1. IMPROVING CROSS- CULTURAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Cross-cultural Communication

2. Worldwide symbol for greeting

3. Thumbs up and meanings

4. The Victory sign in USA

5. Winston Churchill

6. Rihanna uses the V-sign

7. Robbie Williams – using V-sign as insult

8. “I LOVE YOU” sign

9. Perfect (approval) sign

10. Solidarity/power sign

11. Good luck OR Obscene

12. Very bad- “F” word in America

13. Non verbal communication Wordless/visual messages between people Communicated through gestures, touch, body language/posture, facial expression and eye contact Examples: clothing, hairstyle, rings etc.

14. What is Communication? “ The process by which meanings are created in human interaction with symbols ” The symbols can be verbal or non-verbal

15. Cross-cultural Communication “ Occurs when a member of one culture produces a message for a member of another culture to understand ” Communication between people whose cultural perceptions and symbol systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event “

16. Improving cross-cultural communication skills Slow Down - speak clearly and ensure your pronunciation is intelligible. Separate Questions - do not ask double questions, “Do you want to carry on or shall we stop here?” In a cross cultural situation only the first or second question may have been comprehended. Let your listener answer one question at a time. Avoid Negative Questions – “are you not coming?”

17. Improving cross-cultural communication skills (cont.) Take Turns – speak and listen to the response. Write it down – eg. 1,000,000,000,000 (UK) vs. 1,000,000,000 (USA) Be Supportive- Giving encouragement gives confidence, support and a trust in you. Check Meanings - never assume the other party has understood. Be an active listener. Summarize what has been said in order to verify it.

18. Improving cross-cultural communication skills (cont.) Avoid Slang - words will be understood but the meaning missed. – (Uncle Ben, big guns, big mouth) Watch the humor - think whether it will be understood in the other culture. - (She is always late; her ancestors arrived in American in Juneflower) Maintain Etiquette - Many cultures have certain etiquette when communicating. Respect them!

19. END Any Questions ??? Any Suggestions ??? Any Experiences ???