Terms, Expressions and Images
Reflecting Different Cultures
1. determine culturally appropriate
terms, expressions, and images
2. identify terms, expressions, and
images present in their own cultures
3. describe the consequences of being
culturally ignorant in local and global
communication
4. demonstrate how people
communicate verbally or nonverbally
5. foster more respect, tolerance and
acceptance as they build cooperative
relationships with one another
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
How Can We Understand Each Other?
• Communication of any type usually happens very
quickly.
• Communicating “across” cultures is even more
complicated because we tend to interpret
messages in split seconds based on the past
experiences and the cultural grids that were
passed down to us in our home cultures.
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
• We base much of our understanding on the
verbal and nonverbal cues available to us.
• Verbal cues are the words and sounds people
emit when communicating.
• Nonverbal cues are facial expressions, gestures,
and other things that don’t require sound, but still
offer a message.
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
• Communication must be placed into a framework
of understanding or it is meaningless.
• That framework is based on assumptions from
our home culture and any other cultures that we
have come into contact with.
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
• What is cultural ignorance?
• Communicators who fail to realize that persons from different
cultures may not look, think, or act as they themselves do run
the risk of having those with whom they interact judge them to
be insensitive, ignorant, or culturally confused.
• Cultural misunderstandings often lead to lost opportunities and
increased levels of tension between people.
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
• The following examples demonstrate the extent to
which cultural ignorance affects communication:
• McDonald’s fast-food chain unintentionally
offended thousands of Muslims when it printed an
excerpt from the Koran on its throwaway
hamburger bags. Muslims saw this as
sacrilegious. The mistake could have been
avoided if McDonald’s had displayed greater
sensitivity and awareness.
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
• Americans tend to value personal achievement
and individualism. In contrast, Asian and Native
American cultures stress group cohesion and
loyalty, placing greater emphasis on group rather
than individual achievement.
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
• On the other hand, poor cross cultural awareness
has many consequences, some serious, others
comical.
• These are some of the cross cultural blunders
that could have been avoided if we are
culturally sensitive.
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
• A company advertised eyeglasses in Thailand by
featuring a variety of cute animals wearing
glasses.
• The ad was a poor choice since animals are
considered to be a form of low life and no self-
respecting Thai would wear anything worn by
animals.
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
• When former President George Bush went to
Japan with Lee Iacocca and other American
business magnates, and directly made explicit
and direct demands on Japanese leaders, they
violated Japanese etiquette.
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
• To the Japanese (who use high context
language), it is considered rude and a sign of
ignorance or desperation to lower oneself to
make direct demands.
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
• These are some terms, expressions and images
reflecting different cultures.
• Failing to develop insights into cultural nuances
and differences can be costly.
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING
• Recognizing and responding to differences
among cultures allows for more meaningful
relationships.
• At the same time, one has to be mindful that not
everyone from a particular culture exhibits the
same characteristics and communication traits.
