Cross-cultural communication

1. Cross-culturalcommunications By : Alokkumarsingh PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY

2. Culture. What is culture? Culture is the arts elevatedtoa set of beliefs---Tom Wolfe Culture is the lens through which we view the world

3. Cultural differences visible Communication styles Attitudes towards conflict Decision making styles Approaching to knowing unvisible Beliefs Values Expectation Attitudes

4. communication Communication is the sending of message from a source to a receiver with the least possible loss of meaning . The speaker sends a messages that is in some kind of code . The listener decodes the messages and responds thereby giving the speaker feedback

5. Why cross culture is important ? Globalization Business opportunities Job opportunities Sharing of views and ideas Talent improvisation An understanding of diverse market

6. Context cultures High context culture---cultures that rely heavily on non-verbal and subtle situational cues in communication . Japanese Arabs Latin Americans Iitalians British French North americans Scandinavians Germans Swiss Low context cultures---cultures that rely heavily on words to convey meaning in communication .

7. Eye In some cultures, looking people in the eyes is assumed to indicate honesty and straightforwardness , in others it is seen as challenging and rude . In Arab culture too little eye contact is regarded as disrespectful . In English culture certain amount of eye contact is necessary but too much makes people uncomfortable In South- Asian countries direct eye contact is regarded aggressive & rude .

8. Gestures JAPAN = MONEY U S = O K RUSSIA = ZERO BRAZIL = INSULT

9. Welcome topics during conversation Indonesia – family, travel, sports, local cuisine Germany – sports, politics,current events, beer.

10. Blocks to cultural communication Stereotyping—Generalizingabout a person while ignoring presence of individual differences Discrimination-differential treatment of an individual due to minority status ;actual & percieved

11. Continued----- Tone difference- Formal tone change becomes embarrassing & off-putting in some cultures. Cultural imposition-

12. Skills to overcome differences To handle yourself ,use your head To handle others ,use your heart.

13. Continued--- Respect differences while working together

14. Continued--- Building trust across cultural differences Connecting people

15. Precautions in cross- cultural communication Slow down Separate question Use easy words Write it down Be supportive Check meaning Avoid Slang Watch the humour Avoid negative question Maintain etiquette