© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 4-1 Chapter 4 Communication

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 4-2 Learning Objectives Explain the basic communication process and define cross-cultural communication Understand how language affects communication and how different cultures use the four styles of verbal communication Discuss various types of nonverbal communication Identify major barriers to communicating cross- culturally Consider the advantages and disadvantages of virtual cross-cultural communication Enhance your cross-cultural communication skills

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 4-3 Communication The process of transmitting thoughts or ideas from one person to another

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 4-4 The Communication Process Thought Encoding Transmitting Receiving Decoding Understanding Noise Feedback SenderReceiver

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 4-5 Cross-Cultural Communication Differences Cross-cultural communication more difficult than communication among people of the same culture Noise develops due to differences in language, values, and attitudes, etc.

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 4-6 Language Usage Between 5,000 and 7,000 languages in the world English spoken by largest number of people but many forms of English More challenging when native speakers of two different languages need to communicate Must consider brand or product names in international markets Be aware of impact of internal communication outside home office

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 4-7 Major Characteristics of the Four Verbal Styles Verbal Style Variation Major Characteristic Cultures Where Found Direct Vs. Indirect Elaborate Vs. Succinct Direct Indirect Elaborate Exacting Succinct Message is more explicit Message is more implicit Quantity of talk is relatively high Quantity of talk is moderate Quantity of talk relatively low Individualistic, low-context Collectivistic, high-context Moderate uncertainty avoidance, high-context Low uncertainty avoidance, low-context High uncertainty avoidance, high-context

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 4-8 Major Characteristics of the Four Verbal Styles (cont.) Verbal Style Variation Major Characteristic Cultures Where Found Personal Vs. Contextual Instrumental Vs. Affective Personal Contextual Instrumental Affective Focus on speaker “personhood” Focus of role of speaker, role relationships Language is goal oriented, sender focused Language is process oriented, receiver focused Low power distance, individualistic, low context High power distance, collectivistic, high-context Individualistic, low-context Collectivistic, high-context

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc. 4-9 Forms of Nonverbal Communication Kinesics Kinesics Communication through body movements, including facial expression, gestures, and posture Oculesics Oculesics Communication through eye contact and gaze Haptics Haptics Communication through the use of body contact Proxemics Proxemics Communication through the use of space Chronemics Chronemics Communication through the use of time within a culture Chromatics Chromatics Communication through the use of colors

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc Barriers to Cross-Cultural Communication Culture People from two different cultures have different ways of reacting to the same situation Perception An individual’s personal view of the world Stereotyping Experience Differences in life events between two individuals

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc Virtual Cross-Cultural Communication Increasingly more important for global businesses accounts for 75 to 80% of virtual team communication Barriers to virtual communication

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc Enhancing Cross-Cultural Communication Understand the other person’s culture Use simple language, speak slowly Repeat major points, summarize Express respect for others Give all equal opportunity to communicate Be flexible

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc Convergence or Divergence? Increasing ease of communication Widespread use of English Similar words and concepts in different languages Number of different languages Barriers to cross- cultural communication

© 2005 Prentice-Hall, Inc Implications for Managers Cross-cultural communication a critical skill Awareness of differences can improve communication skill Important to learn other languages