Business Communications (Lecture 5 )

Business CommunicationMGT 5200

Verbal CommunicationCommunicating in a Diverse WorldIntercultural Communication Skills

Verbal CommunicationsPitchThis is about how high or low your voice is.Some people have very high pitched or shrill voicesSome people have very deep voicesThink of the pitch of musical instruments as an example of soundWe should moderate our voices so that the pitch is medium

Verbal CommunicationsToneWhen we talk we should change our tone to match our feelings and the topic.We should never speak in just one tone (monotone) because it is boring and hard for the listener to concentrateTones include: happy, sad, angry, frustrated, excited, bored, serious

Verbal CommunicationsVolumeWe should speak loud enough to be heard but not so we are shouting. If we speak too quietly then we may not be heard or understood.We should adjust our volume to suit the audience, topic and environmentSome people are naturally loud or quiet and need think about that in the business environment

Verbal CommunicationsWord ChoiceWhen we speak we should choose the words we use carefullyThink about formal, informal, slang and colloquial language.Consider the audience and how they would expect you to speak. What is appropriate?Also consider whether your words are too juvenile or too complex for the audience

What counts most?In terms of importance and effectiveness, what counts most: body language; words or tone?Together they make up 100%, but what is the breakdown?Words_____%Tone_____%Body language_____%Write the % you think next to each depending on its importance in communicating messages to others

What counts most?Body Language 55%Tone 38%Words 7%Vocabulary (words)Visual (body language)Voice (tone)How people look and act is far more memorable than what they say and how they say it

What matters most?Example to demonstrate the point

Diversity Questions:What is diversity in the human context?How is your diversity different to mine?

Communicating in a Diverse WorldWhat is diversity?all the characteristics and experiences that define each of us as individualsThese things have a big impact on how we communicate in businessIntercultural communication is the process of sending and receiving messages between people of different cultures.

Communicating in a Diverse WorldDiversity includes: - Language - nationality - race - gender - ability / disability - age- religion- socializationWhat do you need to think about when communicating with someone who is culturally diverse to yourself?

Communicating in a Diverse WorldAs companies become more global, intercultural communication is essential for successTo work across borders we must communicate across bordersWe need to recognize and understand cultural differencesPeople of different cultures receive messages differently

Your ExperiencesThink of friends or co-workers you have known from different countriesAre there any differences you noticed about the ways they communicate?

Culture QuestionsWhat is culture?What cultures are you a member of?

CultureCulture is a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations and behavioural norms.Culture affects how we see the world and how we do businessWe all belong to more than one culture: our national culture, perhaps a religious group, an ethnic group and a professional groupSome countries are largely mono-cultural (Japan) and some are multi cultural (USA)

Culture - ExamplesAustralian Aborigines attachment to land, spirit beliefs, hunter gathers, eldersJapanese and business cardsWearing footwear in peoples housesFilipino family bonds and moneyIndividual v Collective culturesTreatment / value of the elderlyWhat about Kazakh culture?

Culture key wordsEthnocentrismPrejudiceStereotypingXenophobiaCultural pluralism

Culture key wordsEthnocentrism the belief that your culture is superior to other culturesPrejudice - an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics Stereotyping generalizations about groups of people that may or may not be true and that overlook real, deeper differencesXenophobia fear or hatred of foreignersCultural pluralism the peaceful co-existence of cultures in a society

Cultural StereotypesIn an ideal world ... the policemen would be English the car mechanics would be German the cooks would be French the innkeepers would be Swiss, and the lovers would be Italian

Cultural StereotypesIn a living hell ... the policemen would be German the car mechanics would be French the cooks would be English the innkeepers would be Italian and the lovers would be Swiss

Business culture Question 1You (an American) tired of the discussion and want to move on to a new topic. You ask your Australian business associate Can we table this for a while? To your dismay the Australian ignores the request and keeps right on discussing the topic.Why?

Business culture Question 2You travel overseas to see your German Director. You arrive 5 minutes late and his door is shut so you knock and walk right in. The chair is a long way from the desk so you pick it up and move it next to his desk. You stick out your hand and say Hi there Wolfgang, its nice to meet you. Why is his reaction to you so cold?What 4 things have you done wrong?

Business culture Question 3Your meeting went better than you had expected. In fact the Japanese representative for your new advertising agency was very agreeable; she said yes to just about everything. When you share your enthusiasm with your boss he does not appear excited.Why?

High and Low Context Work CulturesLow Context CulturesExecutive offices are separate with controlled accessWorkers rely on detailed background informationInformation is highly centralized and controlledObjective data are valued over subjective relationshipsBusiness and social relationships are separateCompetence is respected more than position or statusMeetings have fixed agendas and plenty of advance noticeHigh Context CulturesExecutive offices are shared and open to allWorkers do not expect or want detailed informationInformation is shared with everyoneSubjective relationships are valued over objective data Business and social relationships overlapPosition and status are valued much more than competenceMeetings are often called on short notice and key people always accept

Low and High Context CulturesLow context culturesHigh context culturesGermanSwiss / GermanScandinavianAmericanFrenchBritishAustralianItalianSpanishGreekArabChineseJapaneseWhere would you put Kazakhstan on this diagram?

Cross-cultural Business CommunicationsIn small groups of about 4 you will look at some multiple choice questions on cross cultural business communications.

Work as a team and see if you can work out the right answer for each question. We will review together.

NOTE: This activity is on the L Drive. An article on cultural differences is also on the L Drive