Lec 6 Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is communication?
Process of transferring meanings from sender to receiver
Advent of the telephone, Internet, and personal communication devices has influenced the way people communicate (Is communication more effective now?)
Types - Verbal or nonverbal
communication process
sender (meaning encode) –> medium(message) –>receiver(decode meaning) ; feedback to sender
–> all three parts are influenced by noise and culture
verbal communication styles + context
context–> key role in explaining many communicaiton differences
Context: Information that surrounds a communication and helps convey the message
High-context societies
Messages are often highly coded and implicit (Japan, Arab countries) –> appreciate hard work, looking forward to work together in future blbla
Low-context societies
Messages are often explicit and speaker says precisely what s/he means (U.S., Canada) -> youre fired
indirect and direct style
Messages are implicit and indirect
Voice intonation, timing, facial expressions play important roles in conveying information
High-context cultures -
Low-context cultures -
People often meet only to accomplish objectives
Direct and focused in their communications
Degrees of Communication Quantity
Elaborate style
- Most popular in high-context cultures that have a
moderate degree of uncertainty avoidance
Widely used in Arabic countries
Involves talking, detailed descriptions, and repetition
Exacting style
- Focuses on precision and use of the right amount of words to convey message
More common in low-context, low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures
Used in England, Germany, and Sweden, etc.
Succinct style
More common in high-context cultures with considerable uncertainty avoidance
People say few words and allow understatements, pauses, and silence to convey meaning
Most common in Asia
Contextual Styles vs Personal styles
Contextual Styles
- Focus on the speaker and the relationship of parties
- Associated with high-power-distance, collective, and high-context cultures
- Speakers choose words that indicate their status relative to the status of the others’
Personal Styles
-Focus on the speaker and the reduction of barriers between the parties
-More popular in low-power-distance,
individualistic, and low-context cultures
-Speaker uses first names while addressing others
Affective Styles vs. Instrumental Styles
Affective styles
- Characterized by language that requires the listener to carefully note what is said and to observe how the message is presented
- Meaning is conveyed nonverbally and requires the receiver to use intuitive skills to decipher the message
- Common in collective, high-context cultures
- ->Middle East, Latin America, and Asia
Instrumental styles
- Goal-oriented
- Focuses on the sender who clearly lets the other party know what s/he wants the other party to know
- Found in individualistic, low-context cultures
- ->Switzerland, Denmark, United States
Definition + Purpose of Downward Communication
Transmission of information from manager to subordinate
Purpose: Convey (befördern) orders or information
- ->Managers use this channel for instructions and performance feedback
- ->Channel facilitates the flow of information to those who need it for operational purposes
- ->Sending mixed signals is never helpful in communication
Challenges posed by downward communication in an international context
Communication is direct and extends beyond business matters in European countries
Communication is less direct in Asian countries
Definition + Purpose: Upward Communication
Transfer of information from subordinate to superior
Purpose–> Provide feedback, ask questions, or obtain assistance from higher-level management
->Upward communication is not popular outside Asian countries
language barries in internation communications
Knowledge of the language used at the headquarters of an MNC is essential for personnel placed in a foreign assignment
Fluency, technical knowledge, and writing skills
Misinterpretations often result from unskilled use of a language
Inadequate language training
Geographic, cultural, and institutional distance challenge international managers
Native speakers might deviate (abweichen) from the standard business communication practices of other cultures
Perceptual Barriers
Perception
->Person’s view of reality
Advertising messages
->Misunderstandings caused when words are misinterpreted by others
View of others
- > May be different from what one thinks
- > Perceptions influence how individuals see others
Definition+types of Nonverbal Communication
Transfer of meaning through means such as body language and use of physical space
Types:
- > Kinesics
- > Proxemics
- > Chronemics
- > Chromatics
Kinesics communication
body movement and facial expression
Areas of concern - Eye contact, posture, and gestures
Oculesics: Area of communicating through the use of eye contact and gaze
Haptics: Communicating through the use of bodily contact
Proxemics communication
Study of the way people use physical space to convey messages
Intimate distance: Used for very confidential communications
Personal distance: Used for talking with family and close friends
Social distance: Used to handle most business transactions
Public distance: Used when calling across room or giving a talk to a group
Chronemics communication
Way in which time is used in a culture
Types:
->Monochronic time schedule: Things done in linear fashion
Used in societies which consider time schedules important and time to be a controllable factor that needs to be used wisely
->Polychronic time schedule: Several things are done at the same time
Place higher value on personal involvement than on getting things done on time
Consider personal relationships more important than time schedules
Chromatics communication
use of colour to communicate messages
–> knowing the importance and the specifc use of chromatics helps avoid embarassing situations
Achieving Communication Effectiveness
Open feedback systems
- ->Personal - Face-to-face, phone, or e-mail
- ->Impersonal - Reports, budgets, or plans
Provide language training
- ->Non-native speakers of English need to be provided training to aid them in making face-to-face conversations and telephonic conversations
- ->Written communication is important in achieving effectiveness
–>Provide cultural training
At least one party has to understand the other’s culture
Increase flexibility and cooperation
–>Improves effectiveness in communication and understanding + cooperation
Negotiation - definition
Process of bargaining with one or more parties to arrive at a solution that is acceptable to all
Follows assessing political environments (folgt der bewertung des politischen umfelds)
Used in creating joint ventures with local firms
–>Once a firm starts operating, additional areas of negotiation are included
Types of Negotiations
Distributive negotiation: Occurs when two parties with opposing goals compete over a set value char
Integrative negotiation: Involves cooperation between two groups to integrate interests, create value, and invest in an agreement
characteristic distributive negotiation
- claim max value
- individul selfish benefit
- divergent interests
- short term
- win-lose
characteristic integrative negotiation
- create and claim values
- group cooperative benefit
- overlapping interests
- long term
- win
negotiation process
Planning
–>Involves identifying objectives, exploring options to attain objectives, and finding areas of common ground between parties
Interpersonal relationship building
–>Getting to know people on the other side
Exchanging task-related information
–>Parties setting forth its position on critical issues
Persuasion
–>Success of a negotiation depends on:
Understanding each parties’ position
Identifying areas of similarity and difference
Creating new options
Working toward a solution
Agreement
->Granting of concessions(erteilung von konzessionen) and hammering(ausarbeiten) out of a final agreement
Understanding Cultural Differences
Counterpart’s home culture should not be identified too quickly
Western bias(vorurteile) toward doing should be approached with caution
Tendency to formulate simple, consistent, and stable images should be counteracted
Significance of all aspects of the culture should not be assumed to be equal
Differences might exist between the norms for interactions involving outsiders and between the compatriots
Familiarity with counterpart’s culture should not be overestimated
