Business communication

Chapter 3
Intercultural communication is the process of sending and receiving messages between people whose
cultural backgrounds could lead them to interpret verbal and nonverbal signs differently.

Advantages of a Diverse Workforce

I. Obtaining more views and ideas

II. Understanding of diverse markets
III. Accessing broader pool talent
IV. Challenges of Intercultural Communication

Challenges of Intercultural Communication

I. Language barriers
II. Misunderstanding of words and nonverbal signals
III. Time and space preference

Culture is a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for behavior.

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge other groups according to the standards, behaviors, and
customs of one’s own group.

Stereotyping is assigning generalized attributes to an individual on the basis of membership in a

particular group.

A few simple habits can help you overcoming ethnocentrism and stereotyping

● Avoid assumptions

● Withhold judgment.

● Acknowledge distinctions.

Key aspects of culture diversity

I. Cultural context
II. Legal and ethical
III. Social customs
IV. Nonverbal signals
V. Age difference
VI. Gender difference
VII. Religion difference
VIII. Ability difference
Guidelines Adapting for to Any Business Culture

• Become aware of your own biases by understand your own culture and the way it shapes your
communication habits.
• Be careful about applying the “Golden Rule.” people the way you want to be treated
• Exercise tolerance, flexibility, and respect the greatest extent possible, we try to manage our
people and our practices in ways that are respectful
• Practice patience and maintain a sense of humor.

Steps to Improving Intercultural Communication Skills:

1. Study other cultures.

2. Study other languages.

3. Respect preferences for communication style.

4. Write clearly.

5. Speak and listen carefully.

6. Use interpreters, translators, and related software.

7. Help others adapt to your culture.

Writing for Multilingual Audiences

• Use plain language. Use short, precise words that say exactly what you mean

• Avoid words with multiple meanings. choose words that have only have one meaning

• Be clear. Rely on specific terms and concrete examples to explain your points.

• Cite numbers carefully. Use figures (such as “27”) instead of spelling them out (“twenty-
seven”).

• Avoid slang and be careful with technical jargon and abbreviations. Slang and other
nonstandard usages can be difficult for your audience to translate.

• Be brief. Construct sentences that are short and simple.

• Use short paragraphs. Each paragraph should stick to one topic.

• Use transitions generously. Help readers follow your train of thought.

Speaking with multilingual audiences

 • Speak clearly, simply, and relatively slowly. Pronounce words clearly, stop at distinct
punctuation points, and make one point at a time.

• Look for feedback. Be alert to signs of confusion in your listener. Realize that nods and smiles do
not necessarily mean understanding.

• Rephrase if necessary. If someone does not seem to understand you, rephrase using simpler
words.

• Clarify your meaning with repetition and examples. Use concrete and specific examples to
illustrate difficult or vague ideas.

• Do not talk down to the other person. Try not to over-enunciate and do not “blame” the
listener for not understanding. Say, “Am I going too fast?” rather than “Is this too difficult for
you?”

• Learn important phrases in your audience’s language. Learn common greetings and a few
simple phrases in the other person’s native language; this not only makes initial contact easier,
but it also shows respect.

• Listen carefully and respectfully. If you don’t understand a comment, ask the person to repeat
it.

• Adapt your conversation style to the other person’s style. For instance, if the other person
appears to be direct and straightforward, follow suit.

• Check frequently for comprehension. After you make each point, pause to gauge the other
person’s comprehension before moving on.

• Clarify what will happen next. At the end of a conversation, be sure that you and the other
person agree on what has been said and decided.

Summary of learning objectives

1 Discuss the opportunities and challenges of intercultural communication. The global marketplace
spans natural boundaries and national borders, allowing worldwide competition between businesses of
all sizes. Therefore, today’s businesspeople are likely to communicate across international borders with
people who live in different cultures. Moreover, even domestic workforces are becoming more diverse,
with employees having different national, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. In this environment,
companies can benefit from a broad range of viewpoints and ideas, get a good understanding of diverse
markets, and recruit workers from the broadest possible pool of talent. However, intercultural
communication presents challenges as well, including motivating diverse employees to cooperate and to
work together in teams as well as understanding enough about how culture affects language to prevent
miscommunication.
 2 Define culture, explain how culture is learned, and define ethnocentrism and stereotyping. Culture is
a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for behavior. Culture is
learned by listening to advice from other members of a society and by observing their behaviors. This
double-edged method uses direct and indirect learning to ensure that culture is passed from person to
person and from generation to generation. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge other groups
according to the standards, behaviors, and customs of one’s own group. Stereotyping is assigning a wide
range of generalized attributes to individuals on the basis of their membership in a particular culture or
social group, without considering an individual’s unique characteristics. To overcome ethnocentrism and
stereotyping, work to avoid assumptions, withhold judgment, and acknowledge distinctions.

3 Explain the importance of recognizing cultural variations and list eight categories of cultural
differences. People from different cultures encode and decode messages differently, increasing the
chances of misunderstanding. By recognizing and accommodating cultural differences, we avoid
automatically assuming that everyone’s thoughts and actions are just like ours. Begin by focusing on
eight categories of differences: contextual differences (the degree to which a culture relies on verbal or
nonverbal actions to convey meaning), legal and ethical differences (the degree to which laws and ethics
are regarded and obeyed), social differences (how members value work and success, recognize status,
define manners, and think about time), nonverbal differences (differing attitudes toward greetings,
personal space, touching, facial expression, eye contact, posture, and formality), age differences (how
members think about youth, seniority, and longevity), gender differences (how men and women
communicate and the spectrum of gender identification), religious differences (how beliefs affect
workplace relationships), and ability differences (inclusive strategies that enable people with disabilities
to communicate more fully with the rest of the workforce).

4 List four general guidelines for adapting to any business culture. You can adapt to any business culture
by (1) becoming aware of your own cultural biases so that you can understand how these forces shape
your communication habits; (2) ignoring the Golden Rule (treating people the way you want them to
treat you) and instead treating them the way they want to be treated; (3) exercising tolerance,
flexibility, and respect; and (4) practicing patience and maintaining a sense of humor to get you through
the bumpy spots.

5 Identify seven steps you can take to improve your intercultural communication skills. Communicating
successfully between cultures requires a variety of skills, all of which you can continue to improve
throughout your career. Make your intercultural communication effective by (1) studying other cultures;
(2) studying other languages; (3) respecting your audience’s preferences for communication style; (4)
writing as clearly as possible; (5) speaking as clearly as you can; (6) listening carefully and using
interpreters, translators, and translation software when necessary; and (7) helping others adapt to your
own culture.