CULTURE AND

COMMUNICATION
Presented by-
Amol Nagap
Shivam Gujarathi
Ravi Chaurasia
Ashwini Shetty
Khusboo Kumthekar
Gaurav Ingle
Shubhankar Brahma
 WHAT IS CULTURE???
Cambridge English Dictionary states
that culture is "the way of life,
especially the general customs and
beliefs, of a particular group of people
at a particular time.
COMMUNICATION?

Communication is the
act or process of
using words, sounds,
signs, or behaviors to
express or exchange
information or to
express your ideas,
thoughts, feelings,
etc., to someone else.
COMBINE BOTH???
 CROSS-CULTURE
COMMUNICATION
Cross-cultural
communication is a
field of study that
looks at how people
from differing
cultural backgrounds
communicate, in
similar and different
ways among
themselves.
CROSS-CULTURE COMMUNICATION
IN BUSINESS
Be proactive. Start by focusing on
creating trustful partnerships, not on
the business at hand.
Use some cultural rapport. Adapt your
marketing material and business
approach as needed.
Organize productive interactions that
ensure a win-win for all parties.
Develop strategies for relationships
and business cycles based on
appropriate levels of formality,
business hierarchy and timing.
Learn the dos and donts of the
country and cultures with which youre
partnering. In short, be well prepared.
 IMPORTANCE
Common Ground- When a company engages in cross-cultural communication,
the first thing to establish is the common ground with the new business
partner. This can help the two sides to establish a productive dialogue that
will enhance the business relationship.
Information Context- Developing the proper informational context is
critical when communicating with a new business partner, and it begins by
understanding the work culture of your business partner and how information
is processed.
Trust- When a new business partner takes the time and effort to establish
good cross-cultural communication, it helps to elevate the level of trust and
respect between the two partners. Respect for other companies' business
processes is critical in establishing an efficient work relationship.
Quality- The quality of the information improves when it is delivered in a
manner that each company is accustomed to. Not only does the quality of the
information passed between the two companies improve, but the quality of
the relationship with clients and other vendors that are affected by the
relationship also improves.
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
 COMMUNICATION BARRIERS!
Physical
Perceptual
Emotional
Cultural
Language
Gender
Interpersonal
1. Physical
Physical barrier is the
environmental and natural
condition that act as a
barrier in communication
in sending message from
sender to receiver.
Organizational
environment or interior
workspace design
problems, technological
problems and noise are the
parts of physical barriers.
 2. Perceptual
Perceptual barriers of
communication are internal
barriers that occur within a
person's mind when the person
believes or perceives that the
other person that they are
going to speak with will not
understand or be interested in
what they have to say.
Perpetual barriers often cause
communication problems
because the language employed
by the person with the
perceptual barrier is often
sarcastic, dismissive or obtuse.
3. Emotional
"Emotional barriers" are
emotional factors that
impede a speaker's ability
to deliver a clear message
or a receiver's ability to
hear a message effectively.
Common emotions, such as
anger, love, joy,
frustration, disappointment
and sadness can all create
emotional barriers that
negatively affect
communication.
 4. Cultural
Whether in a university
or the workplace, it is
common to face barriers
or challenges to
effective cross-cultural
communication.
Language and behavior,
like body language, can
cause confusion between
two people from
different places or
cultures.
5. Language
Language barrier is a
figurative phrase used
primarily to indicate the
difficulties faced when
people who have no
language in common
attempt to communicate
with each other. It may
also be used in other
contexts.
So its better to watch
your tongue!!!
 6. Gender
It is estimated that
women generally speak
around 22,000 to
25,000 words per day as
compared to men talking
between 7,000 to 10,000
words per day!!!
Men normally talk in a
logical manner whereas
women mix emotions and
logic altogether.
7. Interpersonal
Interpersonal barriers occur
due to the inappropriate
transaction of words
between two or more people.

The two broad categories

into which this barrier can
be classified are:
*Inefficiency in
communication skills

*Negative aspect nurturing

in the climate.
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

VERBAL NON-VERBAL
1. VERBAL

Meetings
Presentations
Lectures
Workshops
Conversations
 2. N0N-VERBAL
Facial Expressions
Gestures
Paralinguistics
Body Language and
Postures
Proxemics
Eye Gaze
Haptics
Appearance
Objects and Images
a) Facial
Expressions

Consider how much

information can be
conveyed with a smile or a
frown.
The look on a person's
face is often the first
thing we see, even before
we hear what they have to
say.
b) Gestures

Deliberate movements
and signals are an
important way to
communicate meaning
without words.
Common gestures
include waving,
pointing, and using
fingers to indicate
numeric amounts.
 BEWARE!!!
Different gestures mean different things in different
countries.
THUMBS UP is a widely recognized sign of approval or
agreement is actually used as an insult in Bangladesh.
In certain parts of the Middle East, thumbs-up is
definitely a highly offensive thumbs-down.
In USA the horn fingers is adopted by rockers and
it is a sign of approval, rock on! But in some countries
like Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Spain, Italy and
Portugal, to make this sign at someone is to tell them
that their spouse is cheating on them!
c) Paralinguistics
Paralinguistics refers to
vocal communication that
is separate from actual
language.
This includes factors
such as tone of voice,
loudness, inflection and
pitch.
Consider the powerful
effect that tone of voice
can have on the meaning
of a sentence.
When said in a strong
tone of voice, listeners
might interpret approval
and enthusiasm.
d) Body Language
& Postures

Posture and movement

can also convey a great
deal on information.
These nonverbal
behaviors can indicate
feelings and attitudes.
Research suggests
that body language is
far more subtle and
less definitive that
previously believed.
e) Proxemics
People often refer to
their need for "personal
space," which is also an
important type of
nonverbal communication.
The amount of distance
we need and the amount
of space we perceive as
belonging to us is
influenced by a number of
factors including social
norms, cultural
expectations, situational
factors, personality
characteristics, and level
of familiarity.
f) Eye Gaze g) Haptics

The eyes play an important

role in nonverbal
communication and such
things as looking, staring and
blinking are important
nonverbal behaviors.
Communicating through touch
is another important
nonverbal behavior.
h) Appearance

Our choice of color,

clothing, hairstyles,
and other factors
affecting appearance
are also considered a
means of nonverbal
communication.
Appearance can also
alter physiological
reactions, judgments,
and interpretations.
 IMPACT OF CULTURE ON
COMMUNICATION
Culture is one of the factors that
determine the way people think, act and
interact; and it is composed of many
layers. Some of them are obvious, such as
customs, arts, food and celebrations.
Others, such as social status, body
language, social interaction, sense of
humor, concept of time, or even the
definition of insanity, arent as noticeable.
 ICEBERG CONCEPT
The iceberg is often used as a metaphor to define culture: the
external part directly visible above the waterline, with the
much larger part hidden under the surface. Doing business with
foreigners is about understanding this hidden part of their
underlying culture.
Every country has a specific inherent culture, which can vary
from one region to another.
High-context cultures, which include many Asian, South
American and African countries, value society and collectivity.
Group harmony and intuition are important concepts. Context is
more valuable than words themselves, and much of the meaning
of speech is implied. Body language, eye behavior and even the
use of silence are valued means of communication.
 In low-context cultures, however, facts, descriptions and
precision of words are considered a lot more important than
context. Logic is also given more credit than intuition and
society tends to be individualistic. It is customary to speak out
and explain ones point of view in detail.
Doing business with foreigners is particularly delicate: It can
differ from one culture to another and what is customary in one
country could be considered extremely rude in another one
needs to be aware of the other persons culture when a
transaction is at stake.
 CONCLUSION
Effective cross-cultural communication is a
vital skill for international and domestic
managers of multi cultural work forces
because miscommunication is much more likely
to occur among people from different
countries or racial backgrounds than among
those from similar background. So it is
important to be alert about how culture is
reflected in communication.
Thank you!!!