Comm Strat Ch 5

Principle 5

Appropriately adapt messages to others

Strategies that help people interact more effectively in international and multicultural environments

Be patient, est. rules, ask questions, respect others, write things down, be aware of time, exercise caution w humor, double-check solutions, be positive, engage in self-reflection

Male

TRY USING RITUAL APOLOGY AND RAPPORT TALK WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH A FEMALE

Female

TRY USING RITUAL OPPOSITION AND REPORT TALK WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH A MALE

Culture & communication are inseparable

True

men learn to send and receive messages through

a status lens (focus on who has more prestige and power in the conversation)

Conversational smoother - Ritual apology

a way of expressing concern (misfire w men)

Sex

biological characteristics that are present from the time of birth

Responsiveness (ss)

capacity to be sensitive to the communication of others, to be seen as a good listener, to make others comfortable in communicating, and to recognize the needs and desires of others

Assertiveness (ss)

capacity to make requests; to actively disagree; to express positive or negative personal feelings; to initiate, maintain, or disengage from conversations; and to stand up for oneself without attacking another.

women communicate through

connection lens (focus on who is closer or further away from them psychologically or emotionally)

Driver

control specialist and are low on responsiveness and high on assertiveness

Gender

cultural and psychological characteristics that are associated with our biological sex; gender is a cultural construction of what it means to be a man or women (use masculine or feminine)

content dimension of human communication

focuses on what is said, or the verbal message

relational dimension

how the verbal message is said, based on tone of voice, facial expressions, and other nonverbal behaviors

Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

individualism vs collectivism, distribution of power (either centralized or decentralized), avoidance of uncertainty versus tolerance for uncertainty, short-term versus long-term orientation, and masculine versus feminine cultural perspectives

Culture

learned system of knowledge, behavior, attitudes, beliefs, values, and norms shared by a group of people

Devil's advocate - Ritual opposition

misfire w women

High-context cultures

nonverbal cues are extremely important in interpreting messages - Communicators rely heavily on context—they gather subtle information from facial expression, vocal cues, and even silence in interpreting messages

Cultural context

nonverbal cues that surround and give meaning to the messages

Social Style

pattern of communication behaviors that others observe when you interact with them (unique)

Style Flexing

process of adapting your communication to how others communicate

Amiable

relationship specialist and are high on responsiveness and low on assertiveness

Low-context cultures

rely more explicitly on language and on the meanings of words and use fewer contextual cues to send and interpret information

Globalization

requires workers to adapt to working with others despite different cultural orientations

Report Talk

sharing factual or statistical information (men)

Rapport Talk

sharing information about relationships (women)

Expressive

social specialist and high on both responsiveness and assertiveness

Analytical

technical specialist and are low on both responsiveness and assertiveness

Uncertainty avoidance

the degree to which societies are willing to tolerate uncertainty and risk

Low uncertainty avoidance cultures

tolerate uncertainty; they have learned to live with the fact that their ability to predict the future is limited - take risks "it will work itself out" - U.S.

Small-talk ritual

type of social lubrication that allows conversations to run more smoothly

Decentralized Power culture

value a broad distribution of power - power is in the people, or the many, not in any one single person or group (Australia)

Centralized Power culture

value a more concentrated or narrow distribution of power - power is in one person or a select few

Feminine cultures

value caring for the less fortunate, being sensitive to others, and enhancing the overall quality of life. They tend to have more of a social orientation and to focus more on collective concerns, such as cooperative problem solving and maintaining a friendly atmosphere (Sweden)

Short-term orientation

value fulfilling social obligations and protecting oneself from embarrassment. These cultures tend to be focused on short-term results, such as turning a profit quickly (U.S.)

Long-term orientation

value long-term commitment, thriftiness, and perseverance. People in these cultures value delayed gratification and are willing to work hard, knowing that the profits and rewards of their hard work may not materialize for a number of years (Japan)

Masculine cultures

value more traditional roles for men and women, value achievement, heroism, material wealth, and making things happen. They tend to have more of a task orientation (Japan)

Collectivism culture

value the interests of their group or community more than their individual interests - dishonorable to receive individual recognition (Japan)

Individualistic culture

value their own interests more than those of the overall group - freedom (U.S.)