian subcontinent

as an expression of deep respect. It ‘s a form of both verbal
and non-verbal communication. It signals to parties to a
conversation that the people involved are likely to understand
something about prevailing social norms and values. They are
one of us, and a bond is easily formed. It may be only one word,
but it carries significant symbolism.

Question: Is there a similar term in your own language or culture that is both verbal
and non-verbal in nature and expresses prevailing social norms and values?

5. Communication
 Language, Culture and Communication

• Language , culture and communication are intertwined and shape each other
(Varner & Beamer, 2011)

• Example of the impact of preparation for communication across cultures

The Language Barrier and its Consequences: Real and Perceived

• Language as a reflection of values

• The meaning of words (literal, figurative, metaphors, acronyms, slang etc.)

• Selecting the right language or dialect (e.g. in India, in Italy, in Germany)

Approx. 7000 languages spoken in the world (fluctuations)
Just 23 languages account for more than half the world’s population
Roughly a third of languages are now endangered
Advantages in earning a language (host country language for global managers)
Native and non-native speakers (Steers, 2017, p. 147)

5. Communication
 Non-Verbal Communication

“A picture is worth A thousAnd words.”

Nonverbal Communication: Behavior that is communicated

without the use of words (although it often is accompanied by
words)

Subtle messages account for between 65 to 93 percent of

interpreted communication

Minor variations in body language, speech rhythms, and punctuality

often cause mistrust and misperception of the situation among
cross-cultural groups
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Non-Verbal Communication Variables Affecting
Communication

Kinesics:
Body movements (posture, gestures, facial
expressions, eye contact); meanings are
different from one culture to another
Proxemics
influence of proximity and space
- High contact cultures (stand close, touch,
“closeness”)
- Low contact cultures (less sensory
involvement, stand farther, less touch)
Paralanguage – rate of speech, tone, inflection
of voice, other noises
Object language / material culture –
communication through artifacts
SYMBOLS and
ARTIFACTS
Hall’s Dimensions (Steers 2017)

3. Cultural Environments
 Communication in High/Low Context Cultures

Explicit vs. Indirect Communication

Different ways to make a request that requires progressively more
inferences and assumed common knowledge on part of perceiver

• Close the door.

• Can you close the door?
• Would you close the door?
• It might help to close the door
• Would you mind awfully if I asked you to close the door?
• Did you forget the door?
• How about a little less breeze?
• It’s getting cold in here.
• I really don’t want the cats to get out of the house.

Adapted from Krauss, R.M. & Fussell, S.R. (1996). Social psychological models of interpersonal
communication. In E.T Higgins & A.W. Kruglanski (Eds). Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic
Principles (pp. 665-701). NY: Guilford.
Cultural Context and its Effects on Communication

high context/implicit
High Japan
Middle East
Latin America
Africa
Context

Mediterranean
England
France
North America
Scandinavia
Germany
Switzerland
low context/explicit
Low
Low Explicitness of communication High
 Experience with Time and Associated Values (Hall)
Communication

 Monochronic cultures (Switzerland,

Germany, United States)
Time is experienced in a linear way
Time and efficiency (be on time)
Time and money (don’t waste time)

 Polychronic cultures
(Latin America, Arab cultures)
Accept many things happening
simultaneously and may focus on
several things at once
Time is flexible, adjustable …
If “God is willing…”
 SILENCE in Communication

Never underestimate the importance of silence in Cross Cultural Communication

“While Americans get uncomfortable

after 10 or 15 seconds of silence,
Chinese prefer to think the situation
over for 30 seconds before speaking.”
Deresky ( 2017)

“Whatever the culture, there’s a tongue in our head. Some

use it, some hold it, and some bite it. For the French it is a
rapier, thrusting in attack; the English, using it defensively,
mumble a vague and confusing reply; for Italians and
Spaniards it is an instrument of eloquence; Finns and East
Asians throw you with their constructive silence.”

Richard D. Lewis
Communication consultant, UK
Informal Sources of Information and Communication

 Employees drinking together

 Communication based on long-

term relationships

 “Public self” vs. “Private self”

 Karaoke (entertainment after

work)

 Challenges across cultures

Comparing Communicating Styles Across Cultures

• Italians use the most body

language when communicating
• Italians make about 250 gestures
when talking and doing other
things such as conversing on the
cell phone
• Gestures are culture-specific,
varying according to the area in
Italy
• Italians tend to be gregarious,
loud, and interrupt one another
 Japanese “Ningensei” vs. US Adversial Style

Indirect verbal and Direct, confrontational

non-verbal communication
communication; non- accepted
confrontational

Relationship Task communication,

communication; to-the-point
ambiguous

Group orientation Individualistic

Softer, sympathetic Favors “odd” reason

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 Examples of Effective Orientation to Knowledge and
Communication

“New Yorkers must be crazy to live in that city.”

“Parisians are rude and unfriendly.”
“The custom of arranged marriages is barbaric.”
“Every person want to succeed – it’s human nature.

VS

“I find New York a very difficult place to visit and would not want to live there.”
“Many of the people I interacted with when visiting Paris were not friendly or
courteous to me.”
“I would not want my parents to arrange my marriage for me.”
“I want to succeed at what I do, and I think most people do.”

(Lustig & Koester, 2006, p. 74)

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Developing Cultural Sensitivity

• Read a map: Familiarize yourself with

the local geography to avoid making
mistakes
• Dress up: In some countries, casual
dress is a sign of disrespect
• Find out what it is suitable to talk about
• Talk small: Talking about wealth,
power, or status—corporate or
personal—can create resentment
• No slang: Even casual profanity is
unacceptable
• Slow down: Some cultures talk fast, eat
fast, move fast, live fast. Many cultures
do not…
• It pays to listen!
Managing Cross-Cultural Communication

• Develop cultural sensitivity

• Anticipate the meaning the
receiver will get
• Careful encoding of message
• Use words, pictures, and
gestures
• Avoid slang, idioms, regional
sayings
• Selective Transmission
• Build relationships, face-to-
face if possible
• Careful decoding of feedback
• Get feedback from multiple
parties
• Improve listening and
observation skills
• Check follow-up actions
Strategies for communicating across cultures

Steers, 2017, p.