Miscommunication Between Cultures Ppt 21a31

CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT SOCIETIES OF DIFFERENT CULTURES Presented by: Restu Maulia Jamiatul Hasanah

CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION According to Lintion, culture defined “as a way of life of it’s , the collection of ideas and habits which they learn, share and transmit from generation to generation” Edgar Schein also state that Culture is the deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by of an organization, that operate unconsciously and define in a basic taken for granted fashion or organization's view of its self and its environment Culture in general sense is the combination of traditions, beliefs, norms, values, etc. It is all about how a person behaves in group or with others

According to Julia Wood (2004), communication is a systemic process in which individuals interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings. According to Hybel & Weaver (2004) the “Communication” which is interact with others to share information and beliefs, exchange ideas and feelings, make plans and solve problems. Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place to another. The need for cross cultural communication skill arises whenever people from different language and culture come into .

Categories of communication include: 

Spoken or Verbal Communication: face to face, telephone, radio or television and other media.



Non-Verbal Communication: body language, gestures, how we dress or act - even our scent.



Written Communication: letters, e-mails, books, magazines, the Internet or via other media.



Visualizations: graphs and charts, maps, logos and other visualizations can communicate messages.

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication a.

Verbal communication

According to Bovee and others: Verbal communication is the expression of information through language which is composed of words and grammar. According to Penrose and others, Verbal communication consists of sharing thoughts through the meaning of words. verbal communication is the process of exchanged of information or message between two or more persons through written or oral words. So, Verbal communication is face to face conversation between people. It includes sounds, words, or speaking.

NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION Non verbal communication is communication that occurs without words which is continuous. It is body language and environmental context involved in any communication. It is not what is said with words but how it is said and expressed. Non-verbal communication is different from person to person and especially from one culture to another. Cultural background defines their nonverbal communication as many forms of non-verbal communications like signs and signals are learned behavior.

Four categories of Non verbal communication 

Aesthetic communication occurs through creative expression. This would include all the arts: music, dance, theatre, crafts, art, painting, and sculpture.



Physical communication covers the personal kind of communication, and includes a smile or frown, wink, touch, smell, salute, gesture, and other bodily movements. Social conversation uses a lot of these physical signals along with the spoken words.



Signs are a more mechanical kind of non verbal communication, which includes signal flags or lights, a 21 gun salute, a display of airplanes in formation, horns, and sirens.



Symbols of communication are used for religious or personal status reasons, as well as to build self esteem. This includes jewelry, cars, clothing, and other things to communicate social status, financial means, influence, or religion.

Cross cultural communication problems between two societies of different cultures The obvious way we communicate is by using words. However, as we have seen, we also use non verbal communication: our tone of voice, body language, gestures, posture and facial expressions all impact on communication. Often people think that the use of gestures and facial expressions will be sufficient to convey an accurate message, without regard for the different rules of non-verbal communication which may apply in the other person’s culture. However, just as verbal communication rules differ across cultures, so too do the rules of non verbal communication. When we are learning a new language, we need to learn the language as well as have an awareness of the culture. It is important to learn new meanings and new ways of behaving. But, If difficulties or misunderstandings occur in cross cultural communication, it will arise some problems.

Verbal Communication Case 1 Country : Indonesia Nationality/Gender : Malaysian Girl Situation : When Indonesian student has a conversation with her friend from malaysia then she said “Awak gak pahamlah” then malaysian girl looks confuse and says “apa yg saye tak paham?” Reaction : I tried to explain to her that “awak” in medan means “saya” Conclusion : most indonesian people especially in Medan call her/himself by “Awak” that means “I” and malaysia awak means “you”

Case 2 Country : Malaysia Nationality/gender : Indonesian/girl Situation : when malaysian girl said “ tengoklah budak-budak ni” then indonesian girl think that “budak” here means slave Reaction : malaysian girl explain that budak in malaysia means anak-anak Conclusion : malaysian people call budak as boys in bahasa, meanwhile in indonesia budak means slave Case 3 Country : Indonesia/ Medan Situation : When I asked my friend, she is acehnese girl, “cemana kuliah semalam?”, she looked confuse, then said “there is no class at night” Reaction : I try to explain that in Medan “semalam” means yesterday Conclusion : In Aceh “semalam” means Last night

Non verbal Communication Case1 Topic: Facial Expression Country: Japan Nationality/Gender: German / girl Situation: When I asked a Japanese girl (who is going to participate in an exchange program for one year) some typical questions about Japan, she did not look at me during the conversation. Reaction: I tried to explain to her that it is very important to look at someone when they are talking, especially when she is going to communicate with western people. Conclusion: Japanese people do not often look you in the eyes when they talk, particularly with strangers or elders, however, it is judged to be very rude in European countries. Case 2 Topic: Intimacy Country: Sweden Nationality/Gender: Japanese/Female Situation: When I was walking with my host cousin, he asked me to link arms with him. Reaction: I was surprised because in Japan this kind of thing is only for couples. Conclusion: In Europe in general, it is acceptable to link arms together even though we are not a couple. Personal space in Europe is much smaller than in Japan.

Case 3 Topic: Greeting Country: Portugal Nationality/Gender: Japanese/Male Situation: When I met with my host aunt the first time, I tried to shake her hand instead of kissing her as a greeting. After, my host brother told me not to do so. Reaction: I didn’t understand why I couldn’t do so and I asked him for an explanation. Conclusion: In Portugal, one never shakes hands when he greets a woman because shaking hands with a woman means that you do not want to kiss her. It is a very impolite way to greet a woman.

Avoiding miscommunication    

Be Purposeful in Your Communication Be Respectful of Others Listen Carefully Be Clear and Precise