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Business Communication: Building Critical Skills
Kitty O. Locker, Ohio State University
Steven Kyo Kaczmarek, Columbus State Community College
Kathryn Braun, Sheridan College
Communication Across Cultures

E-Learning Session

  1. What is culture?
    1. High-Context
      • Most information is inferred from the context of a message. Japanese, Arabic, and Latin American cultures are examples.
    2. Low-Context
      • Context is less important; most information is explicitly spelled out. German, Canadian and Mainstream U.S. cultures are examples.
  2. How does culture affect business communication? In every single aspect.
    1. Values, Beliefs, and Practices
      • National culture, organizational culture, and personal culture overlap.
        1. Diversity includes many dimensions. POWERPOINT SLIDE
      • Different cultures hold to different values.
        1. Example: North Americans accept competition and believe it produces better performance; the Japanese, however, believe that competition leads to disharmony.
        2. Cultures can be low-context or high-context. POWERPOINT SLIDE
      • Values and beliefs can be influenced by religion.
    2. Nonverbal Communication.
      • Nonverbal communication does not use words.
        1. Examples: body language and how long someone keeps a visitor waiting.
        2. Nonverbal signals can be misinterpreted as easily as verbal ones.
      • Different cultures may use different nonverbal behaviors; the same behaviors can also mean different things in different cultures.
          1. CONCEPT CHECK True or False: Chances are most cultures share the same nonverbal behaviors as mainstream Americans. CONCEPT CHECK
    3. Body Language
      • Open vs. Closed Body Positions
        1. Examples: Open positions include uncrossing arms; crossing arms is a closed position.
        2. In mainstream North America, open positions imply comfort and openness to ideas.
      • Eye Contact
        1. Not all cultures believe in using strong eye contact, nor that eye contact implies trustworthiness.
        2. Examples: Though prolonged eye contact is common among mainstream North Americans, Koreans can find it rude or provocative.
          1. CONCEPT CHECK True or False: Because Koreans find prolonged eye contact rude; you can assume the Japanese and Chinese will, too. CONCEPT CHECK
      • Gestures
        1. Gestures are not universal; culture shapes our understanding of the meaning of gestures.
        2. Examples: The "thumbs up" symbol for something good in Canada, the U.S. and Western Europe is considered vulgar in Greece.
      • Space and Touch
        1. Personal space needs and the appropriateness of touching can differ from culture to culture, as well as from person to person and along gender lines.
      • Spatial Arrangements
        1. North American concepts of space do not apply to all cultures; in Japan, for instance, private offices can be viewed as inappropriate.
      • Time
        1. Even in North America, concepts of time can differ from region to region and culture to culture.
        2. Members of monochronic cultures complete one task at a time; members of polychronic cultures do several tasks at once.
      • Clothing, Color, Age, and Height.
        1. Example: In the North America, youth is valued; in Japan, younger people defer to older people.
    4. Oral Communication
      • Different people or groups may have different conversational styles. TRANSPARENCY MASTER
        1. Examples: Gen Xers often use a rising inflection at the end of statements as well as questions to be polite-Baby Boomers may see this as a sign of hesitation, rather than politeness.
      • Understatement and exaggeration differ according to culture
        1. Examples: A Canadian might describe something that was highly successfull as "not bad".
      • Compliments
        1. How and when to compliment differs from culture to culture and even between genders.
        2. Example: Complimenting someone in the workplace on appearance can be sexist.
          1. CONCEPT CHECK While it's potentially offensive to compliment women on their appearance in the workplace, complimenting men is always welcome and appropriate. CONCEPT CHECK
      • Silence
        1. Example: In some cultures, silence means consent; in others, it can mean refusal in others.
    5. Writing to International Audiences
      • Remember that most cultures are more formal than Canada and the U.S.
      • Adapt your style to the cultural norms of your audience.
  3. There are so many different cultures! How can I know enough to communicate? Focus on being sensitive and flexible.
    1. Prepare by learning about other cultures.
    2. The successful international communicator is
      • Aware that his or her preferred values and behaviors are influence by culture and not necessarily "right."
      • Flexible and open to change.
      • Sensitive to verbal and nonverbal behavior.
      • Aware of the values, beliefs, and practices in other cultures.
      • Sensitive to differences among individuals and within a culture.
          1. CONCEPT CHECK True or False: Research and open-mindedness are important for successfully communicating with other cultures. CONCEPT CHECK
  4. How can I make my documents bias-free? Start by using nonsexist, nonracist, and nonagist language.
    1. Use bias-free language.
      • Ways to Make Language Nonsexist: TRANSPARENCY MASTER
      • Ways to Make Language Nonracist: TRANSPARENCY MASTER
      • Talking about People with Diseases or Disabilities: TRANSPARENCY MASTER
      • Ways to Make Language Nonagist: TRANSPARENCY MASTER
      • Proofread documents carefully for biased language; check photos and illustrations for bias, as well.
          1. CONCEPT CHECK True or False: It is ethical to use a diverse range of models to represent your organization in photos, even if your organization lacks the diversity the photo suggests. CONCEPT CHECK
  5. Go to the Self-Quizzes section if you would like to test your understanding of this module.




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