1. Language and Politeness in Intercultural Interaction
1 December, 2018
Language and Politeness in Intercultural Interaction
7 March 2018 by
Sigrid Brevik Wangsness

2. The Importance of Language in Cross-Cultural Communication
What is intercultural communicative competence?
What is “politeness” in a cross-cultural context?
How can we avoid conflict or misunderstandings through strategies for managing rapport (politeness strategies)?
1 December, 2018

3. Communication and Culture
What do the taxonomies and studies we have looked at so far say about communication?
Language and Culture
Why is it a good idea to know something about the language of your business partners, even speak a few words?
“A language reflects deeply held cultural beliefs and reflects different realities and ways of thinking.” Can you think of some examples?
1 December, 2018

4. Contrasts between English and Sino-Tibetan languages
What are some of the main differences listed between English and Sino-Tibetan languages? 1. 2. 3
1 December, 2018

5. Oral and Written Language
Cultures with a stronger oral focus might ignore parts of written messages, or pay less attention to it, and vice versa
Anglo-Saxon cultures (deal focused) often prefer writing rather than speech and value contracts
vs.
more relationship-focused cultures that might prefer phone calls and face-to-face meetings
1 December, 2018

6. Oral and Written Language
The same cultural differences of e.g. high/low context and direct/indirect communication should be respected in writing as much as in speech
The way written communication is organized and a message formulated should take cultural preferences into account
1 December, 2018

7. English as an International Language
The most widely spoken Lingua Franca in the world today, and business language number one
There are many versions of English
There is an incredible amount of words and thus nuances
The way people use English is often influenced by how they would use their own language
1 December, 2018

8. How to Improve Understanding in C-C C?
Oral guidelines and strategies
Written guidelines and strategies
1 December, 2018

9. Rapport Management Competencies
What does «rapport» mean?
Explain what is meant by «rapport management»
Outline the authentic example of a problematic business meeting between a British and a Chinese team
1 December, 2018

10. Rapport Management Competencies 1. Contextual Awareness
Participant relations (e.g. power, social distance)
Role rights and obligations
Type of the communicative activity
1 December, 2018

11. 2. Interpersonal Attentiveness Bases of Rapport
Face
Face sensitivity: Does the other person threaten your face or you theirs?
Give face/lose face
Positive face:
Negative face:
Face-threatening Acts (FTAs)
1 December, 2018

12. 2. Interpersonal Attentiveness
Behavioural expectations
How do we expect other people to behave?
Interactional goals
What do we want with this interaction?
(To build a relationship? Sell a product? Do you
think the other party wants the same thing?)
1 December, 2018

13. 3. Social Information Gathering 4. Social Attuning
Prepare and observe
4. Social Attuning
Use active listening techniques
Adjust your communication to that of the other party (based on the signals you pick up)
1 December, 2018

14.   5. Emotion Regulation
Resilience:
Acceptance:
1 December, 2018

15. 6. Strategies for Managing Rapport and Conflict
Rapport enhancement, rapport maintenance, rapport neglect or rapport challenge orientations
Strategies for managing conflict: How do different cultures prefer to deal with conflicts?
1 December, 2018

16. 6. Strategies for Managing Rapport and Conflict
5 conflict management orientations:
neglect, appeasement, domination, compromise
and integration
5 preferred styles of conflict resolution:
denial or suppression, third-person intermediary,
group consensus, direct discussion, power or
authority
1 December, 2018