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CULTURE AFFECTS COMMUNICATION Comprehending the verbal and nonverbal meanings of a message is difficult even when communicators are from the same culture. But when they are from different cultures, special sensitivity and skills are necessary.

Every country has a unique culture or common heritage, joint experience, and shared learning that produces its culture. Their common experience gives members of that culture a complex system of shared values and customs. It teaches them how to behave; it conditions their reactions. Global business, new communication technologies, the Internet, and even Hollywood are spreading Western values throughout the world. Yet cultural differences can still cause significant misunderstandings.

FOUR DIMENSIONS FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDINGS Individualism Formality Communication style Time orientation

INDIVIDUALISM One of the most identifiable characteristics of North Americans Attitude of independence and freedom from control Think that initiative and self-assertion result in personal achievement Believe in individual action, self-reliance, and personal responsibility Desire a large degree of freedom in personal lives Other cultures typically resist independence because it fosters competition and confrontation instead of consensus

FORMALITY Americans place less emphasis on tradition, ceremony, and social rules We dress casually and are soon on a first-name basis with others. Lack formality is often characterized by directness North Americans tend to come to the point immediately. Indirectness wastes time, a valuable commodity

COMMUNICATION STYLE North Americans value straightforwardness We are suspicious of evasiveness We distrust people who might have a “hidden agenda” We are uncomfortable with silence and we are impatient with delays We tend to understand words literally Latin Americans enjoy plays on words Arabs and South Americans sometimes speak with extravagant or poetic speech

TIME ORIENTATION North Americans consider time a precious commodity to be conserved We correlate time with productivity, efficiency, and money Keeping people waiting for business appointments wastes time and is also rude In other cultures, time may be perceived as an unlimted and never-ending resource to be enjoyed Being late for an appointment is not a sin

CULTURAL COMPARISONS RANKED BY PRIORITY U. S. AMERICANS Freedom Independence Self-reliance Quality Individualism Competition Efficiency Time Directness Openness JAPANESE Belonging Group harmony Collectiveness Age/Seniority Group consensus Cooperation Quality Patience Indirectness Go-between

PROCESS TO UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTANCE Barriers � Ethonocentrism Belief in the superiority of one’s own culture Found in all cultures Causes you to judge others by our own values Personal relationships must be established and nurtured before earnest talks may proceed � Stereotypes Oversimplified perception of a behavioral pattern or characteristic applied to entire groups Our perceptions sometimes cause us to form stereotypes about groups of people Look beneath surface stereotypes and labels to discover individual personal qualities

Barriers-continued � Tolerance Practicing empathy, being nonjudgmental, and being patient Flexible attitudes Develop tolerance by practicing empathy or seeing the world through another’s eyes.

MINIMIZING MISCOMMUNICATION AMONG CROSS-CULTURAL AUDIENCES Use simple English � Shorter sentences � Avoid slang and jargon Speak slowly and enunciate clearly � Always write numbers for all to see Encourage accurate feedback Check frequently for comprehension Observe eye messages Accept blame Listen without interrupting Remember to smile!

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