Communication Etiquettes

- A cross cultural perspective

Vivek Sharma 10DM-181, Sumedha Nanda 10DM-159

Suraj Jain 10DM-163, Shweta Arora 10DM-150
Vineet Sehgal 10DM-172, Siddharth Loya 10IB-058
Shashank Shrivastava 10DM-200
 What is culture?
• Provides patterns of acceptable behavior &
beliefs.
• May be based on….
– Nationalitya
– Race and Religion
– Historical Roots
Good Intercultural Communicators
Are….
• Aware values & behaviors
not always “right.”
• Flexible & open to change.
• Sensitive to verbal &
nonverbal behavior.
• Aware of values, beliefs,
practices of other cultures.
• Sensitive to differences
within cultures.
 Cross Cultural Communication

Intercultural Communication is the process of sending and

receiving messages between people whose cultural background
could lead them to interpret verbal and non-verbal signs
differently.
 Importance of Cross Cultural
Communication
• Globalization
• Business Opportunity
• Job Opportunities
• Improves the contribution of employees in a
diverse workforce
• Sharing of views and ideas
• Talent improvisation
• An understanding of diverse market
HIGH CONTEXT VS. LOW CONTEXT
CULTURES
 High-Context Cultures
• Infer information from
message context, rather than
from content.
• Prefer indirectness, • Asian
politeness & ambiguity. • Latin American
• Convey little information • Middle Eastern
explicitly.
• Rely heavily on nonverbal
signs.
 Low-Context Cultures
• Rely more on content
rather than on context.
• Explicitly spell out • European
information. • Scandinavian
• Value directness. • North American
• See indirectness as
manipulative.
• Value written word more than
oral statements.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
 Language as a Barrier
• Increase in multicultural interactions

• Organizations communicate with large

number of Non- English speaking people.

• Increased Global contacts through e-mails, e-

commerce, offshoring etc. increase language
barriers
A few Examples :
 Good Practices
• Identify and adapt to language differences
• Alter language and word usage to avoid
language that offends someone
• Be sensitive to others’ beliefs
• Respect and understand the technical errors
in the communication by people using
English as second language
 Writing for a Global Audience
• Learn a few basic phrases

• Use your normal way to express content

• Consider receiver’s preferred style of

communication
– High Context
– Low Context
 Writing for a Global Audience-
EMail
• Be brief and polite

• Include words or greetings to maintain good

relationships

• Use good conventions of English

• Be technically correct in language structure

according to what is taught in home country
 VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
• Written forms appear as notes,
business letters and personal letters
Written Forms
• Direct towards large group of people
Public Speaking
• Convey an idea in a way
understandable to all
• Friends, employee and superior, co- Communication
workers Interpersonal
• Vary based on the social setting
Forms of Verbal Communication
Forms of Verbal Communication

Direct Vs Elaborate Vs
Indirect Succinct

Instrumenta
Personal Vs
l Vs
Contextual
Affective
 Verbal Etiquette
• Proper introduction
• Addressing people in business settings
– Superiors
– Colleagues
– Subordinates
– Clients and Customers
• Tone and Tempo
 Telephone Etiquettes
• The First Basic - Answer the Ring
• Greet the caller
• Smile
• Give your name
• Take Notes
• Provide the speaker cue that you are listening – use
of sound like “hmm” etc.
• Ask permission before putting the caller on hold
• Don’t listen in on coworker’s phone conversations
Five qualities are required to
achieve outstanding verbal
delivery

PACE PITCH TONE

VOLUME ARTICULATION
NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION
 Case In point – Eye Contact

In some cultures, looking people in the eye is assumed to

indicate honesty and straightforwardness; in others it is seen as
challenging and rude.
 USA=OK JAPAN=MONEY

RUSSIA=ZERO BRAZIL=INSULT
How the same gestures can be treated
differently in different cultures . . .
 Gestures – Around the World

Argentina - “Do you have a telephone ?”

Brazil - Cuckold (“Your wife is cheating on you.”)
USA - Sign for the Texas Long Horns
 Conclusion
• Think Before You Speak
• Speak Clearly
• Consider Volume and Tone
• Make Eye Contact
• Use Appropriate Body Language
 Vivek Sharma, Sumedha Nanda, Suraj Jain,
Shweta Arora, Vineet Sehgal, Siddharth Loya,
Shashank Shrivastav