Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke 4-1 Chapter 4 Communication

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke 4-2 Learning Objectives l Explain the basic communication process and define cross-cultural communication l Understand how language affects communication and how different cultures use the four styles of verbal communication l Discuss various types of nonverbal communication

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke 4-3 Learning Objectives (cont.) l Enhance your cross-cultural communication skills l Identify major barriers to communicating cross-culturally

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke 4-4 Communication The process of transmitting thoughts or ideas from one person to another

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke 4-5 The Communication Process Thought Encoding Transmitting Receiving Decoding Understanding Noise Feedback SenderReceiver Actual noise (e.g. traffic) Cultural/ social differences

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke Communication Skills for Managers as Senders l Send clear and complete messages. l Encode messages in symbols the receiver understands. l Select a medium appropriate for the message AND monitored by the receiver. l Avoid filtering (holding back information) and distortion as the message passes through other workers. l Ensure a feedback mechanism is included in the message. l Provide accurate information to avoid rumors.

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke Communication Skills for Managers as Receivers l Pay Attention to what is sent as a message. l Be a good listener: don’t interrupt. – Ask questions to clarify your understanding. l Be empathetic: try to understand what the sender feels. l Understand linguistic styles: different people speak differently. – Speed, tone, pausing all impact communication. – This is particularly true across cultures. – Managers should expect and plan for this.

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke 4-6 Cross-Cultural Communication l Communication among people from more than one culture l More difficult than communication among people of same culture l Major differences in communication –Language Usage –Verbal Communication Styles –Nonverbal Communication

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke l Different words for the same meaning in US and England (e.g. elevator/ lift) l Two native speakers of different languages using a third common language l Brand names and language diffences Cross-Cultural Communication

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke 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 Collective, high-context Moderate uncertainty avoidance, high-context Low uncertainty avoidance, low-context High uncertainty avoidance, high-context

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke 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, collective, high-context Individualistic, low-context Collective, high-context 4-8

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke Verbal Styles Used in 10 Countries AustraliaDirectExactingPersonalInstrumental CanadaDirectExactingPersonalInstrumental DenmarkDirectExactingPersonalInstrumental EgyptIndirectElaborateContextualAffective EnglandDirectExactingPersonalInstrumental JapanIndirectSuccintContextualAffective KoreaIndirectSuccintContextualAffective Saudi ArabiaIndirectElaborateContextualAffective SwedenDirectExactingPersonalInstrumental United StatesDirectExactingPersonalInstrumental

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke Kinesics l Communication through body movements, including facial expression, gestures, and posture (Kinesics) –Example: smile: usually sign for happiness/ pleasure, in Asia also sign of embarrassment/ discomfort (Oculesics l Communication through eye contact and gaze (Oculesics) –Example: maintaining eye contact: sign of good communicator in USA, Middle East, sign of distrust in China or Japan (Haptics l Communication through the use of body contact (Haptics) –Example: greeting gestures:US and Eurpeans shake hands, Japanese bow, Middle Easterns of same sex kiss on cheek –Hand gestures: „V“-sign, „O“- sign, „side-to-side-wave“ Forms of Nonverbal Communication

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke (Proxemics l Communication through the use of space (Proxemics) –Example: closer distances in South America, Southern Europe than Asia, USA or Northern EU Chronemics) l Communication through the use of time within a culture (Chronemics) –Monochronic, linear use of time: one thing at a time –Polychronic use of time: several things at a time Chromatics) l Communication through the use of colors (Chromatics) –Example: Hongkong brides are dressed red (happiness and good luck) Forms of Nonverbal Communication

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke 4-10 Barriers to Cross-Cultural Communication l Interpretation of word and actions from home culture l Perception (individual‘s personal view of the world) of different cultures by stereotyping

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke 4-11 Convergence or Divergence? l Increasing ease of communication (e.g. Internet) l Widespread use of English l Similar words and concepts in different languages l Number of different languages l Barriers to cross- cultural communication

Copyright 1998 by Prentice Hall, Inc., adapted by Prof.Dr. vom Kolke 4-12 Implications for Managers l Cross-cultural communication a critical skill l Awareness of differences can improve communication skill l Important to learn other languages