Effective Meetings (Part 1)



Cross-Cultural Communications (Summary)

1. Cross-Cultural Awareness

➢ Culture is behind our behaviour on the job. Culture influences how close we stand, how loud we speak, how we deal with conflict--even how we participate in a meeting.

➢ Potential Hot Spots in Cross Cultural Communication :

❑ Opening and Closing Conversations

❑ Taking Turns During Conversations

❑ Interrupting

❑ Use of Silence

❑ Appropriate Topics of Conversation

❑ Use of Humour

❑ Knowing How Much to Say

❑ Sequencing elements during conversation

2. Opening and Closing Conversations

➢ who addresses whom, when, how?

➢ Who has the right or duty to speak first?

➢ Proper way to commence or conclude a conversation?

➢ Consider : modes of address, salutations, levels of deference to age, social position, gender

3. Interrupting & Use of Silence

➢ In some cultures (e.g. Italy) interruption, vocal and emotional expression = typical conversational style

➢ In Northern Europe and U.S. interruption, vocal and emotional expression may be mistaken for argument and hostility!

➢ In some cultures silence before a response = thoughtfulness and respect

➢ In the West 20 seconds of silence during a meeting is a very long time!!!!

4. Use of Humour

In the West – rapport built through humour

Laughter = a sign of disrespect?

Jokes can cause misunderstandings!

5. Knowing how much to say & Sequencing elements during conversation

Less vs more

English and American people like speaking directly and to the point!

At what point during a conversation or negotiation is it appropriate to :

- touch on sensitive issues?

- Ask for directions?

6. Obstacles to Intercultural Communication and Understanding

1. LANGUAGE

2. NON-VERBAL

3. PRECONCEPTIONS AND STEREOTYPES

4. TENDENCY TO EVALUATE

5. HIGH ANXIETY

7. Seven Ways to Counteract the Obstacles of Intercultural Communication:

1. Understand that communication obstacles are culturally controlled and largely out of one’s normal awareness.

2. Remember to look for signs of the obstacles in one’s self and others.

3. Be alert to varying interpretations of what is said and done.

4. Try to eradicate tension and psychological defences.

5. Be self-aware of natural tendencies to judge and evaluate.

6. Have the courage to risk change in values and perceptions.

7. Strive to understand why others might think or act differently.

8. Eye contact

• In Western societies, a person who does not maintain ‘good eye contact’ = slightly suspicious.

• Northern American :

➢ unconsciously associate people who avoid eye contact as unfriendly, insecure, untrustworthy, inattentive and impersonal

➢ rude to stare

➢ signal interest and comprehension by bobbing heads or grunting

➢ when discussing the terms of a contract they interpret widened eyes as an expression of astonishment

• Chinese : when discussing the terms of a contract, widened eyes = politely expressed anger

• English: pay strict attention to speaker, listen carefully and blink their eyes to let the speaker know he or she has been understood & heard.

• Japanese : lowering of the eyes when speaking to a superior= a gesture of respect.

• Latin American : longer looking time, but prolonged eye contact from an individual of lower status = disrespectful

• German :

➢ serious, direct, should be maintained as long as the person is addressing you

➢ staring is acceptable

➢ direct eye contact doesn't require greeting or acknowledgement

• Middle East : Men should avoid prolonged eye contact with women!!!!

9. Business protocol 1

Timing

• England: Always be punctual. Arriving a few minutes early is acceptable.

• U.S. : You must arrive at business meetings on time. Only a 15-minute delay because of traffic problems is allowed.

• Middle East : Punctuality is expected of foreigners but not Arabs themselves.

• China: Punctuality is vital. Late arrival is seen as an insult!

10. Business protocol 2

Greetings and polite conversation

• U.S. & U.K. :

- You must shake hands during introductions.

- You don’t have to make a lot of small talk. Americans like to get down to business quickly.

- Welcome topics : a person's job, sport, travel, food....

- Avoid discussing : Religion, politics, ethnic/religious jokes. You mustn’t ask about a businesswoman’s marital status. It is considered rude.

• Japan:

– the bow is used when meeting but Westerners are not expected to bow.

– Welcome topics : a person's family, your host's hospitality

Avoid : World War II, making jokes

• Middle East :

– handshakes are always used and can last a long time

– If you are a man and are introduced to a woman wait to see if hand is extended!!!!

– Avoid discussing religion!!!!

• Brazil:

- it is good practise to indulge in small talk. Avoid discussing ethnic and/or class differences, politics and Argentina (their rival)

• Russia:

- typical greeting = firm, almost bone-crushing handshake while maintaining direct eye contact and giving appropriate greeting for time of day. Avoid complaining about Russia or comparing their country to other developing countries

11. Business protocol 3

Business cards

Western cultures. : Business cards are given a cursory glance and pocketed. It’s not absolutely necessary to exchange business cards unless there is a reason to get in contact later.

Asian cultures: Use 2 hands to give and receive cards and place your counterpart's card on tabletop during business meeting. In Japan the exchange is a very formal and respectful process! It takes a long time!

12. Business protocol 4

Gift-giving

• U.S. : Business gifts shouldn’t be given until after the business negotiations are over. You mustn’t give an expensive business gift. It may cause embarrassment.

• Chinese: Gifts should always be exchanged as thanks for assistance and sweetener for future favours. Chinese etiquette requires that you decline a gift/invitation/offering 2 or 3 times before accepting.

• German: Small gifts are polite, especially when meeting for the first time.

• English: Gift-giving is not a part of doing business in England.

13. Business protocol 5

Entertaining at home

• U.S. : You should write a short thank you note to your host and hostess if you are entertained at their home. You don’t have to give a gift but flowers or wine are appreciated.

• French: If you're invited to a large dinner party send flowers the morning of the occasion so they can be displayed that evening.

• Spanish: Invitations to a Spaniard's home are extremely rare and constitute a mark of true friendship!

14. Time Orientations 1: 2 orientations to time: monochronic and polychronic

Monochronic approaches to time = linear, sequential, focusing on one thing at a time

Monochronic countries = United States, Germany, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Japan

Polychronic approaches to time = simultaneous occurrences of many things and many people

Polychronic countries = France, Italy, Greece, Mexico, some Eastern and African countries

15. Modal verbs : Advice

• Should/shouldn’t : to give or ask for advice

e.g. You should learn a song to sing before going to Korea.

• Must/mustn’t : for strong advice

You mustn’t refuse an invitation to dinner in Italy. It may cause offence.

16. Modal verbs : Obligation/Necessity

• We use both must and have to to explain that something is necessary or an obligation.

• In writing there is no real difference between must and have to. In speech there is:

➢ Have to : the situation makes something necessary, the obligation doesn’t come from the speaker

e.g. You have to get a visa to enter the country. (law)

e.g. In my country you have to be on time for meetings and business appointments.

➢ Must: the speaker personally feels that something is important or an obligation

e.g. We must buy a gift for our visitor.

e.g. You must visit the Duomo when you go to Milan. It’s beautiful!

17. Modal verbs : Obligation/Necessity, Lack of obligation or necessity

Mustn’t = Don’t have to !!!!!!!!!!!!

➢ Mustn’t = it is prohibited/forbidden

e.g. You mustn’t use a mobile phone in an aeroplane.

e.g. You mustn’t cross the road when the red light is showing.

➢ Don’t have to = it is not necessary, you have a choice

e.g. You don’t have to arrive exactly on time for parties and social occasions.

e.g. You don’t have to turn on the central heating. It’s automatic.

18. Cross-cultural Team Building

What is cross-cultural Team Building?

A team is a group of people working towards a common goal.

'Team Building' is the process of enabling that group of people to reach their goal.

The stages involved in team building are:

► to clarify the team goals

► to identify those issues which inhibit the team from reaching their goals

► to address those issues, remove the inhibitors and enable the goals to be achieved

19. Team-building tips

Ready to build the ultimate work team to take on the competition?

Make sure you know the rules of the game.

Brush up on your coaching skills and lead your team to victory.

Here are four team-building tips: 

► Defined goals and objectives are crucial. A team's success also depends on common goals and a shared vision.

►Everything has to do with the leader.

►Individuals need feedback. Sure, they're working as part of a team, but every individual needs to know where they stand.

►  Progress reports keep the team on track. Monitoring the team's development through status updates and progress reports is vital.

(taken from Business.English.)

20. Recognizing the role of culture

* Effective managers can recognize and adapt to different work styles and cultures. How can you be effective?

➢ many cultural norms influence a manager's behaviour and subsequent reactions, five particularly important ones are:

▪ hierarchy and status

▪ groups vs. individual orientation

▪ time consciousness

▪ communication

▪ conflict resolution

By failing to understand how culture impacts on individual needs and preferences, managers often misinterpret behaviour!

21. Adapting to different work styles and cultures

Hierarchy and status

➢ If you want all people to feel valued and to participate in problem solving or decision making, differences in this norm could be inhibiting so you must be aware of them.

22. Adapting to different work styles and cultures (2)

Group vs. individual orientation

➢ The manager also may need to structure a climate that balances preferences for group and individual work.

➢ A culturally competent manager will create opportunities for individuals to take some risks and explore projects that don't require coordinating with others.

➢ However, when managers place too much importance on avoiding workplace conflict, even individualistic employees may be discouraged from providing potentially constructive feedback.

23. Adapting to different work styles and cultures (3)

Time Consciousness

➢ Time-conscious managers may see people whose cultures take a more relaxed view toward deadlines as being less committed to team goals, as well as less dependable, accountable and reliable.

➢ Remember that each culture has different rules of behaviour and interprets behaviour through that lens!

24. Adapting to different work styles and cultures (4)

Communication

➢ If you are a direct communicator, you probably expect a "tell it like it is," response from the employee.

➢ But the employee may be an indirect communicator who expects you to read the contextual clues to understand his response.

25. Adapting to different work styles and cultures (5)

Conflict resolution

➢ Your egalitarian approach and individualistic orientation implies teamwork between manager and employees; you expect people to think and speak for themselves.

➢ But for staff members with a more hierarchical and group orientation, taking the initiative to make suggestions to an authority figure would be awkward for all involved.

➢ They may expect YOU as the manager to demonstrate your leadership by making decisions and giving directions.

(taken from : Cross-Cultural Awareness. Effective managers can recognize and adapt to different work styles and cultures. Author/s: Lee Gardenswartz, Anita Rowe, Issue: March, 2001)

26. Cultural idioms: What is an idiom?

Idioms are words, phrases, or expressions that cannot be taken literally. In other words, when used in everyday language, they have a meaning other than the basic one you would find in the dictionary.

Every language has its own idioms. Learning them makes understanding and using a language a lot easier and more fun!

E.g. I was thrown in at the deep end when my company sent me to run the German office. I was only given two days’ notice to prepare.

Literal meaning: to be pushed into the deepest part of a swimming pool or body of water

Idiomatic meaning: to be given a difficult job to do without preparation

27. Cultural idioms: examples

➢ We don’t see eye to eye about relocating our factory. The Finance Director wants to move production to the Far East, but I want it to remain in Spain.

Idiomatic meaning: to disagree with someone

➢ I got into hot water with my boss for wearing casual clothes to the meeting with our Milanese customers.

Idiomatic meaning: to get into trouble

28. Cultural idioms: examples

➢ Small talk is one way to break the ice when meeting someone for the first time.

Idiomatic meaning: to make someone you have just met less nervous and more willing to talk

➢ I really put my foot in it when I met our Japanese partner. Because I was nervous, I said ‘Who are you?’ rather than ‘How are you?’

Idiomatic meaning: to say or do something without thinking carefully, so that you embarrass or upset someone.

➢ When I visited China for the first time I was like a fish out of water. Everything was so different, and I couldn’t read any of the signs!

Idiomatic meaning: to feel uncomfortable in an unfamiliar situation.

➢ My first meeting with our overseas clients was a real eye-opener. I had not seen that style of negotiation before.

Idiomatic meaning: an experience where you learn something surprising or something you did not know before.

29. Cross-cultural Negotiating

• While it is difficult to characterize any national or cultural approach to negotiation, generalizations are frequently drawn.

• These generalizations are helpful but remember :

➢ They are only guides, not recipes! Any generalization holds true or not depending on many contextual factors including time, setting, situation, stakes, history between the parties, nature of the issue, individual preferences, interpersonal dynamics and mood.

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