...: NGUYEN BACH NGA Group : 8 Student : HO VAN KET Class : ANHSPK10D Student code : 13F7011114 ******* Hue, 2016 ******* TOPIC FOR END-OF-COURSE ASSIGNMENT CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION When people from different cultures communicate, misunderstandings can happen. What are the possible reasons for those misunderstandings and what should people do in order to avoid them and prevent them from turning into cultural conflicts? Please limit your answer to no more than 1200 words. Misunderstanding is a communication phenomenon that we often experience in our life. Especially, when we communicate with people from different cultures, the misunderstanding is inevitable. In my opinion, the main reasons for case is owing to language differences, different verbal communication styles and non-verbal misinterpretation. The important thing here is what will we have to do in order to avoid misunderstanding, does not let it results in cultural conflicts. The first reason of misunderstanding is language differences which the most common communication barriers which cause misunderstandings and misinterpretations between people. The fact is that in the world there are many countries and many different languages. So when two people that use two own language to communicate, the communication will not be effective, even it leads to misunderstand what speaker means. For example, a Canadian goes to visit a Cotu ethnic minority group in Thua Thien...
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...Building an Enjoyable Workplace --Case of “The Road to Hell” What’s happened? The case “The Road to Hell” is a story of two individuals with different backgrounds and points of view having different interpretations of an interview. John Baker is a successful western chief engineer of the Barracania’s branch of a multinational company. He is an English expatriate, and had served his 23 years with Continental Ore in many different places which made him quite confident in understanding a regional staff’s psychology and knowing exactly how to get along with locals. On the other hand, Rennalls is an assistant engineer and one of the brightest Barracanian prospects on the staff of Caribbean Bauxite. He graduated with honors from London University and he is also the son of the minister of finance and economic planning, which made him especially sensitive to political and racial issues involving relations between his culture and western influence. Through the interview, Baker tried to solve a complaint that he has received from Mr. Jackson – one of the European employees who reported that Rennalls had been rude toward him. While the misinterpretation occurs during their communication process and finally the interview ended up in a disaster. What cause the disaster? The primary cause of the problem, in my opinion, is that John compared the Barracanians experience to the European experience. In the case he mentioned that, “My ancestors have all been...
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...Running head: Teamwork and Cultural Differences 1 Teamwork and Culture Differences Diversity with Sensitivity Argosy University July 29, 2013 Com 105 Teamwork and Cultural Differences 2 Introduction Teamwork involves people working together in groups in order to achieve a goal. Teamwork and effective communication is extremely important when it comes to a business and the success to a company. When working in teams, people are able to share ideas and work together to accomplish more than they could by themselves. However, culture differences and personality differences can often cause a challenge. When working together, a person may not have an understanding of another person’s culture, which can have a negative impact on a business. Since companies are more global today, diversity and multicultural communication has become a crucial part of business success. Teamwork and Team Building Teamwork and team building is vitally important in any multicultural and global society. In today’s day, the workforce is becoming more diverse, meaning that people from different cultures are required to come together to work as a team. Teamwork in the workplace often contributes to success in a company. Teamwork enables people to come together to accomplish tasks faster than finishing projects individually. Also, when cooperating with each other, employees are able to share ideas and responsibilities with one another, which usually reduces...
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...vanity causes the American society to place themselves in a huge amount of debt, and eventually, not being able to release that debt, Americans will have a money crisis where there is more debt compared to income. This constant state of consumerism may be because of the consistent product advertisements that are visible everywhere in this society; from social media to driving around town, there seems to no place this population can be free from the advertisements. While reading “Growing Up American” I wondered what it would be like to study abroad, to dive in to a culture completely different then my own. I thought to myself how courageous an individual would have to be to leave their bubble and explore and learn about others. I also found that I can relate to the authors voice in many parts of the article, especially when she spoke of mothering her child. There is a lot I found interesting about this article. One thing I thought was really interesting was that the author mentioned that American parents teach their children to be independent from a young age. I can relate to this observation; as a mother I try to teach my son to be independent with different aspects of everyday life within our household. I believe this makes my son feel as though he can rely on himself. The most surprising part of the article was when the author relayed the importance of obedience from the children, being respectful, and the children being dependant on the elders in the Filipino culture. I...
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...distance between the communicators (proxemics). In this case, nonverbal communications take part. Nonverbal communication can be seen when Baker would like to have a conversation with Rennalls and offered him a cigarette. Baker saw Rennalls stiffen slightly in his chair as they discussing about the future company. Rennalls sat tensed in his chair and take some seconds to respond for Baker. This case is a prime example of how people from different backgrounds and cultures fail to take diversity into consideration and instead allow their perceptions to get in the way. This story focused on the point of view of John Baker and his perception. What we missed out on is the perspective from Matthew Rennalls. Some of Baker's message can very well be seen as condescending to Rennalls. Miscommunication and misinterpretation caused severe consequences that will now negatively impact...
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...What are some potential problems that must be overcome when using the multicultural diverse team in global organization? As for 2006 and above, there are many problems regarding multicultural diverse team in global organization. Ironically, Presidents and CEO of the organization are willing to talk about diversity when their managers do not have much confidence in implementing diversity workforce in an organization. Managers are afraid that they may fail in terms of productivity when multicultural diverse team is applied. The problems are: 1. Problem: A mere decrease in productivity The positive impact of multicultural diverse team is that the creativity can be increase compare to non-diversity team. Furthermore, diverse team have better understanding of the problem since many cultural backgrounds is involve in brainstorming. However, the challenge of managing a diverse team sometimes leads to faulty management process, which results in poor team performance. The consequence of these problems is most managers do not encourage diversity within their co-worker, and worse, their organization. Solutions – In order to tackle this problem carefully, managers must understand cultural diversity and the benefits that can contribute to team performance. Besides, managers are recommended to take any training that teaches how to deal with multicultural diverse team to overcome the fear of failure when managing multicultural diverse team. 2. Problem: Management level ...
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...Co-Cultures in a Multicultural Society Paper The movie Fools Rush In is a great example of how gender as well as cultural differences can hinder communication in a multicultural society. Fools Rush In is about two people, Alex and Isabel, who come from two different cultural backgrounds who after a one night stand become pregnant and decide to get married. However, along with the marriage come compromises that include cultural traditions and personal sacrifices. The movie is a comedy but can also be viewed as romantic and shows how two people who love each other can resolve the issues of cultural and gender differences. Male and female differ in their use of communication because their reasons for communicating are different. Men generally communicate to transmit information and solve specific problems, while women usually use communication to express feelings and achieve emotional intimacy (Dunn, 2009). Women use nonverbal communication more than men, because they feel a closer connection to the opposite sex when communicating. Research has shown girls display more nurturance communication behavior than boys and this would account for a higher sensitivity to nonverbal cues (Dunn, 2009). Women can pick up on any nonverbal cue that is given and know if the person is being genuine or if a person is upset, men on the other hand have a hard time picking up on these cues. This can be seen in the movie where Alex does not understand how Isabel truly feels by her nonverbal cues...
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...across. The idea behind each one is to allow somebody else to understand what you need him or her to understand. Thus conveying a point or idea is paramount to understanding others. Unfortunately there are limitations in such deliverance of information. Namely the user and recipient must understand the type of communication. If one does not know how to deliver or receive then we develop a form of miscommunication. Naturally the user or recipient has to improvise and develop a quick understanding of the form. Unfortunately with such a speculation, the understanding is very ambiguous and arbitrary. The user may mean one thing and the recipient might think the complete opposite. In a country as diverse as America, there are many walks of life present. There are communities with almost every imaginable ethnicity, and other areas that are solely one type of race. The segregation makes it difficult at times to communicate with others. The issue is further complicated due to the cultural factor. Some cultures excel at making custom idiomatic expressions, such as Americans. Other Asian cultures may excel in gestural expressions. Lastly sound is an important issue since certain languages or types of communications rely on distinct sounds that others cannot mimic. These three factors: segregation of communities, cultural aspects, and sound all play a role in the problems behind intercultural communication issues. Unfortunately these are very broad problems as each one has multiple issues...
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...always have a tendency to have fights and arguments, and I believe that is part of a healthy relationship. Most arguments between couples occurs just because of miscommunication between them. Miscommunication can take place pretty much between anybody, between any relationship and any time. We all want to be clearly understood about our feelings at all times. Miscommunication happens usually when someone is giving friendly advice. This advice can be taken as criticism by the other person. Most of the times you might not trying to criticize the other person, but the way we confirm the information can be perceived in a different way depending on the situation. You should always learn to weigh the words that come out of you. Words can create attitude, behavior and perception issues between the two of you. At the same time, silence is also not a good thing to a level. ‘Couple’s interactions and dialogues make up the most important pillars of a functional relationship.’ (Määttä, K., 2013). There will be a lot of times when Luke will say something and Serah will misinterpret it. This is also very common between couples. ‘People can express and interpret messages in various ways and the intended meaning may differ from the interpretation. For example, the phrase ‘we have to talk about this’ can be interpreted in many different ways (Määttä, K., 2013). It is...
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...Communicating in Healthcare Tiffany McLean HCS 320 February 13, 2013 David Harrell Communicating in Healthcare “The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (Pre du, 2005) therefore proper communication with one’s healthcare physician is critical. Knowing how to communicate is the key. Communication within all types of the workforce is a vital piece of the daily operations of businesses regardless the line of work performed. Health care communication is held to a higher regard due to the outcome of the patient and the organization. Within this brief essay the topics of how does effective communication incorporate the basic elements of communication, how the basic elements of effective communication differ from the basic rules of health care communication, how a provider might encourage a reluctant consumer to communicate candidly, and how cultural differences influence communication will be discussed. “There is more to effective communication than putting thoughts into words. Communication is the process of understanding and sharing meaning” (Pre du, 2005). Process and personal goals are some areas covered in effective communication (Pre du, 2005). When having an effective conversation, the ability to process the information being received and its placement within life can be considered as having productive communication. The knowledge of a personal...
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...channels of communication are regarding conducting business activities in a timely and efficient manner. A successful organization will effectively communicate all necessary and relevant information that enhances their vision and mission. Communication channels set the guidelines, rules, and regulations for all employees to perform all tasks and duties required to meet the organization’s goals. Failure to deliver communication in a clear and concise manner can create issues of low morale and productivity. According to Manion (1998), “Communication in an organization must be created with a high degree of clarity. Communication must be sent multi-directional and multi-channeled. Miscommunication in organizations can cost money. Hours can be spent in organizations clearing up miscommunication. Miscommunication can lead to inefficiency, loss of productive work, and mistakes.” Various examples of channels of communication include; speech, writing, e-mail, or other forms of communication. In speaking, one must select the proper words and tone and use proper body language. For writing to be a successful channel of communication, the writing should be accurate, clear in its content, legible, contain the proper grammar and spelling, and convey...
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...There are different principles of verbal and nonverbal communication. The principles that identify with verbal communication includes having the ability to understand and recognize that different languages have value, the ability to understand dialect, words could have different meanings, it depends on the culture, having the ability to recognize that language is different among cultures and finally having the ability to understand that verbal communication is considered to be shared understanding. In nonverbal communication the principles consist of understanding cultural differences, many people fail to understand and learn the difference with nonverbal communication, nonverbal communication is often interpreted prior to verbal communication, it is identified with people’s emotions and relationships, and finally as in verbal communication culture plays a major role in nonverbal communication. Explain which three principles you think are critical for effective communication. The principles of verbal and nonverbal communication is important but in the health care field the three critical and effective principles include; know that everyone may speak a different dialect, understand that words may mean something different among different cultures, and that nonverbal communication occurs prior to verbal communication. There are many people who speak different dialects and in a health care setting it is important that team members have the ability to identify different dialect and...
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...Miscommunication Barriers in Health Care Effective communication skills are essential in all health care settings; it helps to build a good provider-patient relationship. The 2010 US Census data shows that the United States population is growing and becoming more diverse than ever. With the increase in the diverse population, healthcare workers are being exposed to a vast number of different cultures causing barriers when treating a patient from a different country. Cross-cultural communication barriers such as language, nonverbal, and responses to pain can affect a person’s health care delivery. Culture is a framework that directs human behavior. It is a person’s values, beliefs, and attitudes. “In health care, language and literacy barriers adversely affect clinical effectiveness, medical decision-making, medication adherence, and patient’s understanding of and access to service” (Taylor, Nicolle, and Maguire, 2013). Language barriers limit a person’s ability to communicate their health needs. In some cultures, women are not allowed to talk with a male stranger, making it hard for her to communicate her medical needs here in America. In order to help with the language barrier, some providers may use other strategies, such as, drawings and hand signals to compensate for the gaps in communication. Providers should be aware that patients cannot follow advice if they do not understand the provider’s instructions. Having an interpreter present during treatment and consultation...
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...responded too” taken from Understanding Human Communication by Ronald Adler. For effective communication it is known that it’s a two-way process of sending the right message that is also being correctly received and understood by the other person/s. In any organization or everyday situations, we have different types of communication styles taking place. It may be verbal communication, nonverbal, or graphic communication. During the communication cycle or process many miscommunications or interpretations can take place, i.e. anywhere between the sender, the message, the receiver, feedback, the communication channel, context, and noise. It is within this process where the sender encodes an idea or feeling; verbal, nonverbal or graphical and conveys the message via a communication channel to the receiver where he decodes the message and interprets it to his understanding. The recipient understanding of the message would depict whether the message was understood or distorted which will alternatively affect feedback to the sender. Communication depends on our perception, or how we perceive people, their motives, intentions and this is based on their attitudes, experience, culture, beliefs, needs, backgrounds, motivation, and personal characteristics. For instance, the sender filters his ideas or feelings from experiences or his...
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..."Life was meant for good friends and great adventures" (Slickwords). Travelling alone to a strange land causes international student a great deal of stress and depression, however, the loneliness that the international students must face is not the only problem, making American friends in this strange land is also not easy. Hence, a Professor of Cultural Anthropology, using the pseudonym of Rebekah Nathan, conducted a study at "AnyU" University about international students making friends with American students. In order to make sure her study was not bias, she disguise herself as a student. During her study she discovered that the international students had difficulty making American friends. Cultural differences were the biggest problem. Every...
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