Chapter 6

Adapting to Others:
Bridging Culture and Gender
Differences
Communication Principles

Appropriately Be aware of
adapt your your
message to communication
others

Listen and Effectively use

respond and
thoughtfully to interpret verbal
others messages
Effectively use
and
interpret
nonverbal
messages
Chapter 6: Adapting to Others

Adapting to Others
 Culture and Communication

 Gender and Communication

 Barriers to Bridging Differences and

Adapting to Others

 Adapting to Others Who Are Different

From You
Religion: Evolution of Man
Chapter 6: Adapting to Others

Culture and Communication

 Culture is a learned system of knowledge,
behavior, attitudes, beliefs, values, and norms
that is shared by a group of people.

 Cultures are not static.

 A Co-culture is a cultural group within a

larger culture.
– Amish
– gender
Chapter 6: Adapting to Others

Culture and Communication

 Intercultural communication occurs when
individuals or groups from different cultures
communicate.

 Culture shock

 Our culture and life experiences determine our world

view—the general perspective that determines how
we perceive what happens to us.
Chapter 6: Adapting to Others

Cultural Contexts
 People from different cultures respond to their
surroundings or cultural context cues in
different ways.

 High-Context Cultures
– nonverbal cues are extremely important
– communicators rely on the context

 Low-Context Cultures rely more

explicitly on language
Chapter 6: Adapting to Others

Cultural Values

 Masculine and
Feminine
Perspectives

 Avoidance or
Tolerance of
Uncertainty

 Distribution of Power

 Individualism or
Collectivism
Cultural Values:
Masculine/Feminine
 Masculine
– emphasize getting things done and being
assertive
– tend to value traditional roles for men and
women
– not a reflection of biological sex

 Feminine
– emphasize building relationships and seeking
peace and harmony with others
Chapter 6: Adapting to Others
Cultural Values:
Uncertainty and Certainty

 Avoidance of Uncertainty

 Tolerance for Ambiguity

 Cultural Values:
Approaches to Power
 Decentralized Approach
– leadership is not vested in one person,
power is decentralized

– decisions are likely to be made by consensus

 Centralized Approach
– militaristic approach to power
– prefer strongly organized, centrally
controlled form of government
 Cultural Values:
Chapter 6: Adapting to Others

Individualism and Collectivism

 Collectivistic Cultures
– champion what people do together and
reward group achievement
– strive to accomplish goals for the benefit of
the group

 Individualistic Cultures
– individual recognition
– self-realization
– tend to be loosely knit socially
Chapter 6: Adapting to Others

Gender and Communication

 Sex-Based Expectations

– start at birth

– gender roles are transmitted via

communication

 Why and How Women and Men Communicate

– instrumental and expressive orientations

– content and relational dimensions of messages
Chapter 6: Adapting to Others

Barriers to Bridging Differences

 Assuming Superiority
– ethnocentrism
 Assuming Similarity

 Stereotyping and Prejudice

– stereotyping
– prejudice

 Different Communication Codes

Chapter 6: Adapting to Others

Adapting to Others

 Seek Information
 Listen and Ask Questions
 Tolerate Ambiguity
 Develop Mindfulness
– engage in self-talk

 Become Other-Oriented
– other-oriented
communication
– social decentering
– empathy and sympathy

 Adapt To Others