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Fundamentals of Intercultural Communication Renata Urban page 1

inlingua Professional Development Program (PDP)

Fundamentals of Intercultural Communication

Course overview and materials compiled by Renata Urban (materials may not be used by other instructors for their own presentations)

1 - Introduction and warm-up game 2 - What is culture?

Definitions The Iceberg Model Examples of values

3 - Stereotyping vs. cultural awareness

Funny or insulting? Examples

4 - What is intercultural training?

Why are we doing this? What are some cultural issues? How does this affect an inlingua teacher?

5 - Some background information about intercultural studies

Geert Hofstede, Richard D. Lewis, Edward T. Hall and Fons Trompenaars Theories and websites

6 - Cultural dimensions

• Geert Hofstede (low/ high power distance, individualism/ collectivism, masculinity/ femininity, low/ high uncertainty avoidance, long/ short term orientation, indulgence/ restraint)

• Richard D. Lewis (linear-active, multi-active, reactive)

• Edward T. Hall (low/ high context, monochronic/ polychronic, high/ low territory)

• Frons Trompenaars/ Charles Hampden-Turner (universalism/ particularism, individualism/ collectivism, specific/ diffuse, neutral/ emotional, achievement/ ascription, sequential/ synchronous time, internal/ outer direction)

7 - Perceptions, Communication styles & Proxemics

Verbal and non-verbal communication Examples and comparisons What works best for which culture

8 - inlingua books (English)

Which units cover topics that are culture sensitive? What intercultural skills can you use when teaching these units? How about foreign languages?

9 - Final thoughts, Q & As, comments, feedback

Language and culture - how does this affect inlingua teachers?


1 - Introduction Intercultural communication is a wide field, and trying to be an interculturalist is an ongoing challenge. As an introduction to this topic, I would like to use the article titled "The interculturalist in the classroom" that I wrote for inlingua some time ago:

ESL and foreign language instructors need to poses quite a variety of skills to be successful in their job. Not only are they teachers, but also linguists, facilitators, organizers or even mentors, just to name a few. In addition to all that, ESL and foreign language instructors need to be interculturalists, especially if their students come from different countries from around the world. So what exactly is an "interculturalist", how do you define "culture" and how is that relevant in the classroom? According to Gary M. Wederspahn (Intercultural Services, Managing Cultural Differences. Gulf Publishing 2000), who is a consultant and author in the intercultural field, an interculturalist is "a professional who specializes in the field of interactions, transactions and communications between different cultures". Furthermore, as stated by Dutch sociologist Geert Hofstede (Cultures and Organisations: Software of the mind. McGraw-Hill 2010), culture is "the collective programming of the mind, which distinguishes the members of one human group from another". Since ESL and foreign language instructors specialize in linguistic interactions with students from different countries and since those students exhibit a variety of behaviors based on their culture, being an interculturalist is very relevant to any ESL and foreign language instructor. Hofstede collected data from employees at IBM in over forty different countries to produce one of the most comprehensive analyses of cultural differences between nationalities. Also American anthropologist Edward T. Hall and Dutch organizational theorist Fons Trompenaars have studied cross-cultural relations. Between them, Hofstede, Hall and Trompenaars have formulated a number of so-called "cultural dimensions", and I would like to highlight just a few. First of all, Edward T. Hall described monochronic or linear cultures that allocate strict time periods to tasks. These cultures are heavily driven by schedules, deadlines and procedures. Relationship-building may not interfere with schedules and procedures and is considered an extracurricular activity. Therefore, monochronic cultures are often task-driven cultures. The US and Canada are monochronic cultures, and in Europe, countries such as Germany, France and Great Britain are considered monochronic. On the other hand, Edward T. Hall also portrays polychronic or multi-active cultures that devote equal amounts of time to interacting with people and to working on tasks. Therefore, polychronic cultures are often relationship-based cultures. Developing relationships and accomplishing tasks is equally important. This requires flexible schedules, negotiable deadlines and a rather relaxed attitude to what is done when. In many cases, different tasks can be started at the same time without feeling the need to finish one thing before starting something else. South American countries are mainly polychronic cultures, and in Europe, countries such as Spain, Portugal and Italy are considered polychronic. These differences show in the classroom when students from a monochronic culture stick to break times, complete tasks as instructed and feel the need to work on their tasks before spending time to make new friends, while students from a polychronic culture don't necessarily prioritize in the same way. They will often value making new friends higher than


completing a task and try to accomplish their tasks within a very flexible and ever changing time frame to fit their needs. Students from monochronic cultures are more likely to accept tasks and deadlines as non-negotiable, whereas students from polychronic cultures may perceive tasks and deadlines as flexible and negotiable. Another cultural dimension, as outlined by Hofstede, is collectivism versus individualism. In cultures driven by collectivism, individuals are proud to belong to a group, everything is shared among the group and individual strengths and achievements are downplayed and communicated as a group achievement. Individuals usually feel uncomfortable to be singled out and to brag about their individual achievements. However, in cultures emphasizing individualism, responsibilities and rewards are assigned to individuals and it is important to stand out and to be proud of one's individual achievements as much as possible. These differences show in the classroom when for example a US American teacher, who is used to stating individual achievements and voicing individual opinions, interacts with Chinese students whose group culture puts an emphasis on group achievements rather than showing off individual skills. In this situation, the teacher may find it very difficult to have students discuss a topic controversially and to elicit individual views and opinions from each student. The teacher's patient yet incessant efforts to get an individual student's opinion may actually result in a highly unpleasant and embarrassing experience for the student. Conversely, the teacher could ask the students to split into two groups, to discuss the advantages or pros in one group and the disadvantages or cons in the other group. Hence, each group could prepare a group answer and each student could relate one detail of the group effort rather than having to express individual opinions. These are only a few examples of the cultural dimensions as described by Hofstede, Hall and Trompenaars and how they affect ESL and foreign language instructors in the classroom. If you are interested in reading more about other cultural dimensions, please have a look at the following websites:

Warm-up game You will either observe or take part in a warm-up game.

If you are observing the warm-up game, please take notes of

• what happened

• how the participants reacted

• any conclusions you could draw throughout your observation

If you were participating in the warm-up game, please reflect on

• what your expectations were at the beginning of the game

• how you felt during the game

• what your conclusions were after the game

In general

• What can we learn from this game?

• What can be inferred about culture from observing/ participating in this game?

• Did the game remind you of a real-life situation?


Visitor Game 1 Instructions (cards for group A and group B) Group A You are the hosts. Say/ ask the following:

(1) Say: Welcome! In your culture, women hug each other when they meet and men slap each other on the back when they meet.

(2) Ask: How was your trip? In your culture, you maintain eye contact at all times and you smile

(3) Say: My name is ..... What's your name? If you have to, repeat the question. In your culture, you like standing close to each other and touching people's arms and shoulders when talking

(4) Ask: Are you from Shark Island?

(5) Ask: Would you like a glass of wine? Keep smiling, in your culture, smiling is a sign of friendliness.

Group B You are the visitors. Don't ask questions; just respond.

(1) Your hosts will welcome you. React as follows: In your culture, women shake hands when they meet and men nod their heads when they meet. In your culture, smiling is rude, so don't smile ever.

(2) Answer the question in a positive way. Say that you are feeling well even though your trip was long and exhausting and you are tired. In your culture, you show respect to your hosts by staring at the floor and by avoiding eye contact. In your culture, you avoid physical contact as much as possible.

(3) In your culture, it is rude to say your name out loud. Instead, say: "It is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for the invitation." If you are asked again, just repeat that sentence. Keep avoiding physical and eye contact.

(4) Say yes, even though you are not from Shark Island. You are from Coconut Bay, but in your culture, it is impolite to say no.

(5) Say yes, even though you don't drink alcohol. In your culture, it is impolite to say no.


Visitor Game 2 Game cards for person 1, 2 and 3 Person 1

• Say: "Hello my love" and open your arms to hug the visitor

• Say: "What's your name?"

• Say: "Yes, hello to you, too! What's your name?" (try to move closer)

• Say: "So you don't have a name? You're from Sweden, aren't you?"

• Say: "You don't talk much, do you? No worries, that's ok!" and pad the visitor or

his/ her arm

Person 2

• Say: "Good morning. Welcome to inlingua. We are very happy to have you here!"

(don't shake hands or touch the visitor; just smile and be friendly)

• Say: "My name is xxx. I am an inlingua instructor. What's your name?"

• Say: "I am very pleased to meet you, too. I am from xxx. Where are you from?"

Person 3

• Say: "Hi, I'm xxx." (stretch out your hand to shake hands and wait a few seconds)

• Get closer and try to look the visitor in his/ her eyes

• Say "D-o y-o-u u-n-d-e-r-s-t-a-n-d m-e?" very slowly

• Say: "Oh good. So what's your name?"

• Say: "Yes, I'm sure pleased to meet you, too. Well, my name is xxx, I am from

xxx and I am the director of this school."


2 - What is culture There are many definitions of "culture", such as the one by Geert Hofstede, one of the leading representatives of intercultural research and studies:

Culture is "the collective programming of the mind, which distinguishes the members of one human group from another".

Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind (1991, newest edition 2010, co-authored with Geert Jan Hofstede and Michael Minkov)

Some aspects of culture are:

• what people believe, say and do

• patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting

• values a group of people share

• a framework for rules, norms and standards

• a basis for assumptions and perceptions

• what is considered "normal"

• a guide to "how we do things 'round here"

• a way of life/ a mindset/ a modus operandi of a group of people So what is YOUR definition of culture?

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Are these things "normal" in your culture?

➢ shaking hands with colleagues every day ➢ kissing someone you have just met on alternating cheeks ➢ slurping your soup ➢ blowing your nose ➢ disagreeing with a colleague/ your boss presenting your own opinion ➢ kissing in public ➢ interrupting/ overlapping periods of speech ➢ eye-contact for more than 5 seconds while you are talking to someone ➢ pointing your finger at someone ➢ arriving 5 minutes late (as a teacher or to a business meeting) ➢ taking a phone call while you are interviewing a prospective employee ➢ laughing loudly on a bus ➢ wearing high heels and a short skirt to work ➢ inviting a business partner to the sauna ➢ spitting at the bride before her wedding ➢ showing interest in and complementing your hosts on their possessions ➢ ..... ➢ .....


What appears to be "normal" to you may be totally uncommon in other cultures and a funny joke that is very popular with your folks at home may even be offensive in another culture. So before interacting with your international students, take a moment to become aware of some important aspects of intercultural communication, as is often depicted in the Iceberg Model (see below). Most attributes such as customs, values, norms, beliefs, attitudes and assumptions are invisible, sort of 'under the surface', while fewer indicators of culture such as language, ethnicity, religion, artifacts and behavior are 'above the waterline'. Not only lies the majority of culture 'under the surface', but what is visible can also be misleading. Therefore, in order to fully understand culture, we need to take a closer look at all aspects of culture.

To examine the invisible part of culture in more detail, I would like to take a closer look at values. What do you think are US American values ................ (country) values ................ (country) values

Customs Values Norms Beliefs

Attitudes Assumptions

Language Ethnicity Religion Artifacts Behavior


3 - Stereotyping vs cultural awareness Where are these people from and why? Funny or insulting?

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://gadling.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/russia-stereotype-1-(custom).jpg&imgrefurl=http://pixshark.com/russian-stereotypes.htm&docid=hS4vvgSQaBvHGM&tbnid=VLCo3Yod2latJM:&w=116&h=247&ei=yQvIVOH9HoqjgwScuYCQBw&ved=0CAIQxiAwAA&iact=c


4 - What is intercultural training?

"Intercultural Training is training that gives people the knowledge, attitudes and skills to function effectively in a culture other than their own."

Robert Kohls, American Interculturalist inlingua teachers are either faced with teaching foreign students in their own country or teaching foreigners in a foreign country. Either way, it is very important for inlingua teachers to gain the knowledge necessary to adjust and to develop the attitudes and skills to implement a culturally sensitive lesson. Not only will this make the students' experience an even better one, but benefit the teachers as well. So what are some cultural issues?

• relationships

• time

• authority/ hierarchy/ status

• information/ communication styles

• team work

• certainty/ order/ structure And how do these issues affect an inlingua teacher? Use the hints below to brainstorm:

• eye contact/ physical contact

• smiling/ laughing/ jokes/ humor

• temper/ showing anger/ disagreeing/ criticizing

• punctuality/ following rules

• speaking up/ turn-taking/ expressing your opinion/ asking questions

• body language

• attitude towards learning/ ability to self-study

5 - Some background information about intercultural studies There are many interculturists today, but most basic intercultural concepts, especially the ones based on intercultural dimensions, go back to the following three:

• Dutch sociologist Geert Hofstede

• British linguist, writer and social theorist Richard D. Lewis

• American anthropologist Edward T. Hall

• Dutch organizational theorist Fons Trompenaars Dutch sociologist Geert Hofstede collected data from employees at IBM in over forty different countries to produce one of the most comprehensive analyses of cultural differences between nationalities. He focused his study on power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs femininity, and uncertainty avoidance. Later, he also added long-term vs. short-term orientation, and indulgence vs restraint.


Geert Hofstede has published many books, but his most popular book has been Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind (1991, newest edition 2010, co-authored with Gert Jan Hofstede and Michael Minkov), which has been translated into approximately 20 languages. Through his varied and numerous academic and cultural activities in many different countries, Hofstede can be regarded as one of the leading representatives of intercultural research and studies. The findings of his research and his theoretical ideas are used worldwide in both psychology and management studies. British linguist, writer and social theorist Richard D. Lewis is a polyglot who speaks several languages and opened several Berlitz schools around the world. He became famous for being selected the personal tutor of Empress Michiko and five other Japanese Imperial Family members while living in Japan. His most famous book is "When Cultures Collide". It has been translated into 15 languages and has sold over a million copies. Lewis is also famous for his "Lewis Model", which focuses on three cultural types, linear-active, multi-active, and reactive. American anthropologist Edward T. Hall studied cross-cultural relations and described several cultural dimensions, such as high and low-context cultures, monochronic and polychronic cultures, and high and low territoriality cultures. He was also known for his work in intercultural relations and communication and was a consultant for many businesses and government agencies. Edward T. Hall died in 2009.

Fons Trompenaars is a Dutch organizational theorist who also studied cross-cultural relations. He collaborated with Charles Hampden-Turner, a dilemma enthusiast, to look at cultural dimensions from a slightly different angle. They published the book Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business in 1997 detailing the results of their extensive research in some of their cultural models describing up to seven cultural dimensions (universalism vs. particularism, individualism vs. collectivism, specific vs. diffuse, neutral vs. emotional, achievement vs. ascription, sequential time vs. synchronous time, and internal vs. outer direction). For more information about these interculturalists, please have a look at the following websites: http://geert-hofstede.com (Hofstede website) http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html (Hofstede country comparison tool) www.geerthofstede.nl (Hofstede's personal website) www.crossculture.com/about-us/richard-d-lewis (Richard D. Lewis' website) www.edwardthall.com (Website about Edward T. Hall and his publications) www2.thtconsulting.com (Frans Trompenaars & Charles Hampden-Turner website)

http://geert-hofstede.com/

http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html

http://www.geerthofstede.nl/

www.crossculture.com/about-us/richard-d-lewis

http://www.edwardthall.com/

http://www2.thtconsulting.com/


6 - Cultural Dimensions

There is a myriad of cultural dimensions and some of them have simply been renamed, redescribed or redefined over time. You may find different terms for the same dimension in intercultural literature, or similar terms describing a dimension in a slightly different way. Therefore, I would like to compare Geert Hofstede's, Richard D. Lewis', Edward T. Hall's, and Frons Trompenaar's intercultural dimension:

Geert Hofstede Low power distance Cultures High power distance Cultures (also called: egalitarian) (also called: hierarchical)

- Equal status for all (all human - Respect for royalty, chain of beings were born equal) command, old age, etc. (not equal) - Informal relationship with - Formal relationship with superiors/ teachers superiors/ teachers - First-name basis/ informal - Titles, last names/ formal - Everybody participates equally, - Only superiors provide ideas and shares responsibility equally and suggestions and assume full contributes ideas equally responsibility for everything - people accept that power is - power may be distributed unevenly, distributed unevenly and but everybody can do something to that any attempt to change affect change "the system" will be in vain - one person can "change the world"

_________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________ Individualism Collectivism (also called: individual) (also called: group)

- Individualism is important - Individualism is not necessary - Responsibility and rewards - Responsibility and rewards are are assigned to individuals shared among the group - People will speak up, have - People will not speak up, state an opinion and be proud to the group's opinion and feel be singled out uncomfortable being singled out - Individual accomplishments - Individual accomplishments are are played up, bragged about played down, attributed to the and admired by others group and not bragged about

_________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________


Masculinity Femininity

- competition, achievement - caring for others, quality of life, and success have priority and harmony have priority over other things over other things - there is always a #1, the - effort, good will and persistence best, or the winner is more important than to win - standing out from the crowd - modesty, humbleness and and being celebrated as the growth/ development are winner is very important important; boasting is despised - monetary value and financial - tradition, spiritual growth, peace wealth are highly regarded and harmony are highly regarded _________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________ Cultures with a preference Cultures with tolerance for certainty for uncertainty (also called: strong uncertainty avoidance) (also called: weak uncertainty avoidance)

- people usually feel threatened by - people usually feel at ease with ambiguity and uncertainty ambiguity and uncertainty - people prefer structure & rules - people tend to dislike structure & rules - forecasting and planning is essential - forecasting and planning is optional - long-term planning - short-term planning - reluctant to change plans - prepared to change plans - relatively inflexible - relatively flexible - tendency to control the future - tendency to embrace whatever happens - initially view new ideas with suspicion - rather open-minded toward new ideas

_________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________ Long-term Orientation Short-term Orientation

- prefer to maintain - embrace new idea, concepts, time-honored traditions and opportunities - view social change with - social change is normal and suspicion welcome - the future is more important - now is more important

_________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________


High Indulgence Low Indulgence/ Restraint

- weak control over feelings, - strong control over feelings, desires and impulses desires and impulses - "work hard, play hard" - "stiff upper lip" mentality mentality (show your feelings) (keep your composure) - "airing" your anger, surprise, - "airing" your anger, surprise, disappointment or excitement disappointment or excitement in public is fully accepted in public is frowned upon (if you don't, you're weird) (if you do, you're weird) - indulging in the pleasures of - indulging in the pleasures of life openly is totally normal life requires privacy - "losing face" is not an issue - not "losing face" is extremely important

_________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________ The Geert & Gert Jan Hofstede Website (country comparison tool):

https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-culture-tools/


Richard D. Lewis

https://www.crossculture.com/latest-news/the-lewis-model-dimensions-of-behaviour/

https://www.crossculture.com/latest-news/the-lewis-model-dimensions-of-behaviour/


Linear-active (cool, factual, decisive planners)

https://www.crossculture.com/about-us/the-model/linear-active/

https://www.crossculture.com/about-us/the-model/linear-active/


Multi-active (warm, emotional, loquatious, impulsive)

https://www.crossculture.com/about-us/the-model/multi-active/

https://www.crossculture.com/about-us/the-model/multi-active/


Reactive (warm, emotional, loquatious, impulsive)

https://www.crossculture.com/about-us/the-model/reactive/

https://www.crossculture.com/about-us/the-model/reactive/


Edward T. Hall Low Context Cultures High Context Cultures (also called: implicit/ indirect cultures) (also called: explicit/ direct cultures) - Direct and unambiguous communi- - Indirect and often ambiguous communication (honesty before politeness) cation (politeness before honesty) - Information is stated explicitly - Information is stated implicitly, and clearly (often bluntly) hinted or suggested (very politely) - People come to the point quickly - People beat around the bush - Low concern for face-saving - High concern for face-saving - Written agreements are important - Personal promises are important - Uncomfortable with moments of silence - Comfortable with moments of silence - Mostly rely on verbal communication - Rely a lot on non-verbal communication _________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________ Monochronic Cultures Polychronic Cultures (also called: linear/ sequential) (also called: multi-active/ synchronous) - strict time consciousness - flexible time consciousness (it is important WHEN (it is important WHAT CAN be things MUST be achieved) achieved) - one task after the other - several tasks at the same time - fulfilling tasks is more important - fulfilling tasks and interacting than interacting with people with people is equally important - deadlines and schedules are - deadlines are negotiable and taken seriously and adhered to schedules are often changed - 'on time' is taken seriously - 'on time' depends on the situation - Chaos is bad and needs to be - Chaos is part of life and needs avoided/ controlled at any cost to be embraced and "mastered" - Seldom borrow/ share things - Often borrow/ share things _________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________


High-territory Cultures Low-territory Cultures - Clearly marked out areas - less ownership of space and and boundaries that more shared territories (mine distinguish mine from yours and yours is not so important) - Clear difference between - Slightly more flexible view on "stealing" and "borrowing" "stealing" and "borrowing" - High need for personal space - Low need for personal space and private sphere (proxemics) and private sphere (proxemics) _________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________

Fons Trompenaars

Fons Trompenaars & Charles Hampden-Turner, 7 Dimensions of Culture (1997)


"Universalism" Cultures "Particularism" Cultures (also called: non-adaptive) (also called: adaptive)

- Rules are more important than - Relationships with people are relationships with people (rule- more important than rules (rule- breakers are not tolerated; strict breakers are tolerated; there are consequences are usually enforced) often no consequences) - One rule fits all; rules apply to - Different rules for different people; everyone irrespective of status rules are interpreted depending on or relationship context; exceptions are often made - A lot of time and consideration is - Decisions are often made quickly, taken to make a decision or to and promises and made light- promise something; promises are heartedly knowing that decisions kept and decisions are usually can be changed and promises are not changed not always taken seriously _________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________

Individualism Collectivism (also called: individual) (also called: group)

see p. 11 (Geert Hofstede dimensions)

Specific Diffuse (also called: task-focused) (also called: relationship-focused)

- getting down to business - establishing relationships first quickly is important before talking business is (no/ not much small talk) important (a lot of small talk) - emphasis on getting things - emphasis is on building inter- done and achieving goals personal relationships and getting as efficiently as possible; to know people before working relationships can be built later together; the work can be done later - it is important WHAT you know - it is important WHO you know - people keep work and their - people's work lives and private lives personal lives separate; they overlap; they work in their free time believe that one has not much and deal with private issues at work; impact on the other business relationships can turn into friendships and vice versa _________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________


Neutral Emotional (also called: indulgence) (also called: restraint)

see p. 13 (Geert Hofstede dimensions) Achievement Ascription

- you are valued for what you DO - you are valued for who you ARE - people are measured by - people are measured by their achievements and performance titles and positions - everybody can achieve anything - opportunities are available or ("from rags to riches") limited depending on social status - interaction between hierarchy levels; - no interaction between hierarchy discussing/ arguing with the boss levels; people know their "place" is possible and follow orders _________________________ countries _________________________ _________________________ (examples) _________________________ Sequential Time Synchronous Time (also called: monochronic/ linear) (also called: polychronic/ multi-active)

see p. 18 (Edward T. Hall dimensions) Internal Direction Outer Direction (people believe they can (people believe that their environment control their environment) controls them) (similar to low power distance/ (similar to high power distance/ egalitarian) hierarchical)

see p. 11 (Geert Hofstede dimensions)


7 - Perceptions, Communication Styles and Proxemics

Communication styles (verbal and non-verbal) and the physical proximity to others we feel comfortable with (proxemics) affect people's perception of us and do therefore play an important role in intercultural communication. What one person sees is not necessarily what another person sees. What do you see in these pictures? What are your perceptions?

39


As an example, let's compare what Americans often think of Germans, and what Germans often think of Americans based on perceptions and communication styles:

Some American perceptions of Germans:

• all business, often not very approachable

• not interested in networking and relationships building

• obsessed with rules and structure

• systematic, knowledgeable and efficient

• hard working, reliable, no nonsense

• tend to overcomplicate things unnecessarily

• see problems everywhere; never content

• lack of humor, don't like having fun at work

• inflexible, hard to negotiate with, don’t like bartering

Some German perceptions of Americans:

• open, easy going, fun loving

• self-reliant, independent, proud

• superficially friendly, don't mean what they say

• tend to simplify and categorize without sufficient depth

• loud and easily distracted, can't focus on work

• everything is possible, even if it's not

• overly religious

• extremely materialistic – all about money

• not internationally oriented/ monolingual What does this tell us about Americans and Germans? What do other cultures think about Americans? What do you think about other cultures?


Some common communication styles are:

• direct/ explicit vs indirect/ implicit

• building up vs playing down

• formal/ serious vs informal/ humorous

• abstract vs concrete

• systematic vs organic

• linear vs circular

• neutral/ impersonal vs emotional/ personal

• mainly verbal vs more visual and non-verbal

How would you describe your communication style? How would you describe your culture’s communication style? Compare it with that of another culture you know well? How may people with one style perceive those with a different style? Have you had experience of such mismatches? Is all of that culture of personality?

Human behavior (innate/ universal) - NATURE

Culture (learned/ specific) - NURTURE

Personality


Verbal vs non-verbal communication

Some examples of non-verbal communication are:

• posture/ position of arms and hands

• gestures/ body movement

• facial expressions/ eye contact

• volume and tone of voice/ rate of speech

• clothes/ hairstyle/ make-up/ hygiene

• physical contact/ touch

Do they mean different things in different cultures? How would you react? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Proxemics

Proxemics is the study of how much personal space someone needs. Researchers of proxemics have used different criteria. For example, the before mentioned Edward T. Hall used physical distance, posture, touch, eye contact, volume of voice and other criteria to measure proxemics. Other researches take other aspects into consideration, such as available space, environmental noise, age, gender or social status.

The British linguist and businessman Richard D. Lewis also used cultural dimensions and proxemics to create The Lewis Model, which compares linear-active, multi-active and reactive cultures. For more details and a video of the Lewis Model, please see: www.crossculture.com/about-us/richard-d-lewis

According to most researchers, we all have four different comfort zones:

• intimate distance (about 0 to 18 inches/ 0 - 45 cm)

• personal distance (about 18 inches to 4 feet/ 45 cm to 1.2 m)

• social distance (about 4 to 12 feet/ 1.2 m to 3.6 m)

• public distance (more than 12 feet/ 3.6 m)

But these may vary according to culture and personality. Try to guess a few countries where people like to get really close, and where people need more space to feel comfortable: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

http://www.crossculture.com/about-us/richard-d-lewis/


8 - Inlingua books (English)

Level 1

• Meeting and greeting

• Using polite phrases

• Engaging in small talk

• Asking questions/ expressing preferences

• Body parts

• The imperative verb form

• Food

Level 2

• Discussing views and experiences

• Disagreeing

• Expressing likes and dislikes

• Discussing feelings and experiences

Level 3

• Accepting and declining

• Inviting and rejecting

• Expressing anger and frustration

• Explaining rules and regulations

• Social interactions, apologies and regrets

• Idiomatic expressions

• UNIT 29: Cultural Divides (cultural characteristics, attitudes and perceptions)

Level 4 and 5:

• Assumptions and reactions

• Explanations and experiences

• Negotiating

• Personal impressions

• Describing and following rules

• Expressing emotions

• Language and culture/ Psychology (old level 4 book, Unit 30) Brainstorm why these topics could be culture sensitive and what teaching techniques you could use.

What about teaching foreign languages? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________


9 - Final thoughts, questions and answers

How is all of this relevant to inlingua teachers? Why can students not simply adjust to us? What are the benefits of being aware of and sensitive to cultural differences? Brainstorm your ideas What are you taking away from this workshop today? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING AND FOR BEING A CULTURALLY MINDFUL TEACHER


Bibliography Websites

http://geert-hofstede.com (Hofstede website)

http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html (Hofstede country comparison tool)

www.geerthofstede.nl (Hofstede's personal website)

www.edwardthall.com (Website about Edward T. Hall and his publications)

www2.thtconsulting.com (Frans Trompenaars & Charles Hampden-Turner website)

www.crossculture.com/about-us/richard-d-lewis (Lewis Model)

http://www.communicationstudies.com/communication-theories/proxemics (Proxemics)

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/country-profiles.html (Country profiles)

https://www.culturaldetective.com (cultural resources)

http://www.iorworld.com/cultural-insights-pages-472.php (cultural insights for 39 countries) Intercultural Organizations

www.sietarusa.org (SIETAR - Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research)

http://intercultural.org (The Intercultural Communication Institute) Books Adler, N.J. (2001). International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior. 4th ed. Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Publishing/Thomson International Publishing Brislin, R. (1993). Understanding Culture’s Influence on Behavior. Orlando: Hacourt Brace College Publishers. Comfort, J. & Franklin, P. (2008). The Mindful International Manager. York. York Associates Cushner, K., & Brislin, R. W. (1996). Intercultural Interactions – a practical guide. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

http://geert-hofstede.com/

http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html

http://www.geerthofstede.nl/

http://www.edwardthall.com/

http://www2.thtconsulting.com/

http://www.crossculture.com/about-us/richard-d-lewis/

http://www.communicationstudies.com/communication-theories/proxemics

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/country-profiles.html

https://www.culturaldetective.com/

http://www.iorworld.com/cultural-insights-pages-472.php

www.sietarusa.org%20

http://intercultural.org/


Fowler. S. & Mumford, M. (Editors) (1995 & 1999) Intercultural Sourcebook Vols 1 & 2: Cross-cultural training methods. Boston: Intercultural Press & London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Gibson, R. (2002). Intercultural Business Communication (Oxford Handbooks for Language Teachers series). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hall, E.T. & Hall, M.R. (1990). Understanding Cultural Difference. Intercultural Press. Hofstede, G. (1994). Cultures and Organisations - software of the mind. Harper Collins. Kohls, L. R., & Knight, J.M. (1994). Developing Intercultural Awareness – a cross-cultural training handbook. Yarmouth/London: Intercultural Press/Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Landis, Daniel (Editor). (2003). Handbook of intercultural training. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Lewis, R. (2008) Cross-culture Communication - a visual approach. Transcreen Publications Lewis, R. (2005) When cultures collide: managing successfully across cultures London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing Marx, E. (1999). Breaking Through Culture Shock: what you need to succeed in international business. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Mole, J. (2003). Mind your Manners. London:Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Pilbeam, A. (2010). Market Leader - Working Across Cultures. Harlow. Pearson Education Limited Schneider, S.C. & Barsoux, J-L. (1997). Managing across Cultures. London: Prentice-Hall. Simons, G.F. (2002). EuroDiversity – a business guide to managing difference. London/New York: Butterworth Heinemann. Ting-Toomey, S. (1999). Communicating across cultures. New York. The Guildford Press Trompenaars, F.,& Wooliams, P. (2003). Business across cultures. Chichester: Capstone Publishing. Wederspahn, G. (2000) Intercultural Services – a worldwide buyer’s guide and sourcebook. Houston: Gulf Publishing Company

inlingua professional development program (pdp ... · fundamentals of intercultural communication...

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