1. diversityteam.org Communication across cultures for the Workplace An open access workshop designed by the Diversity Program of the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society

2. diversityteam.org Workshop Objectives  Understand the context of communication across cultures in our communities.  The ability to communicate with people of another culture  Raise our individual and group awareness about our communication triggers  Discuss strategies to increase our skills and knowledge related to cross-cultural communication

3. diversityteam.org Did You Know? Within five years:  Canada’s “visible minority” population will have grown from 4 million (2007) to an estimated 8.5 million.  100% of the growth in the labour force will be from immigration.  In urban centres such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, “visible minority” groups will be the majority.  With more and more skilled immigrants coming to Canada, all workplaces are becoming more diverse.  With diversity comes innovation.

4. diversityteam.org FACTS IN NANAIMO Between April 2011 and March 2012, Our clients came from 55 different countries and speaking 43 different languages. Top 5 Source Countries were PR China 17.5% Philippines 15.5% India 6.9% England 8.5% Korea 5.0%

5. diversityteam.org THE FACTS: CVI REGION FIRST NATIONS The Snuneymuxw’s labour force participation rate was 44% (2006 Census) First Nations people show the highest incidence of unemployment; their unemployment rate is almost three times that of the non-Aboriginal population. Aboriginal people not living on their nations territory fare marginally better.

6. diversityteam.org Importance of Communication Research has shown that people in organizations and business spend approximately 70% of their time in interpersonal situations Improving communication is the single greatest opportunity for success however defined

7. diversityteam.org Barriers in Communication Examples?  Low tolerance to ambiguity  Focus on individual achievement  Highly task-oriented  Overly closed-minded and inflexible (Weaver, 2009)

8. diversityteam.org Canada=OK Russia=0 Japan=money Afghanistan=obscene Gestures and Communication: the misunderstanding that can happen…..

9. diversityteam.org ACTIVITY : Synonym Twist Scenario: In pairs, discuss your weekend. BUT every time you use a verb during the conversation (saw, ate, enjoyed) you also have to come up with a synonym (watched, ingested, liked). Try it! What do you notice? What made this challenging? Debrief: This ice breaker is an exercise to increase awareness about the challenges of communication Definitions Verb: The part of speech that expresses existence, action, or occurrence. Synonym: A word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language.

10. diversityteam.org How to develop better Cross-Cultural Communication Skills Exploring what Culture is Examine how culture affects communication Understanding Communication Triggers Apply new understanding to workplace

11. diversityteam.org CULTURE : WHAT IS IT?

12. diversityteam.org (Weaver, 1986)

13. diversityteam.org Individual communication is affected by:  Racial/Ethnic National Identity  Acculturation/Assimilation  Socioeconomic Status/Class  Religious/Spiritual Beliefs  Literacy Level & Education  Gender & Sexual Identity  Spatial & Regional Patterns  Family Ties  Social History  Perception of Time  Language

14. diversityteam.org And External Factors :  Institutional Biases  Racism & Discrimination  Community Economics  Intergroup Relations  Resiliency of Community  Natural Networks of Support  Community History  Community Demography  Political Climate  Workplace Diversity

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16. TRIGGERS TRIGGERS Discussion How do you feel:  when someone does not make eye contact? when they give a very gentle handshake?  when they show little or no facial expression?

17. diversityteam.org Workplace Scenario Catherine, Head of HR for ABC Company, was searching for a new program coordinator. After interviewing many candidates, she came across Shazia. Shazia coordinated many national programs in her home country of Pakistan. In these positions, she had to communicate with national and international aid agencies as well as outreach coordinators in communities across Pakistan. Shazia speaks fluent Urdu, French, Arabic and English. Her English has very precise grammar and a wide vocabulary, but she still has a strong accent. Catherine recommends Shazia to Robert, the head of the company, who quickly sets up the interview. Robert comes back to Catherine and says, “Shazia is highly qualified for the job, but I just don’t think my team will be able to easily understand her. I think we have to keep looking.” Adapted from Upwardly Global: Winning with World Class Talent, 2003

18. diversityteam.org Discussion Has this ever happened in your organization? Can you think of specific examples where accent was the primary reason for rejecting a skilled immigrant candidate

19. diversityteam.org Points to Consider Catherine states, “Robert, you are right that it may take more effort to understand Shazia. However, I think it could be beneficial for our team to develop that patience. Our mission is to ensure access to education for all children in our community. You and I both know that Canada is becoming much more diverse and that we regularly work with parents for whom English is a second language, including many from Pakistan. As our team learns to communicate with Shazia, I think they will become better communicators in the community we serve.” Developing the patience to understand someone in spite of a different accent can be an important skill that carries over to serving customers and clients. A customer would not be turned away because they have a strong accent. Adapted from Upwardly Global: Winning with World Class Talent, 2003

20. diversityteam.org Discussion Is the customer base your organization serves changing and becoming more diverse? Will the ability for your staff to understand and communicate across cultures be more or less important in the future?

21. diversityteam.org Points to Consider Robert says, “Catherine, I think I could agree to hire Shazia if her accent were not quite as pronounced. I remember I had a hard time with Raj, but he became easier to understand over time. However, I think Shazia’s accent is beyond what I’m comfortable with.” Catherine responds, “Robert, I see your point, but how about this: we hire Shazia under a three-month probationary contract to work under Delia who is stepping down as education coordinator in three months. I’ll suggest that Shazia sign up for a communication training course. This way, we can gain the advantage of having Delia mentor her replacement, and Delia can do most of the talking for the first few months. If we see Shazia’s communication improve, we can comfortably hire her full time.” Adapted from Upwardly Global: Winning with World Class Talent, 2003

22. diversityteam.org Points to Consider While accents rarely disappear completely, they tend to diminish over time when people are exposed to new environments. Very qualified candidates with strong accents can be accommodated through placement in positions where communication is less of a priority, and be trained to improve their communication skills.

23. diversityteam.org DO YOU KNOW ANY PROVIDERS OF FORMAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS TRAINING IN YOUR AREA? WHAT TECHNIQUES EXIST FOR COMMUNICATION TRAINING – APART FROM FORMAL TRAINING? DICUSSION

24. diversityteam.org In what ways can you incorporate these strategies into workplace?

25. diversityteam.org See our next workshop in the series: Keys to Cultural Competency and further develop your awareness knowledge skills What to do next?

26. diversityteam.org References Hire an immigrant.ca : Workplace Scenarios Upwardly Global: Winning with World Class Talent. www.hireimmigrant.ca 2003.www.hireimmigrant.ca Martin, M & Vaughn, B. (2007). Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management magazine, pp. 31-36. DTUI Publications Division: San Francisco, CA. Weaver, G. (1986). Understanding and coping with cross-cultural adjustment stress. In R. M. Paige (Ed.), Cross-Cultural Orientation, New Conceptualizations and Applications. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. Weaver, G. (2009). Overcoming barriers to cross-cultural communication. Intercultural Management Institute, University of Illinois.