1. Culture and Communication
Chapter 2

2. Fundamental Concepts How can culture be defined? “Global Village”
Term by Marshall McLuhan – where members of every nation are connected by communication technology
One survey of scholarly literature
Revealed 500 definitions, phrasings, and uses of the concept.
What comes to mind when YOU think of Culture?

3. Fundamental Concepts How can culture be defined? One Useful Definition
“The language, values, beliefs, traditions & customs people share & learn”
Culture is a matter of perception and definition
In-groups
Groups with which we identify
out-groups
Those who are in groups that are different from us
Do you think we treat members of our ingroups differently?
Why

4. Fundamental Concepts How can co- culture be defined?
Perception of membership in part of an encompassing culture.
Examples of co-cultures.
Age, Race/ethnicity, Sexual orientation,
Nationality, Religion
Physical disability, Activity
Identify a specific example in each co-culture?

5. Fundamental Concepts How can culture be defined?
Co-cultures can be enriching & also disadvantageous
Groups that are stigmatized
Viewed negatively
Underrepresented groups
Often disadvantaged in employment interviews
where rules are established by the dominant culture.

6. Fundamental Concepts Intercultural Communication
Members of 2+ cultures/co-cultures exchange messages
Influenced by different cultural perceptions & symbols
Doesn’t always occur when different cultures interact
Cultural backgrounds, perceptions & symbols must have significant impact on the exchange
To say that culture has made a difference

7. Degrees of Intercultural and Interpersonal Significance

8. Cultural Values and Norms
High vs. Low Context Cultures
High context
Rely heavily on subtle, often non-verbal cues to maintain social harmony (Many Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures)
Low context
Use language to express thoughts, feelings, & ideas as directly & logically as possible (US, Canada, Northern Europe)

9. Cultural Values and Norms
Individualism vs. Collectivism
Some cultures value the individual, while others place greater emphasis on the group.
Individualism
View responsibility as helping themselves
Relatively tolerant of conflicts,
Use direct solution-oriented approach to handle disagreements
Less anxiety when speaking in public

10. Cultural Values and Norms
Individualism vs. Collectivism
Some Cultures value the individual, while others place greater emphasis on the group.
Collectivism
Feel loyalties and obligations to an in-group:
(one’s extended family, community, or even the organization they work for)
Less direct approach to handling disagreements
More anxiety when speaking out in public

11. Cultural Values and Norms
Individualism vs. Collectivism
Based on the definitions of these cultural norms, is the U.S. an individualist or collectivist society?
Why?
How can conflict be handled differently in individualist vs collectivist cultures?

12. Cultural Values & Norms
Power Distance
Power distance
The degree to which members of a society accept an unequal distribution of power.
Low Power Distance
The view that one person is as good as the other.
Class, education level, etc.
Doesn’t necessarily make you less important.

13. Cultural Values and Norms
Power Distance
High Power distance
Believe that power and authority come with age, position in the workplace or society, religious leadership etc,
School children obey, don’t question knowledge & authority of teachers.
Employees seek decisions from bosses
How may power distance have an impact on personal relationships?
At school?
At work?

14. Cultural Values and Norms
Uncertainty Avoidance
Degree to which members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous situations & how much they try to avoid them
Low uncertainty avoidance
Prove to be unthreatened by change.
High uncertainty avoidance
Found new/ambiguous situations discomforting
How would communication be effected in culture with high uncertainty avoidance?
Would a person who deviates from social norms be more accepted in a high or low uncertainty avoidance culture?

15. Cultural Values and Norms
Achievement vs. Nurturing
Achievement Culture
Societies place high value on material success & focus on the task at hand.
Prescribe different roles for males & females.
Women who exhibit certain behaviors (assertiveness, independence, etc.) may be viewed unfavorably for “Acting like a man”

16. Cultural Values and Norms
Achievement vs. Nurturing
Nurturing Culture –
Societies that regard relationship support as especially important.
Little difference between expected male and female behavior.

17. Cultural Values and Norms
Discussion Item?
Achievement vs. Nurturing
How do gender roles vary based on these cultural norms?
What are some of the gender roles in our society?
Which is commonly associated with
A “masculine” culture?
A “feminine” culture?

18. Ethnicity and Race Race Ethnicity
Refers to a person's physical characteristics, such as bone structure and skin, hair, or eye color.
Ethnicity
Refers to cultural factors, including nationality, regional culture, ancestry, and language.
Race vs Ethnicity below
What does a Brazilian look like?

19. Ethnicity and Race Things to make you say Hmmm!!!
Race has little use in explaining individual differences.
Outside of America
What would Americans of different races be called?
Brazilians 

20. Gender identity/Sexual orientation
LGBTQ
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer
Being open can give a sense of being authentic
Belonging to a supportive co-culture
Disclosure can be risky
Society has become more receptive to LGBTQ individuals

21. Codes and Culture Verbal Codes Language & identity
Some cultures have dominant languages & non-dominant languages
Those who speak a foreign language
May feel their cultural identity will be jeopardized if they assimilate to the dominant language.
Do you believe there can be dominant and minority versions with in the same language (for example the English language)? If so, what examples can you provide?

22. Codes and Culture Verbal Codes Verbal communication style
One culture may respond to a statement that is made to test their knowledge.
Another culture may not respond until questioned directly
Verbal styles:
Direct and indirect styles
Elaborate and succinct styles
Formal and informal styles

23. Codes and Culture Nonverbal Codes
Many elements of nonverbal communication are shared by all humans.
Facial Expressions
Gestures
Body language
Crying
Many have the same meanings everywhere
However there are some gestures that may mean different things in different cultures.

24. Codes and Culture Nonverbal Codes Personal Space
What cultures have larger “personal space” zones?
How may differences in perceptions of personal space create difficult communication situations?

25. Codes and Culture Decoding Messages Translation Attribution Variations
Differences in verbal & non-verbal communication lead to challenges
When communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds.
Translation
Words have different meanings in different languages
Kissa, Barn – In Swedish
Gift – In Danish
Attribution Variations
When actions/behaviors have many meanings
We assign a meaning to make sense of it.
What is this man doing? 

26. Codes and Culture Decoding Messages Patterns of Thought Individualists
The way cultured are taught to think shapes how they interpret others’ messages.
Individualists
Rational & logical thinking to analyze a situation
Good-bad, right-wrong, happy-sad.
Collectivists
Want to be more intuitive and get a “feel” for the big picture.

27. Intercultural Communication Competence
Factors to help effective intercultural communication
Motivation & attitude
Desire to communicate successfully with strangers is important start
Tolerance for ambiguity
Tolerating the uncertainty of some messages
Help in communicating with others from different cultures
Video Clip

28. Intercultural Communication Competence
Open-mindedness
There are three traits that do not blend with open mindedness
Ethnocentrism –
Attitude that ones own culture is superior to others
Prejudice –
Biased & intolerant attitude toward those who belong to an out-group
Stereotyping – Exaggerated generalizations about a group
Knowledge and skill
Success in intercultural encounters, requires enough knowledge of other cultures to know the best approaches