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Topics 5: Understanding_Communication_Style

Communication & Culture Basics

  • Communication = process of transferring meaning from sender to receiver
  • Communication style = culturally-shaped way people exchange information
  • Culture supplies norms, values, social structures that frame style

Visible vs. Hidden Layers

  • Visible: verbal words, non-verbal behaviour (gestures, posture, eye contact)
  • Hidden: beliefs, attitudes, values ➔ far greater impact on meaning

Verbal & Non-Verbal Cues

  • Verbal: tone, word choice, directness, pitch, volume, intonation
  • Non-verbal: body language, gestures, posture, facial expression, eye contact

Context: The Surroundings of a Message

  • Context = physical, social, political, historical, virtual setting + surrounding information (tone, pauses, silence)
  • Cultures differ in reliance on context when attaching meaning

Three Key Dimensions of Style

  • 1 High- vs. Low-Context
    • High-context: implicit, relationship-focused, relies on shared background (e.g., Japan)
    • Low-context: explicit, task-focused, meanings spelled out (e.g., USA)
  • 2 Direct vs. Indirect
    • Direct: speaker states wants/needs openly; aligned with low-context cultures
    • Indirect: preserve harmony, avoid blunt "no"; aligned with high-context cultures
  • 3 Elaborated vs. Understated
    • Elaborated: rich, expressive language, metaphors (e.g., Arabic)
    • Understated: brevity, silence valued ("if you can’t say anything good…")

Cultural Snapshots

  • Toyota (Japan): high-context, values silence, long-term ties
  • Google (USA): low-context, open expression, direct feedback
  • Tata (India): high-context, hierarchical respect
  • McKinsey (global): adaptive to host culture
  • BRICS overview: Brazil, Russia, India, China ≈ high-context; South Africa = mixed

Common Business Challenges

  • Work-value clashes, language issues, etiquette, virtual work, negotiation styles, diversity management

Barriers to Cross-Cultural Communication

  • Ethnocentrism: belief in own culture’s superiority
  • Stereotyping: over-generalised beliefs used to simplify information
  • Prejudice: negative attitude toward group with little/no experience
  • Discrimination: behaviour excluding or harming based on stereotypes/prejudice

Building Intercultural Skill

  • Reflect on your own identity groups and communication habits
  • Expand diverse relationships; consume multicultural media
  • Use tentative language; avoid sweeping generalisations

Interpersonal Communication Process

  • Goal: arrive at shared meaning among 2 or more people
  • Encoding: turning meaning ➔ verbal/non-verbal message
  • Decoding: interpreting received signals
  • Four noise types hinder meaning:
    • Physical (external sounds)
    • Physiological (internal bodily issues)
    • Semantic (different meanings assigned to same words)
    • Psychological (moods, attitudes, stereotypes)