Intercultural Communication

Prof. C.J.M. Beniers Intercultural Communication www. beniers-consultancy. com

Components of intercultural communication

1 Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com filtering defensiveness language perception

1. FILTERING:

Refers to a sender MANIPULATING INFORMATION so that it will be seen more favourably by the receiver

Barriers 1 2 Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

2. SELECTIVE PERCEPTION:

Receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on THEIR NEEDS, MOTIVATIONS, EXPERIENCE, BACKGROUND, and other PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

3. DEFENSIVENESS:

When individuals interpret another‘s message as THREATENING, they often respond in ways that RETARD EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

4. LANGUAGE:

Words mean DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE

Make eye contact

Exhibit affirmative head nods and

appropriate facial expressions

Avoid distracting actions or gestures

Effective listening 2 6 Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Effective listening 2 7 Ask question Avoid interrupting the speake Don‘t over talk Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Rules 3 8 Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com Hypothesis Empathy Emphasize description Assume differences

Rules 3 9 Assume DIFFERENCES until similarity is proven Emphasize DESCRIPTION rather than interpretation or evaluation Practice EMPATHY Treat your interpretations as a working HYPOTHESIS Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Definition 4 10 Intercultural communication is a transactional, symbolic process involving the attribution of meaning between people of different cultures. Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Definition 4 11 Integrated system of learned behaviour patterns which are characteristic of the members of a society and which are not the result of biological inheritance. Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Definition 4 12 The deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving. Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Definition 4 13 Intercultural communication is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, and contextual process in which the degree of differences between people is large and important enough to create dissimilar interpretations and expectations about what are regarded as competent behaviours that should be used to create shared messages. Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Attention!! 5 14 Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com Intercultural communication is difficult

Difficulties 6 15

CULTURE AFFECTS ALL ASPECTS OF

COMMUNICATION:

a. Our PERCEPTIONS about people and events are shared in cultures

b. Cultures provide us with ROLES, telling us who to be and how to act

Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Difficulties 6 16 c. The GOALS we seek and our MOTIVATION TO SEEK THEM are determined by culture d. BASIC NOTIONS ABOUT THE SELF and HUMAN NATURE are shared in cultures Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Difficulties 6 17

BASIC NOTIONS ABOUT THE SELF and HUMAN NATURE are shared in cultures:

Americans believe in the RATIONALITY PREMISE: that people are capable of logical judgment

Americans believe in the PERFECTIBILITY PREMISE: that people can become better through effort

Americans believe in the MUTABILIT PREMISE: that we can change people by changing environments

Difficulties 6 18 e. PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT LANGUAGE COMMUNITIES often perceive the world DIFFERENTLY Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Difficulties 6 19 2. THE ATTITUDES WE HOLD ABOUT PEOPLE FROM OTHER CULTURES CAN INCREASE OR DIMINISH CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

1. One of the MAIN BARRIERS to cross-cultural communication is the holding of STEREOTYPES and PREJUDICES

STEREOTYPE is an attribution of supposed characteristics of a whole group to all its members: „ Latinos are good dancers.“

b. PREJUDICE is an intolerant, irrational, unjust disposition toward others: „All students are lazy.“

Difficulties 6 20 Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

ASSUMING SIMILARITY when none exists

3. ETHNOCENTRICITY makes us dismiss other cultures as inferior

CERTAIN FACTORS AFFECT

SUCCESSFUL INTERACTION AND ADAPTATION:

a. It is easier to adapt to groups who

are culturally close to us

b. People who are OPEN, RESILIENT,

and CONFIDENT adapt well

WAYS TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF CO-CULTURES WITHIN OUR OWN COUNTRY:

a. People must be willing to seek out new contacts

b. By taking the time to learn about the

history and experience of diverse cultures, we can gain understanding

WAYS TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF CO-CULTURES WITHIN OUR OWN COUNTRY:

c. Stereotypes should be tested rather than accepted

d. The more self-confident we become, the more accepting we will be

Ethnocentrism

Offensive behavior

Failure to perceive differences

Culture shock

ASSUMPTION OF SIMILARITIES

The English language is spoken worldwide by perhaps a billion people.

But not by the policemen in the streets of Moscow!

Stumbling blocks 7 26 Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES

Maltese Finnish

sormi = my buttock sormi = finger

harja = piece of shit harja = brush

illala = goddamn illala = evening

STEREOTYPE:

Attribution of supposed characteristics

of a whole group to all its members

PREJUDICE:

Intolerant, irrational, unjust disposition

toward others

Stumbling blocks 7 29 7% 55% 38% Non Verbal: Vocal Tones Non Verbal: Facial Expressions Verbal Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

1. NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION:

BODY LANGUAGE

Body language is the way that we hold and move our bodies in when we are giving or receiving information

TWO BROAD TYPES OF BODY LANGUAGE :

1. OPEN BODY LANGUAGE:

We show that we have no concealed weapons hidden behind our back, our armpits or in our hands

TWO BROAD TYPES OF BODY LANGUAGE

2. CLOSED BODY LANGUAGE:

We appear to be physically showing that we are hiding something from the other person and this can be threatening to him

2. TONE OF VOICE:

HOW we say something is as important as what we say

It is possible to completely change meaning by changing our tone of voice

Stumbling blocks 7 34 „ Sit Down!“ said in a strong loud voice classroom to students „ Sit Down“ said in a soft, quiet voice a candle lit restaurant to arriving guests Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

3. VOCAL SOUNDS:

These are short words and noises that we make to show that we are listening to what the other person is saying

Neutral: „Go on I am listening“, „Mm...Mm“

Positive: „Yep, yeah, exactly, absolutely“

Stumbling blocks 7 36

Communication plays a vital role in making SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS with others

So making social relationships through communication with people who belong in different cultures is also difficult

In these situations, people are often infected with negative STEROTYPES toward others

Better communication 8 37 1. EMPATHY: put yourself in the shoes another person Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Better communication 8 38

1. EMPATHY:

The ability to reproduce what other people recognize or feel

or

The ability of empathically understanding the feelings of other people

Better communiication 8 39

DEVELOPING EMPATHY: FOUR FACTORS

CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Cultural relativism is to avoid the evaluation of superiority and inferiority of cultures through only one set of culture as a criterion

2. TOLERANCE TO DIFFERENCES OF CULTURES AND COMMUNICATION

STYLES OF OTHERS

In intercultural communication it is important to understand how to deal with these differences of behavioural patterns

3. A CLEAR „SELF-CONCEPT“

If people can see themselves objectively and understand their own characteristics, they can easily guess

how other people consider them

what kinds of feeling other people have toward them

4. EMPATHIC LISTENING

Really listening is more than hearing the words: it is TRULY UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTING THE OTHER PERSON‘S MESSAGE AND ALSO HIS/HER SITUATION AND FEELINGS

EMPATHIC LISTENING

Empathy means understanding another person so well that you IDENTIFY WITH HIM/HER, YOU FEEL LIKE HE/SHE DOES

It is listening so intently and identifying so closely that you EXPERIENCE THE OTHER PERSON‘S SITUATION, THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS

Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Constantly comparing yourself to the speaker:

Who is smarter? This is too hard for me.

Trying to mind read what the talker really thinks

He probably thinks I‘m stupid for saying that

Planning what argument or story to give next

Filtering so that one hears only certain topics or doesn‘t hear critical remarks

Going off on one‘s daydreams

Remembering your own personal experiences instead of listen ing to the talker

Considering every conversation an intellectual debate with the goal of putting down the opponent

EMPATHIC LISTENING 46 Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

Empathic listening sounds like 47

„ What you want is...“

„ You were frustrated because...“

„ You didn‘t like it when I...“

„ When your boss said that, you felt...“

„ You hope that...“

„ It scares you that...“

„ You really felt good when...“

„ It‘s embarrassing when...“

„ What you‘d rather have...“

Empathic listening sounds like 48 Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

PRODUCTIVE EXCHANGES

Productive communication among people whose cultural backgrounds are different from one another

People can behave more freely and communicate with one another more easiliy and smoothly in spite of the differences of culture

PRINCIPLES

FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE is necessary to understand many subtleties of any culture

Differences between cultures are often experienced as THREATENING

PRINCIPLES

In describing another culture, people tend to stress the differences and OVERLOOK THE SIMILARITIES

All cultures have internal variations

Cultural awareness varies among individuals

PRINCIPLES

Cultures are continually EVOLVING

Understanding another culture is a CONTINUOUS PROCESS

One should understand the language of a culture to best understand that culture

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN DISCOURSE

Opening or closing conversations

Taking turns during conversations

Interrupting

Using silence as a communicative device

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN DISCOURSE

Knowing appropriate topics of conversations

Interjecting humour at appropriate times

Using nonverbal behaviour

Sequencing of elements during discourse

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

TURN-TAKING VERSUS INTERRUPTING

Letting the other person finish; allowing the other person to ask questions

VERIFICATION

Making sure the other person understands you; checking to be sure you understand

REPETITION

Being aware what needs to be repeated, if repetition is necessary; clearly indicating what you need to have repeated

CLARIFICATION

Helping the other person focus on what information you need to have clarified; rephrase new information for understanding

Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com Prof. C.J.M. Beniers www.beniers-consultancy-com

MEANING

Explaining abbreviations; spelling out words when necessary; guessing meanings from overall context

SUMMARIZING / CONFIRMING

Summarizing what you have said; confirming your understanding of what the other person said

SUMMARIZING / CONFIRMING

Summarizing what you have said; confirming your understanding of what the other person said

COMMUNICATION FEEDBACK

Expecting realistic feedback; giving appropriate feedback

Intercultural Communication

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