Cross Cultural Communication

 What is Cross-Cultural Communication?
The phrase cross-cultural communication describes the ability to successfully form, foster, and improve relationships with members of a culture different from one's own. It is based on knowledge of many factors, such as the other culture's values, perceptions, manners, social structure, and decision-making practices, and an understanding of how members of the group communicate--verbally, non-verbally, in person, in writing, and in various business and social contexts, to name but a few.
Like speaking a foreign language or riding a bicycle, cross-cultural communication involves a skill component that may best be learned and mastered through instruction and practice: simply reading about it is not enough.

 Why cross-cultural communication is important?
Communication is an important mean of expressing yourself because it exists different ways of expression and so different kind of communication depending on the culture you belong to the way of communicating will not be the same as other countries and it is important to know some values of other cultures and so of other ways of communicating for, first of all, avoiding some misunderstandings and then knowing better some aspects of different cultures. That is why cross-cultural communication is an essential exercise to do; a person who come from a certain country does not necessarily get the same ideas about time, death, identity, as an other one from a different country because each person has its own identity. Cross-cultural communication is arguably more important today than in any other period of human history. One major consequence of this trend is that future success in most careers will increasingly depend upon an individual’s ability to communicate effectively and appropriately across cultural boundaries. Cross-cultural communication is not limited to learning other languages, but also includes understanding how cultural patterns and core values impact the communication process—even when everyone is speaking English.
Whether it is creating smoothly working project teams; sensitively responding to customers, clients, and markets; or just living and working in a world where everyone has something to say, learning how to communicate cross-culturally is a crucial component that can promote those processes. Realizing that individuals from different cultures will express their thoughts in vastly different ways is a good start. So is developing an awareness of why hearing words alone is not sufficient to discern meaning. Sometimes silence communicates far more than speech. Such things as touching, eye contact and other kinds of “body language” need to be observed and correctly interpreted because nonverbal communication carries important clues about the message the individual is trying to convey. In this rapidly changing world, where cultures and people circulate and interact at dizzying speeds, those people who know how to communicate effectively across cultures, in both personal and professional contexts, will have a crucial advantage over those who do not.  How communicating with someone from another culture was different? Speak in a clear voice, minimizing an accent if possible. Someone from a different culture may have limited communication skills in your native language. Remain patient when someone from a different culture that has trouble understanding you. Repeat your message paraphrasing as needed to get the meaning across. Understand relativism: some things are relative to some particular frame or reference, such as a language or a culture. Understand that people from other cultures might have entirely differently value systems than yours, but still not be explicitly wrong. Give proper personal space: Different cultures have different norms regarding what personal space is public (in which other humans can stand and converse with you) and private (reserved only for your dear ones). For example: Arabians do not share the concept of "personal space" that Americans have. It is considered offensive to step or lean away while talking to an Arab! Make sure you create proper distance between others when you talk. If you're unsure, you can always ask the others what they would like. Do not belittle their religion: Remember, most people believe passionately in their religions, and what strikes you as unreal, may be his constant truth. If you have trouble dealing with it, you may wish to skirt the topic of religion altogether. Learn about their culture: Learn about the greetings, the goodbye rituals, the before-meal ceremonies, the food, and the clothes. If some catch your fancy, you might even try them! This will help you understand people from other cultures. Accept there may be lapses in communication: Even the best communicators fall short when jumping across the vast cultural chasm. Humor and non-defensiveness are the best bridges at such times. Ask: There is no better tool for effective communication. If something strikes you as funny or inappropriate, if you feel the other person is neglecting you or is offended, simply ask him what you can do to remedy the problem. Grievances are like silence- broken when they are spoken out.

 Did cultural differences cross your mind when dealing with someone from a different culture?
For the foreign students, indeed they often feel cultural differences cross their mind when dealing with someone from a different culture. In a cross cultural situation only the first or second question may have been comprehended. Let your listener answer one question at a time. Avoid Negative Questions Many cross cultural communication misunderstandings have been caused by the use of negative questions and answers. In English we answer 'yes' if the answer is affirmative and 'no' if it is negative. In other cultures a 'yes' or 'no' may only be indicating whether the questioner is right or wrong. For example, the response to "Are you not coming?" may be 'yes', meaning 'Yes, I am not coming.' Take Turns Cross cultural communication is enhanced through taking turns to talk, making a point and then listening to the response. Write it Down If you are unsure whether something has been understood write it down and check. This can be useful when using large figures. For example, a billion in the USA is 1,000,000,000,000 while in the UK it is 1,000,000,000. Be Supportive Effective cross cultural communication is in essence about being comfortable. Giving encouragement to those with weak English gives them confidence, support and a trust in you. Check Meanings When communicating across cultures never assume the other party has understood. Be an active listener. Summaries what has been said in order to verify it. This is a very effective way of ensuring accurate cross cultural communication has taken place. Avoid Slang Even the most well educated foreigner will not have a complete knowledge of slang, idioms and sayings. The danger is that the words will be understood but the meaning missed. Watch the humor in many cultures business is taken very seriously. Professionalism and protocol are constantly observed. Many cultures will not appreciate the use of humor and jokes in the business context. When using humor think whether it will be understood in the other culture. For example, British sarcasm usually has a negative effect abroad. Maintain Etiquette Many cultures have certain etiquette when communicating. It is always a good idea to undertake some cross cultural awareness training or at least do some research on the target culture. Cross cultural communication is about dealing with people from other cultures in a way that minimizes misunderstandings and maximizes your potential to create strong cross cultural relationships.

 Conclusion
Cultural differences can cause communication barriers. It is the existence of cultural differences so that the world would be colorful and have communication needs. Mutual respect for each other's culture, to promote mutual understanding and complementarities of the different cultures, so that the national culture to be develops. For the cultural differences, if we are carelessly, can cause misunderstandings. If there is another cultural discrimination, it will cause conflict. So we need to continue learning, learning their way of thinking, feeling their way of learning, sharing with them, and thinking in different words can learn more things.

Reference:
1．East-West Business Strategies (2010) what is Cross-Cultural Communication [Internet] Australia, Available from :< http://www.ewbs.com/descr.html/> [Accessed 24 January 2010]

2．University Of The Pacific(2006)why is cross-cultural communication important?[Internet] Stockton, Available from:https://uop.edu/sis/mair/cross-cultural-communication.htm/ [Accessed 23 January 2010]

3. Ezinearticles (2004) Ten Tips for Cross Cultural Communication [Internet] USA, Available from:http://ezinearticles.com/?Ten-Tips-for-Cross-Cultural-Communication&id=2196/ [Accessed 23 January 2010]

4.Baidu(2009)The importance of cross-cultural communication [Internet] China, Available from:http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/81026993.html/ [Accessed 24 January 2010]