Recognizing

variations in a

Eight main types of Cultural

Differences
1. Contextual Differences
Cultural context

High-context culture
Low-context culture

2. Legal and Ethical Differences

Four basic principles:

Send and receive messages w/o judgment

Send messages that are honest
Show respect for cultural differences

3. Social Differences
Formal rules of etiquette are explicit and well
defined, but informal rules are learned through
observation and imitation.

Social norms can vary from culture to culture

in the ff. areas:

Attitudes toward work and success

Roles and status
Use of manners
Concepts of time
Future orientation
Openness and inclusiveness

4. Nonverbal Differences
- Meaning of nonverbal signals vary widely from
culture to culture, so you cant rely on assumptions.
Ways people behave in other culture that you
can observe:

Greetings
Personal space
Touching
Facial expressions
Eye contact
Posture
Formality

Avoiding Nonverbal Mishaps

5. Age Differences

- A cultures views on youth and aging affect how

people communicate w/ one another.
6. Gender Differences
- Broadly speaking, men tend to emphasize content
in their messages, and women tend to emphasize
relationship maintenance.
7. Religious Differences
- U.S. law requires employers to accommodate
employees religious beliefs to a reasonable degree.
8. Ability Differences
- Assistive technologies help employers create more
inclusive workplaces and benefit from the contributions
of people w/ physical or cognitive impairments.

COMMUNICATIN
G IN A WORLD
OF DIVERSITY

Understanding the opportunities and

challenges of communication in a diverse
world
Diversity
- includes all the characteristics that define
people as individuals.
Intercultural Communication
- is the process of sending and receiving
messages between people whose cultural
backgrounds could lead them to interpret verbal
signs differently.

The opportunities in a
global marketplace

The advantages of a
diverse workforce
The diversity of todays workforce brings
distinct advantages to businesses:
A broader range of views and ideas
A better understanding of diverse,

fragmented markets
A broader pool of talent from w/c to recruit

The Challenges of
Intercultural Communication
A companys cultural diversity affects how its
business messages are conceived, composed,
delivered, received, and interpreted.
Culture influences everything about
communication, including:
Language
Nonverbal signals
Word meaning
Time and space issues
Rules of human relationships

ENHANCING YOUR
SENSITIVITY TO CULTURE AND
DIVERSITY
Understanding the concept of culture
Culture is a shared system of symbols, beliefs,
attitudes, values, expectations, and behavior
norms.
You belong to several cultures, each of which
affects the way you communicate.
You learn culture both directly(by being
instructed) and indirectly(by observing others).
Cultures tend to offer views of life that are
both coherent(internally logical) and
complete(answer all of lifes big questions).

Overcoming Ethnocentrism and

Stereotyping
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge other
groups according to the standards, behaviors,
and customs of ones own group.
Stereotyping is assigning generalized
attributes to an individual on the basis of
membership in a particular group.
Cultural pluralism is the acceptance of
multiple cultures on their own terms.
You can avoid ethnocentrism and stereotyping
by avoiding assumptions and judgments and by
accepting differences.

Adapting to other
Business Cultures
Four general guidelines that can help all
business communicators improve their
cultural competency:
Become aware of your own biases.
Ignore the Golden Rule
Exercise tolerance, flexibility, and
respect.
Practice patience and maintain a sense
of humor.

Adapting to U.S. Business

Culture
Key points to remember to facilitate business
communication w/ U.S. companies :
Individualism
Equality
Privacy and personal space
Time and schedules
Religion
Communication style

Improving
Intercultural
Communicati
on Skills

Components of successful
Intercultural Communication
Effective Communication across Cultures

Study
other
cultures
and
languages

Improve
intercultural
communication
skills
Write and
speak
clearly

Respect
style
preference
s

Use
interpreters,
and
translation
software

Listen
carefully
Help
others
adapt to
your
culture

Studying other
Cultures

Successful intercultural
communication can require the
modification of personal
communication habits.
Making an effort to learn about
another persons culture is a sign of
respect.

Studying other
Language
English is the most prevalent language in
international business, but dont assume that
everyone understands it or speaks it at the same
way.

Doing Business in other Cultures

Writing Clearly
Use simple, clear language.
Be brief.
Use transitional elements.
Address international correspondence

properly.
Cite numbers and dates carefully.
Avoid slang, idiomatic phrases, and business
jargon.
Avoid humor and other references to popular
culture.

Speaking and
Listening Carefully
Speaking clearly and getting plenty of
feedback are two of the keys to successful
intercultural conversations.
To listen more effectively in intercultural
situations, accept what you hear without
judgment and let people finish what they
have to say.

Using Interpreters,
Translators, and
Translation Software
For important business
communication, use a
professional interpreter(for oral
communication) or translator
( for written communication).

Helping others
adapt to your
Culture
Help others adapt to your
culture; doing so will create more
productive workplace and teach
you about their cultures as well.