Cultural Awareness for TRAVELLERS

Cultural Awarenessfor TRAVELLERS

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Week 7. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

1.NAVAJO INDIANS VIEW DIRECT EYE CONTACT AS A SIGN OF…………l A. Aggressivenessl B. Courtesyl C. Deep friendshipl D. None of the above

2.In Asian cultures bowing indicates which cultural values?

l A. formalityl B. respect for othersl C. status and rankl D. all of the above

3. Studies indicate that being overweight in the U.S.

l A. reduces a person’s incomeB. lowers the chances of a

l person getting marriedl C. limits the amount of l education a person l receivesl D. all of the abovel (See Aust. survey)

5. In countries, such as Germany and Sweden, slouching is a sign of…..

l A. casual friendshipl B. poor manners and rudenessl C. respect for authorityl D. humility and low rank

6.Which of these are seen by Asians as a lack of self-control or manners?l A. raising one’s voice in angerl B. using animated gestures l to tell a storyl C. patting someone on the l back for a job well-donel D. all of the above

7. In general men use which of these to dominate women?

l A. claiming more personal l space than womenl B. more actively defending l their personal space l C. more frequently walking l in front of their female l companionsl D. all of the above

8. For many First Nations Peoples silence indicates…..

l A. disagreement and rejectionl B. agreement and alliance l C. disinterest and boredoml D. patience and dignity

Wk.6.Topics & Activities:

l 1. Warnings re over-interpreting! p335l 2. Physical appearance and its l consequences. p302l 3. Cultural differences in gesture p310 l 4. Gender differences in body language.l 5. Time, space and silence in different cultures.l 6. Eye contact role-play.l 7. Kebedetch- an Ethiopian Case Study.l 8. Critical incidents (Brislin)- an evaluation of their design and

usefulness.l 9. Critical incident- The Final Advance (Brislin)l 10. Discussion- Interactions between disabled and able-bodied

people- “Dear Abby”.

Branches of N.V.C. Research

l Proxemics= social distance & spacel Chronemics= use of timel Kinesics= body movements & gesturesl Haptics= touchl Vocalics= paralanguage (tone of voice)l Oculesics= messages sent by eyesl Olfactics= communication via smell

Proxemics Social Distance

l 1.INTIMATE: up to 18 inches Collectivistsl Arabs, Latins (10-12”) Africansl 2.PERSONAL: 18”-4 feet Individualists l West & Asia (Respect)l 3. SOCIAL: 4 feet-12 feet Dominant

culture conducting businessl 4. PUBLIC: Lectures, speeches farthest

(Hall ’90)

MONOCHRONIC ORIENTATION (Hall ’83)

l Different perceptions and use of TIME:l 1. MONOCHRONIC: Time is scarce and

must be rationed and controlled by schedules and appointments.

l 2. Only one thing at a time.l 3. Value punctuality and time

management.l Germany, Austria, Switzerland,USA, Aust.l (Individualist)

POLYCHRONIC ORIENTATION:

l People and relationships more important.l 1. Flexible use of time.l 2. Different things at one time.l 3. Interruptions are enjoyed.l 4. Spontaneous and unstructured.l “Coconut time.” It will fall when ripe.l Asia, Pacific, Latin America, Africa,Arabs

(Collectivist)

Gestures- Be careful ! p310

l Thumbs up = Aust? Eur? N.Greece? W.Africa? Turkey? Large gestures? Italy? Asia?

N Europe? Canada?l O.K. (Aust) =Arabs? Japan? Latin Amer?l Come here(Aust) = Latin Amer.?Vietnam?l Pointing (Aust) = Arabs? China?l Head nodding (Aust) = India? Mid. E.?l Pacific? V Forks? Crossed fingers? l Hand on Heart? Iraq? Bird? Japan thumb

protruding from middle & index? I.B.film

Eye Contact Role Play-Groups of 4.

l A. You are an African-American manager in a large multi-national company.

l You are leading other managers to decide on activities for an employee appreciation day. Your job is to engage the others in discussion. You use direct eye contact when talking but much less when listening.

l Don’t reveal what culture you are from.

B. You are a manager from Japan.

l You are at the same level as the other managers. You use a lot of indirect eye contact when speaking and listening. Do not reveal the culture you’re from.

C. You are a caucasian US/Australian manager.

l You engage in a lot of l direct eye contact when l listening but a moderate l amount when speaking. l Don’t reveal the culture you are from.

D. From Saudi Arabia (same level)

l You engage in a lot of direct eye contact and your gaze is long intense and unbroken. Do not reveal the culture you are from.

Discussion questions:l 1. Was it difficult to role-play the non-verbals of a culture other than

your own?l 2. What differences did you notice among group members?l 3.With whose behaviour were you uncomfortable/comfortable?

Why?l 4. Could you guess the culture of each member?l 5. Did your perceptions match their intentions?l What discrepancies were there?l 6. What problems occurred as a result of different types of eye

contact?l 7. When do you become uncomfortable with another’s non-verbal

behaviour?l 8. How can we become more comfortable with these behaviours?

KEBEDITCH- Ethiopian Case Study! (Lord, 1965)

l Mrs. Larson teaches English in an Ethiopian school. She complains to a white colleague that she has struggled for 3 years to get the girls to behave “like normal human beings, to have some pride, hold up their heads, look her in the eye and answer questions in a voice she can hear.” She is ready to go home and feels a failure.

Kebeditch walks stiffly home. Her father asks her what she learned

at school today.l She throws back her head, looks him in

the eye and tells him in a loud voice.l Her mother and father complain to one

another later.l “What has happened to our daughter?

What happened to her shyness, pride, shame, dignity and modesty as a woman?” She must not return to school.

Discussion questions:

l 1. Did anyone act l inappropriately here?l 2. How does Kebeditch feel?l 3. Is Mrs. Larson teaching l something valuable? What did she forget?l 4. Could she have prevented K’ s withdrawal

from classes?l 5. Should Mrs. L. be in Ethiopia?l 6.What changes should Mrs. L. make if she

stays?

CRITICAL INCIDENTS:

Designl Culture General Assimilator l (Brislin: 1986)l 100 critical incidents in l cross-cultural settingsl THEMES: anxiety; disconfirmed expectancies;

belonging; ambiguity; confronting one’s own prejudices; work; time and space; roles; rituals and superstitions; heirarchies; in-group/out-group distinctions & learning styles

Critical Incidents Cont:

l SOCIAL CONTEXTS: Host customs; interactions with host; settling in; tourist experiences; the workforce; the family; schooling and returning home.

l METHODOLOGY: Themes and contexts literature-based actual cross-cultural interactions. Host country and sojourner sample validated or rejected explanations.

Benefits and Limitations:

l 1. Actively engages the learnerl 2. Gives the learner immediate feedbackl 3. Allows individuals to progress own ratel 4. Can be used repeatedlyl 5. Can be used individually or in groupsl 6. Can be used with role-play, discussion

etc 7. BUT depends on literacy in English.

Critical Incident: “The Final Advance” (Brislin:1986)

l Jane was asked to represent her l company at a conference l in Mexico City. She was flattered l and excited. l She attended the pre-conference cocktail party

and met a young local executive, Consuela, who began moving closer and closer to Jane. Jane backed into a wall but Consuela kept her close distance. Jane was very uncomfortable so she excused herself, returned to her hotel and refused to attend future social functions.

How could you best explain the incident?

l 1. Consuela was making sexual advances.l Jane was not interested.l 2. It is very unusual in Latin America for a

woman to represent her firm. Consuela resented seeing another woman present and wanted her to leave.

l 3. The comfortable social distance between two Latin Americans is much closer than for North Americans (or Australians)

l 4.Jane was probably responding to the garlic on Consuela’s breath.

Explanations?l 1. With any new experience we l often impose familiar attributionsl But no sexual advance is intended.l 2. “The Queen Bee” hypothesis describes

women as competing with one another but they are from different companies.

l 3. Latins stand about 10-12 inches apart making Americans, who prefer about 18”, very uncomfortable. This is the best explanation.

l 4. Unpleasant but not enough to drive her away.

Interactions between Disabled and Able-Bodied; “Dear Abby”.

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l

l Dear Abby,l You have championed many causes for

the physically-challenged and I thank you. Will you please do us one more favour? Please advise waitresses, flight attendants and all who serve the public, the following:

Because a person happens to be in a wheelchair with leg braces

or partially paralyzed l due to polio, cerebal palsy or a stroke PLEASE

do NOT assume that he or she can neither think nor speak. I was badly clobbered by polio many years ago but have been greatly rehabilitated due to therapy, my own determination and a lot of hard work. However I am in a wheelchair and somewhat physically impaired. When I am in a restaurant, or on a plane and food orders are being taken, please speak directly to ME. Do NOT turn to my companion and ask: “And what will SHE have?’

Discussion questions:

l 1.Why do people communicate this way with the disabled? What keeps them from communicating normally?

l 2. What messages are they sending to the disabled person?

l 3. Have you ever felt uncomfortable talking to someone in a wheelchair or otherwise physically challenged? Why do you think you felt this way?

l 4. How can we improve communication between the able-bodied and the disabled?

OBSERVATION ACTIVITIES

l At the airport- How did different cultural groups use space? did they touch a lot? How did they greet? What facial differences and gestures did they use? (8th ed. p289)

l Ask this question of others from difft cultures?l How late can you be for class, work,a job

interview, a dinner party, a date with a friend?l At a foreign movie: Look for examples of use of

space, touch, gestures and facial expressions.NEXT WEEK: CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON THE BUSINESS CONTEXT.