1. Communication and Culture
Module Three
Communication and Culture

2. Culture: the lifestyle of a group of people
Culture: a learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, and norms which affect the behaviours of a relatively large group of people.
Co-cultures: coexist within the mainstream society yet remain connected to one another.

3. Culture values beliefs artifacts ways of behaving
ways of communicating
language
ways of thinking
art
laws
religion

4. Intercultural Communication
Enculturation: the process of learning one’s culture from one generation to another
Acculturation: the process by which a person’s culture is modified through direct contact with or exposure to another culture
Intercultural Communication: between people of different cultures; influenced by enculturation and acculturation which can create barriers

5. Your Turn
Complete Test Yourself: How Ethnocentric Are You? In your EZ Guide

6. We all tend to see others and their behaviours through our own cultural filters and think our culture is better than other cultures in every way.
Ethnocentrism

7. Barriers to Understanding Each Other
Stereotypes:
generalizations about a group of people that oversimplify the group’s characteristics;
Exaggerated beliefs to make judgments about an entire group of people

8. Stereotypes are a fixed impression of a group of people
may be influenced by nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that defines a group
distort accurate perceptions
prevent seeing someone as an individual

9. Stereotype the following groups:
Women drivers
Jocks
Blacks
Gays and lesbians
Jews
Francophones

10. Stereotype the other group
Stereotype each person in your
group

11. Barriers to Understanding Each Other
Prejudice
Positive or negative attitudes about an individual or cultural group based on little or no direct experience with that person or group
Making a judgment about someone before you get to know that person and learn whether your opinions and feelings are justified

12. Barriers to Understanding Each Other
Discrimination
How we act out and express prejudice
Exclude groups of people from opportunities granted to others

13. Barriers to Understanding Each Other
Racism
Emerges from ethnocentrism, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination
Racist people assume that a person with a certain inherited characteristic also has negative characteristics and abilities; they believe in the superiority of their own race above others
Can lead to the abuse of power

14. Understanding Cultural Diversity
Social identity
Our self-concept as derived from the social categories to which we see ourselves belonging
Part of social identity is derived from the cultural groups to which you belong as well as the groups to which you do not belong

15. Understanding Cultural Diversity
To understand cultural diversity you should first understand your own culture then broaden your mind to understand other cultures
Religion is a very important aspect of a culture; in many countries and for many groups, religion is the culture; occasionally when religious groups attempt to practice their culture in a secular country, they encounter intolerance

16. Understanding Cultural Diversity
Regardless of your individual religious beliefs, you must remember that people feel strongly about their religion, and that difference between religious beliefs and practices do matter

17. Understanding Cultural Diversity
We live in a pluralistic society; the more knowledge you gain about the people around you and the more you learn to respect others, the better you will be able to communicate
Your willingness and ability to work in a diverse environment will likely increase your opportunities for success in any career choice you make

18. The Dimensions of Culture
Individualism/Collectivism
Power Distance
Masculine/Feminine Values
High/Low Context
Monochronic/Polychronic

19. The Dimensions of Culture
Intercultural dimension: an aspect of culture that can be measured relative to other cultures

20. Your Turn
Complete Test Yourself – How Individualistic Are You? In your EZ Guide

21. The Dimensions of Culture
Individualism/Collectivism may be the most important factor distinguishing one culture from another
Individualistic Culture
-You are responsible for yourself and perhaps your immediate family; you are responsible to your own conscience: independence
Collectivist Culture
-You are responsible for the entire group; responsibility is largely an individual matter: interdependence

22. The Dimensions of Culture
Power Distance: refers to the physical and psychological distance between those who have power and those who do not in relationships, institutions, and organizations
High Power Distance: individuals accept differences in power as normal; accepted that the privileged have more power and us it to control lives of those with less power; you accept and do not challenge authority
Low Power Distance: power distinctions are minimized: supervisors work with subordinates

23. The Dimensions of Culture
Masculine/Feminine Values: the terms masculine and feminine are used to describe whether masculine or feminine traits are valued by a culture; the terms are used to describe a societal perspective rather than individuals
A masculine culture: typically views men as assertive, tough, oriented to material success and strong; women modest, tender, oriented to maintaining quality of life
A feminine culture: both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender and oriented to maintaining the quality of life

24. The Dimensions of Culture
High/Low Context:
High-context culture: very little meaning is expressed through words; gestures, silence, facial expressions and relationships among communicators have higher meaning; also through status (age, gender, education, family, etc.)
Low-context culture: meaning is expressed primarily through language

25. Intercultural Communication Strategies
Recognize and reduce your ethnocentrism
Be mindful: involves being fully aware of the present moment without making hasty judgements; mindlessness occurs when you allow rigid categories and false distinctions to become habits of thought and behaviour
Face fears
Avoid over-attribution
Identify uncertainty and ambiguity
Be receptive to new information
Respect others’ perspectives

26. 8) Recognize differences -between yourself and culturally different people -within the culturally different group 8) Recognize meaning differences in verbal & nonverbal messages 9) Recognize culture shock
Strategies continued

27. Recognize That Culture Shock Is Normal
Stages of Culture Shock
Honeymoon
Fascination with new culture
Crisis
Differences between your own culture and the new one creates problems
Recovery
Gain the skills to function effectively
Adjustment
Adjust and come to enjoy the new culture
Recognize That Culture Shock Is Normal

28. Adjust Your Communication
Learn the other culture’s signals; avoid violating cultural rules
Share your own system of signals with others
Avoid evaluating differences negatively: see others as different but equal

29. Your Turn
Complete Check Your Ability: in your EZ Guide

30. Thanks for coming!