Seminar 3 Slides

2015, Professor Dr. Christian Trster

INTERCULTURAL SKILLS ACCULTURATION (CONTINUED) INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION SEMINAR 3 PROF. CHRISTIAN TRSTER, PHD ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

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Routines No auto-pilot to navigate through new daily routines.

Reactions No key to understand why people react in the way they did. Roles We need to play many new roles.

Relationships Build new relationships, loose or redefine old relationships.

Reflections We are growing, evolving, and developing because new cultures challenges our view of who we believe to be.

THE 5R OF CULTURAL CHANGE

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Dyads (20 min.): In pairs discuss the 5Rs of culture change for your current stay abroad or your planned stay abroad (10 min each). Use the worksheet to discuss for each R: What may change? Why is it significant? How may I respond? What now? Rank the impact of these changes on you from 1 being most significant, to 5 being least significant. What are the 1-2 things you can commit doing that will best help you manage the culture change.

EXERCISE

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ESSENTIALS OF COMMUNICATION: EXERCISE (5 min.)

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2015, Professor Dr. Christian Trster 5


ESSENTIALS OF COMMUNICATION

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As reality Bs reality

Intended Meaning Encoding Message Decoding

Perceived meaning

Intended Meaning Encoding Message Decoding

Perceived meaning

Noise

Bs Culture

As Culture


Understanding is improbable. Misunderstanding is the norm.

A HELPFUL ASSUMPTION IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

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THE GOAL IS TO CREATE SHARED MEANING

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Shared meaning

Intended meaning

Perceived meaning


Small groups based on cultural clusters: (5 min.) Figure out the possible meaning of the following message: Student comes into class room and says to professor: It is warm in here.

COMMUNICATION: EXERCISE

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THE COMMUNICATION SQUARE A MESSAGE HAS FOUR DIMENSIONS

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Message

Content What I talk to you

about

Appeal What I want you to do

Self-disclosure What I reveal about myself

Relationship What I think about

you/ us


PEOPLE COMMUNICATE ON ALL FOUR DIMENSIONS

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It is warm in here.

Content The temperature on the room is higher

than normal

Appeal Open a window!

Self-disclosure I feel unconfortable

Relationship You are responsible

that I feel comfortable


A LISTENER CAN PERCEIVE EITHER SIDE OF THE MESSAGE

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There is a mistake in your calculations

Content The calculation is

wrong

Appeal Do the calculations

again!

Self-disclosure I am disappointed

Relationship You are no help to

me She thinks I am no

help to her

There is a mistake in your calculations.


A LISTENER CAN PERCEIVE EITHER SIDE OF THE MESSAGE

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Message

Content What I talk to you

about

Appeal What I want you to do

Self-disclosure What I reveal about myself

Relationship What I think about

you/ us

What does s/he think of me?

What does s/he want from me?

What are the objective facts?

X 4

What is going on with him/her ?


In small groups: Analyze the following messages according to the communication square. (15 min.) 1. This sounds interesting

2. Why didnt you call sooner?

3. I have a tip for you: You should

THE COMMUNICATION SQUARE: EXERCISE

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DIRECT VS. INDIRECT COMMUNICATION Three friends go to eat hamburgers in a restaurant. Unfortunately, the meat is burned and tastes bitter. When the waitress asks if the food was good, the friends give the following answers: Answer 1: Well, to be honest, the meat was a bit burned. Answer 2: The salad was good, just the meat was a bit burned. But the restaurant is really nice. Answer 3: The salad was very good and the restaurant is really nice.

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DIRECT & INDIRECT COMMUNICATION

High Context - indirect communication Low Context direct communication

Message culturally coded Explicit, verbal messages

Read between the lines Straight to the point

Implicit context Distinction content vs. relation

Harmony is very important in a conversation

Honesty is very important in a conversation

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Low-context communication: Explicit and direct messages in which meanings are contained mainly in the transmitted messages. High-context communication: Use of implicit and indirect messages in which meanings are embedded in the the sociocultural context.

Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. New York: Doubleday.


CULTURAL SQUARE FOR DIRECT AND INDIRECT COMMUNICATION

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Indirect Communication (high context)

Direct Communication (low context)

Too direct, impolite, disrespectful,

confrontational Unclear, keeping things

behind the bush,

Exaggeration

Exaggeration


Sign on Chinese Buses: Respecting the old and caring for the young is a great virtue in Chinese traditions


INTERCULTURAL MISUNDERSTANDING ARE ABOUT LOST AND IMAGINED MESSAGES

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Content The piano is being

frequently practiced.

Appeal Play more

often!

Self-disclosure I like your piano play.

German receives

A Japanese and a German are neighbors in a student dorm. The German frequently practices piano. Because of this the Japanese feels annoyed at times. When both meet in the hallway the Japanese says: You practice a lot. The German answers: Yes, I even take piano lessens with a teacher.

Content The piano is being

frequently practiced. Appeal

Play less often or softer!

Self-disclosure Your piano play

annoys me. Japanese sends


In small groups based on cultural clusters: Read and analyze the case. (15 min.) Describe the intercultural misunderstanding: Which messages got lost? Which messages were imagined? On which dimensions of the communication square?

EXERCISE: SETTING A DEADLINE

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Documents

Seminar 3 Slides