Communicating Across

Cultures
Ayaz A Shafi
Unitedworld School of Business
Culture – A Basic Definition

A Set of Common Beliefs, Attitudes and accepted code of

conduct
Hofstede’s Model of Culture

 Power Distance
 Individualism v/s Collectivism
 Masculinity v/s Femineity
 Uncertainty Avoidance
A fifth dimension was added by Prof. Michael Harris
 Long Term v/s Short Term
 A sixth dimension has also been included –
 Indulgence v/s Restraint
Hofstede’s Model of Culture
Cultural Aspects

 Relationship among individuals

 Influence of Society
 Social Conditioning
Cultures to Consider

 National Culture
 Industry Culture
 Organizational Culture
 Department/Business Unit Culture
Communicating Across Different Cultures -
Challenges
 Stereotyping – categorizing people and their behavior basis certain
beliefs or experiences
 Ethnocentrism – Inability to accept another cultures world view
 Self Reference Criteria – unconscious reference to one’s own
cultural values, knowledge and experiences to arrive at a decision
Communicating Across Cultures

 Learn Key words & phrases

 Pace your speech to fit the cultural background
 Sensitivity towards casual/informal/formal words
 Validate your understanding
 Check for understanding
Culture & Writing Skills

 Awareness with regard to pace of response

 Avoid using ambiguous words or abbreviations
 Arrange your message sequentially
 Understand the importance of Data
 Be aware of names – Surnames v/s First Names
Cultures & Non-Verbal Communication

 Eye Contact
 Expressions
 Gestures
 Time
 Dress
 Space
Ref: Hory Sankar Mukherjee
Communication Model
The Communication Model

 Sender
 Message
 Channel
 Encoding
 Receiver
 Decoding
 Feedback
The Communication Model

Sender Message Channel Encoding

Feedback Decoding Receiver

Body Language

 Kinesics – The study of facial expressions, eye contact, body postures and appearance
 Proxemics – The study of proximity or space that may impact communication
Kinesics

 Facial Expressions – A display of emotion, comfort or discomfort that may help interpret
the accompanying words
 Eye Contact – a deliberate attempt at maintaining or avoiding eye contact may have a
direct bearing on the communication process
 Postures – gestures and body movements may explain or dilute the impact of
communication process
 Appearance – The attire as well as personal grooming may have a major impact on the
communication process
Proxemics

 The physical distance that is maintained or desired by individuals may impact the
communication process
 Personal zone – anything that is closer than two feet is usually treatd as personal/intimate
zone – in the business context this is usually avoided
 Neutral/Social zone –between 4 to 6 feet is treated as social or neutral zone – most
interactions in social and business environment take place in this zone
 Public zone – usually beyond six feet.
 However, in certain situations these may be stretched.