In any organization, you’ll work with people whose backgrounds differ from your own. People often want easy answers about diversity and culture when only guidelines are possible. Human beings are individuals as much as they are par t of a group. In many ways, we’ve only begun to scratch the surface for understanding and respecting the diversity around us. Therefore, use this information as a starting point for understanding communicating across cultures.

Communicating Across Cultures To learn how to Continue to analyze your audiences. Begin to adapt your message to your audiences. Begin to understand what your organization wants.

Communicating Across Cultures Start by answering these questions: Who is my audience? Why is audience so important? What do I need to know about my audience(s)?

Communicating Across Cultures Start by answering these questions: Now that I have my analysis, what do I do with it? What if my audiences have different needs? How do I reach my audience(s)?

Diversity and Culture Basics Diversity has always been with us—even if people didn’t recognize it or its value. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to working with cultural differences. Use the information in this module as guidelines, not rules set in stone. Remember that people are individuals as well as members of groups. Be open to change and difference. Diversity in the workplace comes from many sources. In the U.S., for instance, a third of Americans are Native Americans or of African, Latino, or Asian descent. Familiarize yourself with all of the dimensions of diversity in the workplace and use sensitivity and respect when working with people with backgrounds different than your own. Rather than expect easy answers, use research and experience to guide you.

Diversity in the Workplace Gender Race and ethnicity Regional and national origin Social class Religion Age Sexual orientation Physical ability Diversity in the workplace comes from many sources. In the U.S., for instance, a third of Americans are Native Americans or of African, Latino, or Asian descent. Familiarize yourself with all of the dimensions of diversity in the workplace and use sensitivity and respect when working with people with backgrounds different than your own. Rather than expect easy answers, use research and experience to guide you.

Diversity in the Workplace High-Context Cultures Most information is inferred from the context of a message. Little is “spelled out.” Examples: Japanese, Arabic, and Latin American cultures. Compared to low-context cultures, high-context cultures often prefer politeness and indirectness in messages.

Diversity in the Workplace continued Low-Context Cultures Context is less important than words. Most information is spelled out; words are privileged Examples: German, Scandinavian, and dominant U.S. cultures. Context is less important in low-context cultures, which prefer direct approaches and privilege the written word.

Diversity in the Workplace continued Remember In nations like the U.S., Canada, and Brazil, multiple cultures exist. While the dominant culture may be privileged, recognize that minority cultures may have different norms with regard to behavior. Many countries are multicultural. Even if a single culture is dominant, subcultures may prefer different forms of communication. Analyze your audience carefully to understand cultural norms.

Dimensions of Culture Values, Beliefs, and Practices Nonverbal Communication Body Language Eye Contact Gestures Space Spatial Arrangements Time Dress Colors Height Oral Communication Understatement, Exaggeration, and Silence Culture influences every single aspect of business communication, including how to show politeness and respect, how much information to give, and how to motivate people. Understanding culture is a complex process with many variables.

Conversational Style How long a pause tells you that it’s your turn to speak? Do you see interruption as rude? Do you show interest by asking lots of questions? Deborah Tannen coined the term “conversational style” to denote our conversational pattens and the meaning we give to them. Different conversational styles are no better or worse than each other, but people with different conversational styles may feel uncomfortable without knowing why. Analyze your own conversational style to begin to understand the style of others.

Communicating with Different Cultures Brenda Arbaleez suggests being Aware that values and behaviors are influenced by culture. Flexible. Sensitive. Aware of the others’ values, beliefs, and practices. Sensitive to differences among individuals. If you plan to travel to a specific country, or if you work with people from other cultures, read about that country or culture to learn more about the language. Also, talk to people from that country or culture. By being open-minded, you may find these experiences best prepare you to communicate with different cultures. Brenda Arbalaez also suggests these principles.

Ways to Make Language Nonsexist Use Words that treat both sexes respectfully. Titles that do not imply one sex “ought” to do a certain job. The appropriate gender pronoun when referring to a specific person. Nonsexist language treats both sexes neutrally. Check to be sure that your writing is free from sexism in four areas: words and phrases, job titles, pronouns, and courtesy titles.

Ways to Make Language Nonsexist continued Use “Ms.” As the courtesy title for a woman unless The woman has a professional title. You know that a woman prefers to be addressed by a traditional title.

Ways to Make Language Nonsexist continued When you write about anyone who may be in a job or position, make pronouns nonsexist. Use plurals. Use you. Revise the sentence to omit the pronoun Use pronoun pairs.

Ways to Make Language Nonracist Eliminate adjectives that reinforce negative stereotypes. Biased: The motivated black students were assigned to internship positions throughout the company. Bias-free: The students were assigned to internship positions throughout the company. Language is nonracist when it treats all races fairly, avoiding negative stereotypes. Many groups have their own preferred terms when being referenced. In situations that call for mentioning race, use the preferred term.

Ways to Make Language Nonracist continued Identify race or ethnic origin only if it’s relevant. Biased: Paloma Esteban, a Latino, has been appointed Vice-President of Finance. Bias-free: Mike Waters, a Sioux, translated the governor’s speech into the Lakota language.

Ways to Make Language Nonracist continued Eliminate words and phrases with negative connotations. Biased: Many of our managers who come from culturally deprived backgrounds now function as role models for young people through our mentoring program.

Ways to Make Language Nonracist continued Bias-free: Many of our managers whose family heritage is African, Asian, or Spanish now function as role models for young people through our mentoring program.

Talking about People with Diseases or Disabilities Use “people first” language and avoid using adjectives as nouns. Biased: the alcoholic the drug addict the handicapped Bias-free: the woman who is an alcoholic the man who abuses drugs people with disabilities One is six people in the U.S. has a disability, and the number of people with disabilities is expected to rise as the population ages. When writing or speaking about someone with a disability or disease, put the emphasis on the person unless the situation calls for discussing the disability or disease.

Talking about People with Diseases or Disabilities continued Emphasize people’s abilities, not their limits or disabilities. Biased: Jenny Ling has done an outstanding job as our spokesperson, even though she has diabetes. Bias-free: Jenny Ling has done an outstanding job as our spokesperson for the past seven years.

Ways to Make Language Nonagist Refer to age only if it’s truly relevant. Biased: Tomoko Watanabe, 67, is president of Competitive Data Management. Bias-free: Tomoko Watanabe is president of Competitive Data Management. In most situations, a person’s age, race, disability, or disease is irrelevant. If you must discuss any of these qualities, avoid negative stereotypes, and use a respectful term. For instance, while senior citizens and golden agers may be acceptable to some audiences, more generally accepted terms are older people and mature customers.

Ways to Make Language Nonagist continued Avoid stereotypes. Biased: With her grandmotherly ways, good old Mary Grace makes everyone in Unit 2 feel special. Bias-free: For the past 35 years, Mary Grace has been helping to create team spirit in Unit 2.

Ways to Make Language Nonagist continued Avoid negative labels for children, such as “children from broken homes.” Remember families can be single-parent and diverse. Use nonsexist descriptions and images of children.

Bias Free Photos and Illustrations Check visuals for bias. Are the people diverse? Are power relationships balanced? Can you create your own visuals rather than rely on biased clip art?