Communication Skills

ELE205

Chapter Two

Communication Diversity
Eng.Mohmmed Alsumady

Outline
1. Diversity (( definition.
2. Acknowledge intercultural interdependence.
3. Principles of intercultural Communication
4. Intercultural Communication styles
5. Barriers to intercultural Communication
6. Tools of diversity

Diversity definition
Diversity is defined as the condition of being different.
In other words, it means dissimilarity and variance
between things. The differences could be in size, weight,
age, and so on.
In communication, diversity could be in: cultural
values, religion,
habits, gender, origin, accents,
stereotypes and so on.

Acknowledge Intercultural Interdependence

Sources of diversity:
a) Movement toward a global economy

When OPEC raised the

Price of oil in the 1970, people

In the whole world had to stand in
waiting Lines at gas stations

Acknowledge Intercultural Interdependence

Sources of diversity:
a) Movement toward a global economy

Many of our jobs are directly

or indirectly is dependent on
foreign trade.

We are not just interacting with people

different from us, we rely on them in health, education and food

Acknowledge Intercultural Interdependence

Sources of diversity:
b) Increase in ethnic/ language minorities
The 2000 U.S genus's Data
characterized 12.5% of U.S
Population is Latino, 12.3% are
African, 10% others (Indian, Asian,)
in addition to Bi-racial.
In short: 1 from 3 American can be
classified as ethnic minority

Acknowledge Intercultural Interdependence

Sources of diversity:
b) Increase in ethnic/ language minorities
Actually they are not numbers They are
people we know, care about, and depend
upon.
They enrich our lives, because of their
differences and they help us to Imagine
new ways of thinking and behaving

Acknowledge Intercultural Interdependence

Sources of diversity:
c) Variation in communication styles
Differences in communication styles
can make the sender of the message
appear to be pushy, rude, aggressive,
passive, etc. Factors involved in this
are volume and rapidity of speech,
tone of voice, and emphasis on key
words

Acknowledge Intercultural Interdependence

Sources of diversity:
c) Variation in communication styles
For example much has been
written about differences in
gender.
Best seller book in 1993 is
Men are from Mars and women
are from Venus

Cross-Cultural Communication
Is a field of study that looks at how people from different
cultural backgrounds communicate, in similar and different
ways among themselves, and how they try to communicate
across cultures.

Understanding these different perspectives about how

communication works is a necessary first step in communicating
cross-culturally.

Picture Intercultural Communication

Not all cultures view communications at the same way. For example the
American way is different than Asian one .
Enryo-Sasshi Communication: is certain to the image of Japan as a passive
society, where people wok to avoid conflict.
1- Senders potential experiences.
2- Senders chosen ideas (enryo filtering)
3- Senders encoding (filtering)
4- Narrow, limited sending (filtering)
5- Channel
6- Wide, open receiving
7- Receiver's decoding
8 Receiver's expanded ideas (sasshi)
9- Receivers experience
This model works efficient because
Japanese are homogeneous people

Sender, Enryo
1234

Enryo:reservation,
restraint, coyness,
(( regard,
hesitation, diffidence

Receiver, Sasshi
6789

Feedback
(traditions, cultures)

Sasshi: conjecture(),
judgment, guess,
understanding,
consideration,
sympathy

Principles of Intercultural Communication

1. The greater the cultural/linguistic difference, the
greater the likelihood of communication breakdown.

For example communicating with customer from France is

more difficult than communication with Syrian customer
(for Jordanian).

Differences in world-views, values, and communication

styles leads to misunderstandings.

Principles of Intercultural Communication

2. Communication breakdowns are most often
attributed to cultural differences

Also such breakdowns could be the result of

misunderstanding based on personal differences or
any of the breakdowns described in chapter 1 (gaps,
gossips,)

Principles of Intercultural Communication

3. Cross-cultural communication makes us more
conscious ()of our own communication.

Choose our words carefully

Clarify our questions
Refrain from discussing some topics.
Fear from misinterpretation of nonverbal.

This increased awareness can make us uncomfortable

when communicating with people from other culture.

Principles of Intercultural Communication

4.Cultures vary with their dos and taboos
(What is good to do or bad to do)
The effective cross-cultural
communicators learn what they
are and respect them.
Example: giving small gift to
Japanese visitor.
Any other examples??

Principles of Intercultural Communication

5. Learning about cultural norms and variation in
communication styles of a particular cultural group helps
ensure understanding.
Cultural norms are behavior patterns that are typical of specific
groups. Such behaviors are learned from parents, teachers, and
many others whose values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors
take place in the context of their own organizational culture.
It is helpful to understand the world-view and the value
systems different groups of people hold.

Principles of Intercultural Communication

6. Barriers are more easily overcome if people
see each other as friendly, cooperative and
trustworthy.

Outline
1. Diversity definition.
2. Acknowledge intercultural interdependence.
3. Principles of intercultural Communication
4. Intercultural Communication styles
5. Barriers to intercultural Communication

6. Tools of diversity

Intercultural Communication Styles

1. Variation in spoken communication:
begin with the value cultures place in language itself.
Americans generally value the power of the spoken
word. So they often feel uncomfortable in silence. In
contrast other cultures believe language can never reveal
the truth. they feel comfortable with silence.

2. Variation in nonverbal communication:

Nonverbal communication is the sum total of our body's
communication. It is how our body communicates or
sends a message.

Intercultural Communication Styles

1. Variation in spoken language:
values placed in language:
American generally value the power of the spoken word,
other cultures are skeptical of language.

Purpose of language
- American are concerned with language that accomplish
tasks to get the point quickly.

Intercultural Communication Styles

1. Variation in spoken language:
Purpose of language:
-

Pay attention to the language variation help us to learn

how people regards relations.

For example in English we use the word you for

friend, boss, or president of USA while in Spanish they
use Su for Boss and use tu for informal relations.

Intercultural Communication Styles

1. Variation in spoken language:
Structure of language: Subject- Verb Object format
used for communicating in English. In Spanish order
of words doesnt matter.
-

Classes of words (parts of speech), meanings of words is

called semantics (( .

how words are organized in relation to each other is called

syntax () .

Intercultural Communication Styles

1. Variation in spoken language:
Structure of language:
-

Morphology is how words are formed

The study of sounds of words is phonology .

There are overall 800 sounds in human languages, in

English there are about 45 sounds and in Hawaiian
there are 18 sounds.

Intercultural Communication Styles

1. Variation in spoken language:
Structure of language:
-

In English : she hit the ball

In Spanish: she the ball hit, the order of words dose

not matter

Intercultural Communication Styles

1. Variation in spoken language:
Most languages are tonal:
-

In English : we dont know how to pronounce word

start with ng or ts but can read them at the end of
word for example: cats, meaning.

In Spanish; words dont begin with sp but begin with

es. Spanish speaker will read speech as espeech

Intercultural Communication Styles

1. Variation in spoken language:
Differences in word meanings:
Denotative differences: in English chair means the object you
sit in or the head of committee but in Arabic different words
would be used for each version of chair that you mean.
Connotative differences: emotional meaning that come with
words, in English we describe a woman supervisor as
aggressive but a man supervisor as assertive. Also we
usually have negative feeling about propaganda but
Spanish has no such feeling.

Intercultural Communication Styles

1. Variation in spoken language:
Word meanings:

Figurative language:
for example:

White hands?! Clean hands or cocasion person?

Fish sleeping?! Does it mean lazy or boring? (wishy-washy

person).

You are just like palm tree?! Tall person?

Intercultural Communication Styles

1. Variation in spoken language:
Knowing how language is used is called (pragmatics):

Where and with whom we are communicating

Person talks while you are talking, example Hawaiian

Respond to a question by telling a story that irrelevant to the topic,

example Native American.

The appropriateness of topics changes from culture to culture,

asking about your age or money you make.

Intercultural Communication Styles

1. Variation in spoken language:
As a result;
-

We tend to make modification to our communication

depending on where and with whom we are
communicating. In class or in coffee shop.
We change depending on informal or formal relationships.
How we think people will respond to our use of slang or
regional variation in dialect.
Talking louder and slower when talking with children or
non-English speakers.

Intercultural Communication Styles

2. Variations in nonverbal communication: is the hidden
dimension of our communication

Use of time:(chronemics) how we regard time

Use of personal space: proxemics
Use of eye contact: oculesics
Use of gestures (kinesics), touch (haptics) and voice

(vocalics)

Intercultural Communication Styles

2. Variation in nonverbal communication:
Use of time: chronemics
-

time is important for Americans losing time, killing

time, saving time, time is money,..etc

In contrast to time orientation is relationship orientation

where the quality of the interaction indicates how much
time will be spent.

Intercultural Communication Styles

2. Variation in nonverbal communication:
Use of personal space:(proxemics):
-

Refers to differences in the distance we stands when

talking with one another .

People in middle east have shorter distance and people

from England have large distance compared to USA .

Intercultural Communication Styles

2. Variation in nonverbal communication:
Use of eye contact: oculesics
-

Americans: like soft eye contact where people look at them,

from time to time, look away. Intense stars makes most
Americans feel very nervous.

Other cultures is very little eye contact

For middle Easters the eye is the window of the soul, they can
read eyes (read our true messages).

Intercultural Communication Styles

2. Variation in nonverbal communication:
Use of gestures (kinesics), touch (haptics) and voice
(vocalics)
-

Hand gestures are by

no mean universal
-

hug and a kiss is a typical

greeting even among strangers

in Latin America.

Intercultural Communication Styles

2. Variation in nonverbal communication:
Use of gestures (kinesics), touch (haptics) and
voice (vocalics)
-

Some cultures talk too loud in conversation

(Americans), and others tend to vocal volume
deemed.

Outline
1. Diversity definition.
2. Acknowledge intercultural interdependence.
3. Principles of intercultural Communication
4. Intercultural Communication styles

5. Barriers to intercultural Communication

6. Tools of diversity

Barriers to Intercultural Communication

We will identify four barriers to
effectiveness in intercultural
communication:
1.Walking on eggs
2.Hot buttons
3.Container myth
4.Language, vernacular ( (and
accent bias

Barriers to intercultural Communication

1. Walking on eggs:
Certain topics create tension for ethnic minorities

When someone says they feel like they are walking on eggs, what is that telling you? It's
telling you :
-

that they can no longer be themselves in your presence.

that they fear your reaction whenever they speak.

that they are stuck, that they cannot move in either direction, for fear of upsetting you.

It is also telling you that they need to stop this feeling that is tearing them apart.

Barriers to intercultural Communication

1. Walking on eggs:
If you are walking on eggs, you are being
very careful not to offend someone or do
anything wrong.

Barriers
to
intercultural
Communication
1. Walking on eggs:
2. Certain topics create tension for ethnic minorities
-

This tension can make those communicating with ethnic minorities hesitant to
approach these topics.

Its difficult to know exactly what these topics are?

one example is ethnic jokes.

Barriers
to
intercultural Communication
1. Walking on eggs:
Several things can help with this barrier:
-

Remember that these topics are profoundly (deeply) personal.

Have implication ( )for how people feel and think about themselves.

Learn to handle defensiveness and to support ethnic minority people.

Barriers
to
intercultural
Communication
1. Walking on eggs:
Several things can help with this barrier :
-

It may work to invite these ethnic minority people to discussion and to share their perception( )of the
topic at hand .

Remember that listening is vital(( link in any constructive communication interaction.

Finally, and the best is to avoid these topics, until stronger relationship (trust) is established.

Barriers to Intercultural Communication

2. Hot buttons:
-

Hot buttons are words that invoke an emotional response in

other person.

Barriers to intercultural Communication

2. Hot buttons:
-

Sometimes words simply are misunderstood

Swearing can become hot button for ethnic minority people

who have a more formal view of the world.

Derogatory words used for

people from specific ethnic

minority groups (Red necks).

Barriers to intercultural Communication

2. Hot buttons:
To avoid:
-

Identify the hot buttons for you and for other people you
communicate with, then try to avoid them.

If they are used then work hard to control your emotional response.

When tension is minimized talk about why and how these buttons
produce that reaction, the other will cease from using these hot
buttons next time.

Barriers to intercultural Communication

3. Container myth

Is assumption that words

mean the same thing
across all cultures

Barriers to intercultural Communication

3. Container myth:
-

Sometimes words is misunderstood, for example, as

when our students told that foul language is not
allowed, a concerned student from Turkey came to
office to ask why they could not talk about chickens
and birds fowl in class.

Barriers to intercultural Communication

3. Container myth:
-

Also as we talk before about denotative ( and

connotative () meaning of words.

A relationship built on trust will create a climate where

people share their understanding.
It would be helpful to be curious about language use
across culture.
Stay away from jargon.(specialized language of an
occupation).

Barriers to intercultural Communication

4. Language, vernacular and accent bias:
-

Every group have particular affinity for their language.

There are certain biases that come with a particular

accent.
You must identify your biases about languages,
vernaculars (the specific language used in particular
communities) or accents and actively work to
overcome them.

Barriers to intercultural Communication

4. Language, vernacular and accent bias:
-

There is power in learning new languages.

There are advantages of being able to use multiple

languages.
English is the international language of business.
relationships are strengthened with others when you
can demonstrate some competence in there language.

Outline
1. diversity definition.
2. Acknowledge intercultural interdependence.
3. principles of intercultural Communication
4. intercultural Communication styles
5. Barriers to intercultural Communication

6. Tools of diversity

Tools of diversity:
The specific tools for effective communication across
cultures are easy to list and describe but difficult to
employ, we will discuses four tools:
1.Overcome personal biases
2.Relate culture to communication
3.Empathizing with non-English speakers
4.Developing intercultural competence.

Tools of diversity:
Overcome personal Biases

Racism, stereotypes and discrimination negatively impact

our communication with others.

These are the source of hurt feelings and result in

miscommunication, damaged relationships and loss in
productivity.

The history of ethnic relations in America makes it difficult

to overcome Americans current struggles with racism. (the
mentality that justified slavery).

Tools of diversity:
Overcome personal Biases

Relations become strained when many EuroAmericans assert that these historical practices are
over (and thus ethnic minority people should just
get over it) or when feeling of guilt keep them
away from creating meaningful relationships with
ethnic minorities.

Overcome personal Biases

To overcome:
Develop an understanding about what is
biases?
Recognize that racism and discrimination are
still a powerfully part of the American landscape.

Tools of diversity:
Overcome personal Biases
To overcome:
Not only be sensitive to your own racisms but
also develop strategies to resist the racism
that may occur in your workspace.
Be attuned to how we communicate our
prejudices.

Tools of diversity:
Overcome personal Biases
Forms of racism:

Overt racism ( ( such as all are lazy or they

should go back where they came from.

Symbolic racism, is attacking some symbol of

importance to a particular group of people.

Tools of diversity:
Overcome personal Biases
Forms of racism:

Symbolic racism, such as saying affirmative ( (action

required companies to hire people who were not qualified is a
distortion of the actual policy. The response is emotional and
not based on fact.

Tools of diversity:
Overcome personal Biases
Forms of racism:

Arms length racism: is suggesting that you dont mind to

work or know minority people, but you oppose any closer
relationship.

Tokenism: is communicated by people who say I cant be

racist one of my best friends is.believing that knowing
one person from (different race.) is enough to prove that he
is not racist.

Tools of diversity:
Forms of racism:

Institutional Racism: Ideologies and structures that are

used to systematically legitimize unequal division of
power and resources between groups on the basis of
race.

Some Important Definitions

Stereotype: negative beliefs about a particular group, it does not
consider people as individuals, but rather categorizes them as
members of a group who all think and behave in the same
way. We may pick up these stereotypes from what other
people say, from T.V or from what we read.
Prejudice: a set of rigid and unfavorable attitudes toward a
particular

group.

An

unsupported

accompanied by disapproval.

judgment

usually

Tools of diversity:
Some Important Definitions
Scapegoating: The policy of blaming an individual or group
when the fault actually lies elsewhere. Those who we
scapegoat

become

objects

of

our

aggression.

Scapegoating can lead to verbal and physical violence,

including death.

Tools of diversity:
Some Important Definitions
Discrimination: the differential treatment based on unfair
categorization. It is denial of justice prompted by
prejudice. When we act on our prejudices we engage in
discrimination. It involves keeping people out of
activities or places because of the group to which they
belong.
Racism: the belief that one race is superior to another.

Tools of diversity:
Relate culture to communication

Recognize the connection between culture and

communication

Its hard to learn language without its culture.

Nonverbal communication is impacted by culture

specific meanings.

We learn more values and world- view if we

communicate with others.

Tools of diversity:
Relate Culture to Communication
Seek to understand these cultural differences
Recognize the interdependence nature of
groups.
Seek culture specific knowledge which
includes history, current social issue,.
Learn a second language your self

Tools of diversity:
Empathize non-English Speakers
Develop empathy for second language learners,
and learn second language yourself.
Appreciate others attempts to learn your language
Support those attempts by minimizing stress and
making your messages understandable

Tools of diversity:
Develop Intercultural Competence
The kind of competence meant here is an ability to
accomplish goals while also reducing misunderstanding
and building strong interpersonal relationships, these
competencies will enhance your overall quality of your
life.

Tools of diversity:
Develop Intercultural Competence

Acknowledge and work on overcoming prejudices and

biases
Work toward equal-status relationships
Challenge personal assumption
Learn how your culture is different from others
Communicate with those from other cultures
Learn how others want to be treated and try to
accommodate them

 People fail to get along

because they fear each other,
they fear each other because
they dont know each other,
they dont know each other
because they have not properly
communicated.

End of chapter 2
Any Question?