Inter-cultural Communication

Communicating Across Cultures in the Classroom Contexts : 

Communicating Across Cultures in the Classroom Contexts Global Initiative Forum for Future Teachers (GIFT) Office for International Students & Scholars College of Education

Why Are We Here? : 

Why Are We Here? MSU continues to go international This means more contact with “others” Cross-cultural communication skills are needed in order to communicate effectively with “others”

Implications for the Classroom : 

Implications for the Classroom As classrooms become increasingly culturally diverse, cross-cultural communication becomes increasingly important. 40% of public school students are classified as minority students. Even among non-minority students, various cultures do exist. Cross-cultural communication has become extremely prevalent.

Cultural Assumptions and Perceptions : 

Cultural Assumptions and Perceptions We all have lenses Some cultural assumptions in the US include: Everyone is equal Informality is good Change is preferred over tradition Direct communication is good

Sources of Misunderstandings : 

Sources of Misunderstandings Language Non-verbal signals Cultural Values Expectations of behavior Etc.

Anxieties : 

Anxieties Fear of offending Fear of revealing ignorance Fear of being misunderstood Fear of conflict

CautionStereotypes vs. Generalizations : 

CautionStereotypes vs. Generalizations

Leveraging Your Intercultural Experience Making Cultural Generalizations : 

Leveraging Your Intercultural Experience Making Cultural Generalizations Distributions Individualism Collectivism Japan US Deviants

Culture : 

Culture Every day we meet people from different cultures We live it and we are surrounded by it People are different and carry with them learned and shared values, beliefs, ways of thinking and behaviors “Where are you from?” Easy to make assumptions

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What people create The artifacts and visions Clothing, personal distance, gestures, degree of eye contact, accent Psychological features: values & beliefs, ways of thinking Rules of politeness, views on social hierarchy and respect, views on equality, religious beliefs

Understanding Culture : 

Understanding Culture We interpret what we see as we would in our own culture, but the actual meaning may be quite different Does not mean we need to change our culture and adapt to another one… Sense of awareness that things may be different for different people Refrain from judging too quickly.

The Form : 

The Form Not able to automatically interpret the form Ambiguity  uncertainty  guess Make assumptions based on what you already know

Values : 

Values Individualist Societies “I” Idea of the self is separate from groups Freedom, honesty, social recognition Collectivist Societies “We” Idea of self is collective Harmony, face saving, duty towards parents, modesty, fulfillment of others’ needs

Communication : 

Communication People have different styles of communication May take us a while to figure out how people are giving and receiving messages Reflects cultural identity Language is a carrier of culture

High-Context Versus Low-Context Communication in the Classroom : 

High-Context Versus Low-Context Communication in the Classroom High-context (circular communication) students may struggle in low-context (direct communication) classrooms. Most American classes are predicted on low-context exchanges. Teachers are expected to be clear, direct, explicit, and linear with their instructions and expectations. Students are expected to be clear, direct, explicit, and linear with their answers. (Powell, Caseau)

Communication - Styles : 

Communication - Styles DIRECT (linear) “What you see is what you get” More verbal and explicit Clarity of communication 1. It is alright to say “I disagree” to your professor in class2. If you want something, it’s best to come out and ask for it.3. The message is more important than the status of who communicated it.

Communication - Styles : 

Communication - Styles INDIRECT (circular) “What you get is what you manage to see” More attention to situation Not much talk, more non-verbal 1. People have a hard time saying no2. Hinting at something is an effective way of getting your points across 3. Use of intermediaries or go-betweens

Communication - Nonverbal : 

Communication - Nonverbal “Less than 10% of the meaning of what we are communicating is from the actual spoken words.” A. Mehrabian Gestures, eye contact, physical distance, touch, facial expressions Be more observant – nonverbals are different across cultures

Power Distance in the Classroom : 

Power Distance in the Classroom Power distance is concerned with the way in which status differences are ascribed and negotiated. Some cultures tend to believe that power should be distributed, and everyone should have an equal opportunity to possess it. Other cultures believe that power should be held by only a select few. In the classroom, it is important to keep a balance of these two beliefs to ensure that all students receive equal opportunity to get a good education.

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PERCEPTIONS : 

PERCEPTIONS What you see is not always what you get…. Symbols Interactions Can have different or opposite meanings in different cultures

ActivityShare your stories of an interesting cross-cultural encounter – Small Group : 

ActivityShare your stories of an interesting cross-cultural encounter – Small Group What happened? What surprised you? How did you react to the communication? Report back to the group If this was a miscommunication, how did you resolve it.

ActivityCross-cultural encounter – Debrief : 

ActivityCross-cultural encounter – Debrief Share at least one tip for better Intercultural Communication and present it to the group Think of at least one thing you’d do to be a better intercultural communicator/mentor who can serve diverse population of students and present it to the group.

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Tips for Intercultural Communication

Tips for Intercultural Comm. : 

Tips for Intercultural Comm. The first days in a new environment are confusing for all students. Please be flexible, tolerant and patient to understand the addition needs of international students. When facing a communication barrier, speak slower, not louder. Allow pauses and write things down. International students may not understand immediately and will be able to refer to it later if it is in writing. Use handouts, visual aids and gestures. Pointing something out on a map can help with communication.

Tips cont. : 

Tips cont. International students might not know what title to cal you or if it is appropriate to use first names. Be explicit with how they should refer to you. Ask about them; their name, where they are from, and their travel experiences to arrive here. Use simple language. Avoid idioms, jargon and slang. Listen actively

Tips cont. : 

Tips cont. Try to withhold judgment about behaviors that appear unfamiliar to you. It can be easy to misinterpret non-verbal cues such as gestures, eye contact, and greeting rituals. Learning from our encounter with different cultures is a great opportunity. Like an iceberg in which we can see only the smallest part of the whole thing, so much of culture is beneath the surface of our awareness. We have many behaviors and beliefs that we take for granted and others may not share them

Tips cont. : 

Tips cont. Paraphrase of check for understanding. Repeat and recap as needed. Smile! It is validating. Understand that they might be feeling a lot of stress. No one likes to feel like a stranger and feel unable to communicate or fit into an environment. Be careful about your use of humor. It is often difficult to understand jokes outside your own culture.

Solutions to Cross-Cultural Communication issues in the Classroom : 

Solutions to Cross-Cultural Communication issues in the Classroom Above all, it is important to always keep an open mind about different cultures and their communication styles. Having a closed mind to change and flexibility (even unintentionally) could mean accidentally leaving behind a student whose communication style isn’t conducive to success in a particular classroom environment. As educators, it is our responsibility to cater to the needs of our students to ensure that everyone receives a quality education and is in the best place possible to proceed on in their life.

Q & A : 

Thank you for your participation! Q & A