Aims

. To show that gender can have an impact on communication style. m

. To identify sources of potential conflict when different styles meet. lll
el
Procedure Outcomes
I Ask students to reflect on conversations which 'fhe most common
categorisatiot-i is:
they have had with people in the past. Ask them I Afeminine, B masculine
what nrakes a successful conversation, and why 2 A masculine, B ferlinine
sorne conversations are not successful. Ask if 3 A ferninine, B masculine
they think mixed groups of men and women 4 A feminine, B masculine
have more difficuJry than single-gender groups.
A successful conversation requires listening,
If so, why? This could r,rgg".ithu"t each fenalr
shorving respect, shor,r,ing understanding and
has a different style of communication. TU to
interest, sympathising and turn taking. Body
avoid stereotlping by explaining that'masculine'
langtrage, facial exitression and e\/e contact are aiso
and 'feminine' refer to st1,ls5 of communicating
very in'rportant.
rather than to a division between the sexes.
Mamy people h.ave a blend of tlrese two sets of Breakdorvn s i lt ei l'ecti ve cr.r mr nunicati otr occu r
characteristics. bc:clt rrse:

Z Check that students understand the intloduction I A is cooperating, consulting, reconciling; B is

aird tbur dialoguc.s, and erplain that in task l co rr tcsti t'r g, {-'o t.recti u g, cl-r a} len gin g.
thev have to icientifl,inr]"riclt of the speakets ir-r A is cl-rallenging; B is cnqr_riring, ernpatl"rising.
each iiialogue has a r.nore masculine st1.le and 3 r\ is asking; B is directrtrg, ordering.
r,vhich a more feminiire one. Ask them to do the 4 A is asking, cornntunicating, enquiring; B is
activitv in pairs or small groups, then compare corrpetit-ls, infonning, contesting.
answers and discuss the results.
t Explain task 2: to identifi, the main differences in Development
style of the two characters. Students may use Ask for more examples of the kind of breakdown
their ou.n nrords, but those given in Outcomes shor,r.n in these dialogues, from life and from
could be given as examples. fiction. Ask students to rephrase the dialogues so
that more positive communication results.

Linked activities
2.3,2.5,6.t

Funh*r reaCing
For tl-re eff'ects of gender on communication, see
Gender and Discourse, by Deborah Tannen, 19g6,
Oxford: Oxford Universitv press.

,a
t$ I
I
I
 Gender and communication
I reople with very different communication styles often have difficulty developing a a
o
-eal understanding. TWo styles which can produce conflict come from so-called o_
I
nasculine' and 'feminine' cultures. The terms do not necessarily relate to all men o
0)
tI to be typical of o
=rd all women, but are used to denote characteristics often seen a
t =ach gender. 1l
(s
I =ead the following dialogues. a
o
'1 ldentify A and B as 'masculine' or'feminine'. o.
{ ,X
il
2 Summarise the difference in approach of the two people. N
I
3
I 4x

A: There's o good film on television this ,' . A' Whot time do we take off tomorrow?
{ evening, it's obout o mod doctor. i r g, Be reody by 10.30. E

fta*?/.=i / J
(I
eccenl nc.
! A: There wos o good review of it in the
newspoper yesterdcry. A
+
! B: It nros on Mondoy. I remember, I reod '

it on the troin. ,A.: ... ond what do you do?

!
A: It sounds quite interesting. . . B: I'm o product deveiopment monoger,
I B: Yes, not quite so good os thot one we working moinly in the oreo of
sow obout ghosts lost week. beorings for the outomotive industry.
I
I'm responsible for development
{ , whot we usuolly see, thot will be nice. i worldwide, so I trovel quite o lot,
Reolly? I thought we sow o film obout t' especiolly in south-eost Asio. How
,' B:
il
0 mod doctor just o few weeks ogo. ) obout you?
': _/
l.

't-.4.*^-/--- A: I'm o journolist. l

il
B: Oh, my brother's o journolist, he's
,
i

freelance, but he works o Iot for the 'i,

2
. ----.-.-.,*-], New York Herold. He's done thot for i
\ Morning. quite o few yeors now ...
I

A:
-..r*.1r-; j I

) B: Morning, how ore you feeling todoy? i

A. Oh, that sounds interesting. i

A' I'* oK. \{hy do you osk? B: Yes, it is, but it hos its boring moments. i'
.' ',
I could hove been o iournolist too, but ')
I was good ot engineering ... ,

- -_-.,....-. _ _)

iercu!turalResourcePackoCambridgeUniversityPreSS2OO4@
 Aims
. To show how ceftain physical actions are more acceptable than others in different cultures. El
. To define what is and is not acceptable in different situations.
il

Procedure Outcomes ti

I Ask students to think of certain physical actions Encourage students to consider whether the Et

which annoy them, such as people r.tho speak actions can be divided into three groups:
Ioudly, or gesticulate excessively, or stand close . generally unacceptable, such as yawning q
to you when they speak. Discuss whether the . generally acceptable, such as nodding your head E
same actions are annoying to everyone, and . variable, depending on how you do it, such as \l
whether they would be more acceptable in some hands on hips.
q
cultures than in others. You may aiso conSider
This will not necessarily bring consensus, but will
the attitudes of people from other cultural encourage experimentation and discussion. !,
\]
backgrounds to greetings, such as handshakes,
bor,',s, kisses and hugs.
2 lntroduce task l, cl-reckir-rg understauding of the
Development q

actions ar-rd of the instructions. Working in pairs Strrclents could be encouraged tri thir-rk about rvirat q
or small groups, encourage stucients to agree on actions are gcnerally consiriered unacceptable in
one response, rather lhan say'lt depends'. their r-ntlr countr\r. This could lead to a discussion n

of possible taboos, srich as the discussion of death,

t
Encourage them also to girre graphic exanrples oI
r,vhat is or is not acceptable, such as a gentle arrd cannibalisnr, or incest, zurd horv these are !
t
an over-r.igorous scratch of the Jread. This should changir rg.
provide some light relief. Sludents could also consider and discuss r,i&ether i
3 Move on to task 2 and ask for feedback and there are any actions in their country which are T
encourage cornparison and discussion. acceptable for men but not for r,rlomen.
4 If the question has not aheady arisen, ask the i
class rvhether their answers would be different if Linked aciivities
they were referring to an informal situation such 5.5,6.12 I
as a group of friends at a social gathering. This
would help to show that rvithin the same Fufther reading t
national culture there can be enormously
different norms for different social settings. For an amusing survey of body language across the I
globe, see
Gestures: The Do's and Taboos of Body Language I
Around theWorld, by Roger Axtell, 1997, NewYork:
Iohn Wiley.
fl|rI
,,rr1 Body language
Different physical signals m€an different things to different people, depending on a
c)
L
factors such as nationality, status and situation.
=
o
1 Look at the list of physical actions below. Put the appropriate number in the box E
to say if in your national culture they are: o
F(d
1 - perfectly acceptable 2 = just about acceptable -
3 = urocceptable in a formal situation such as a business meeting {J,l

2 Choose a culture other than your own and decide which of the actions would be =
F
in a different category. o
t-
(L
cf)

c laughing loudly T
@ scratching your head I
e touching sornebody on the arm as
you speak to them
u
@ looking sornebody straight in the
eye for 5 seconds or more
T
c sitting with your legs wide aPad T
@ adjusting your clothing: tie, bra,
trouser belt
u
@ moving close to someone n
@ standing with hands on hiPs u
o crossing your arms u
@ putting youlfeet on the table T
@ not looking at someone when You
speak to them
n
@ yawning tr
@ whispering to a colleague n
@ nodding your head emPhaticallY l
@ blowing your nose I
@ smoking n

Intercultural Resource Pack@ Cambridge University Press 2004 3il#+'ffitl

 F
Aims
. To focus on the role that gender plays in defining cultures.
. To identify some gender characteristics.
E

Procedure Outcomes E

I The role of gender in society is a big and
potenrially controversial topic. Try to Iimit the
scope of this activity by focusing on
communication, and by explaining that
'masculine' and'feminine' are labels used to
identify two broad clusters of characteristicg
rather than to desctibe the'way all m'en and all
women communicate. Open up discussion by
asking students what they understand by the two
The following division is offered merely as a E
guideline draltm from a mainly British or European
standpoint: there is obviously scope for different
interpretations of some of the words. For example,
cooperating could be seen as a strong element of E
male teamwork or as an important part of female
supportive collaboration. The important thing is E
that students form a clear idea of choices and
variety in communicating styles. E

terms when applied to communicating styles;

f:cminine Masculine
2 The first trvo paragraphs should help summarise ;\dvising Challenging
i
this discussion. Make sure thc list in task I is Alfiliating Corirpetine F
clearlv understood, and ask students to rtiork in Asking
I
Contestii'rg
groups to separate them into the predominantly Oomntunicnting Corr-ectir-rg
I
mascuIine an d p redominantly fet-r-r i nine. Lixplain Oorrfirrrrirrg Criricising
that there is no absolutely'correct' division Oonsr-rlting Directing
(some of the ltords lnay be interpreted in fiooperating Ilunlliating
different lvalis) but that cel'tain trends may Ernpatirisirrg hrforming
appear. Compare results through a spokesperson Enquiring Ordering
from each group, and discuss how far they Networking Protesting
conform to a regular pattern. If desired, copy the Reconciling Reacting
Iist in Outcomes onto the board or flipchart or Sharing Solving I
onto an overhead transparency. Compare this list
with theirs and discuss any differences. t
Development
3 Depending on the students in your class, decide
nith them whether they should discuss national There is a considerable body of specialist and t
or corporate culture in tasks 2 and 3. Students popular literature on this subject, on which most
should work in pairs or small groups and try to people have strong opinions. Discussion should
decide in genera_l terms whether the culture in follow quite easily, and one of your main roles may
question is predominantly masculine or be to contain it within the confines described
feminine, based on the qualities suggested above.
above, and whether they would prefer it to be
otherwise. Ask a spokesperson from each group Linked activities
I
to describe results, and encourage discussion. 2.4,2.5,6.3, 6.9
I
Fi.irther reading
t
See chapter 4 ('He, she and (s)he') for
background
on the cultural constructs of masculinity and
femininity in
Cultures and Organizations: Sofiware of the Mind,
by Geert Hofstede and Gert Jan Hofsted e,2004
Third Millennium Edition, New york: McGraw_Hill.
 Gender
Gender can play a fundamental role in defining the identity of an individual o
o
or the culture of a group. a
o
Certain companies or groups are said to have characteristics which are E
o
predominantly masculine or predominantly feminine..These characteristics tend a
T
to be based on a general view of the roles of men and women, rather than the E
(u
E notion that 'men/women always do this'. U'
o
E 1 Based on your own feeling for what is 'masculine' and what is 'feminine', F
$t
divide the following actions or characteristics into those you would describe
E
as predominantly masculine and those you would describe as predominantly
I .feminine. Put M or F by each one.

F
1
F Advising e Directing n
i
I
I

I
AffiIiating fI Empathising tr l
1

t
Asking n Enquiring C i
)

Challenging n Humiliating tr i

E
Communicating tr Informing tr i

tr Networking tr
''

E
Competing
E Confirming n Ordering D
F
Consulting tr Protesting n
E
Contesting tr Reacting fl
t
Cooperating tr Reconciling tr
Correcting tI Sharing tl
E
Criticising tr Solving tr
t

I
2 Would you describe your own culture (national or corporate) as
r predominantly masculine or predominantly feminine?
E
3 Which of the above characteristics would you wish to be more evident, and
which less evident in your own organisation?

lntercuttura! ResourcePack O Cambridge University Press 2004 @@l

 Aims
. E1
To examine differing communication styles within multicultural teams.
. To practise dealing with these differing styles. Er
*l
FI
*,1
Procedure Outcomes
In task I, responses will vary, but usually at least E
I Ask students for any examples of occasions l
when, in a multicultural group, theyhave been ' one response will seem more sensible than the
surprised by what a colleague has said, or how others. In task 2, aspects of behaviour will also be I

brought in.
=
they h2vs behaved. There should be no shortage
F
of examples, some of them humorous.
2 In task 1, ask pairs or groups to read the cases, Development E
discussing and if possible agreeing on, their Allorv discussion to develop into areas of flexibility
choice of the best reply. Jhglg is again scope for and tolerance, and how these characteristics can s
humour here, perhaps lr,ith some mimicry of the contribute to good relationships, even if they are
more inappropriate responses. Collect feedback E
difficr-rlt to achieve.
and see if there is an1' degree of agreeinent'
Itr',
3 N4or,e ou to task 2. Collect respollses ar-rd discuss l*inked activities
the adr,antages and disad','antages of eaci-i. E:
i.9, 2.6, 3.2, 4.8, s.5, 6.3, 6.I 1
Stuclents could be encouraged to role-play some
of tl're situatiot'rs, rnririch again olfer scope krr
hurnour. [-r] t1 ll'=-:l' r eaCillg E:

Iror n-iore irrfbrn-ration ou the role of culture it-t E

specific business situatiot'ts, see part III, 'Busir-ress
Comr-nunication', oi g
I nt ercultural B us i ne s s Co tttttt.un ic ati o tt, by Robert
Gibson, 2002, Oxford: Oxford Universiff Press.
5
L

8
E

fr

{,

6
g

{.

F.

E
 Cultural dilemmas
a
i
The following situations arb'exqmples of what can happen E
within a multicultural team: gJ
I J
o
o.
1 lmagine you are a member of the team, and select the reply J

you find most aPProPriate. I(r)

c,)
Together with a colleague, you are visiting Together with a colleague, You are -
, ;, making a sales visit to an imporlant
=
i' a client in Rio de |aneiro. You have been o
l-
waiting in reception for 4 5 minutes. Your customer. Your colleague turns up dressed (L
colleague is angry and gets up to leave' casually (trousers and sweater). You are r,
You saY: dressed formally. You comment:

a Sit down this minute. n a You look very casual. T

b Perhaps we should wait a
little longer. He maY turn
up eventualiY.
See you back at the hotel.
lii It's 11.30 pm oll a Sunday. You receive a
.".f"
pltotte call lrom a colleague cottcerning
z:i:,1:
E b They're quite formal around here, T
you know.
T
c We normally dress uP for
important customers. Do You
think it'[ be OK if You go like that?
At a team meeting, one of Your
Scandinaviatr colleagues who you kt-tow

next ureek's team meetilrg. You say:

r:l
Hello, nlce to sPeak to 1zsi;.
What's the problem?
it's rather late for this, isn't it? L-r
But what can I do for You?
TIris is lar loo late to riug me' n a Please listen, won't You?
has some very good product development
ideas, fails to speak because Italian and
French colleagues don't give her lhe
opportunity. You saY to the latter:
chance
:l
b Let's give sornebody else a
I

One of your colleagues receives a phone to speak.

call, but soon puts the receiver down in c I think Annika might have [l
disgust, because his Greek colleague on something to say.
the other end 'speaks such bad English I
haven't a clue what he's talking about'.
You reply:
a Yes, terrible, isn't it?
b Yes, I know he's difflcult to
understand, but his English is better
than my Greek. Shall l talk to him?
That's a narrow-minded attitude. tr

2 lmagine a suitable response to the following situations.

What would You do and saY?
,1/|Y.. A colleague has just given a carefully You have planned a conference in a hotel in
fr
!,i,. planned presentation on a proposed the mountains. The main purpose is team
reorganisation. At the end, another building, although this is not explicitly
colleague leans over and says.'Bullshit'. stated. The instant reaction ofone ofyour
team members is: rGreat. My husband loves
Your team meeting is over-running. It is the mountains, he'll really enloy it there''
17.30 andyou have promised your parlner
you will pick-up the children from their
frl:74
Uffi.
You have scheduled some regular team
meetings for next year. One member of your
,b
after-school activity. What do you.do?
team tells you he can't make it to the one in
Your boss works so hard he never takes a flrst week in
)une, saying 'You see, in the
holiday. He is beginning to look tired and is ui*ryt take my mother to the coast''
iune t
Iess efflcient than usual' Do you say
anything?

lnterculturalResourcePack@CambridgeUniversityPreSS20o4@
 F
Aims
. To illustrate ways in which individual styles of communication can be profiled using a number of parameters. E
. To relate tlreSe styles to different cultures.
k
E
Procedure Outcomes
I Explain that this activity is about identiffing ,,-,, Students should arrive at a short profile of tl-reir E
overall characteristics of communication sryles, own communicatior-r style. Nthough the list of
both of individuals and of cultures. Ask for the parameters is niide, it may be possible to add some E
opposites of styles such as direct more to the list (for exantple: loud, quiet, etc.).
(diplomatic /indirect), inductive (dedpgti,uv.e),,gnd, E
any others from the list, quoting 9xamp1es.:,'1..1 1- Development E
2 Check that the sets of parameters and their
Students could present verbally or in tvriting a
explanations are clear, then introduce task 1.
sl-iort sur-r'rn-rary of the prevalent cotnmunication F
Form pairs in which each person identifies the
stvle of a cultural group witlt rvltich they are
descriptioir which best fits him or herself.
fhnriliar: this could be a country, a region, a F.
Encourage them to use modifiers such as'very
compan],,, a profession, etc.
systematic', 'fairly diplomatic', or erren 'in the F:
middle'. Partners sliould briefly express their
reactions to the choices. Ask pairs to feed back
i. r riir.:ti alii,,iiti*s
El
the results for brief comrrrent by the class. 2.i, 3.2, i;..tr, 6.1 , 6.2, 6.4
3 Do task 2, forming small groups to consider how E:

these parameters can be used to describe iurtl-ier reading

national characteristics. Explain that ,\n efi'ective training r,ideo tl'iat illustraies these
t
generalisations will be necessary gee activity 2.7,
The bell-jar graph), so ask for specific examples
points is
Contntttnica,ting Sryles, by Ieremy, Comfort and
t
wherever possible. In monocultural groups,
choose both the common culture and one other.
Derek Utley, available through York Associates
(rt ww.york- associates. co.uk).
t
Multicultural groups should choose a maximum
E
of two, to be decided by the group themselves.
Ask a spokesperson from each group to report
9,.
back, and compare similarities and differences in
their respective reports.
E

E-

{
h
t-

{
 Communication styles
q-

People communicate in different ways. Here are some sets of parameters which -o
G'
help identify communication styles.
(6
.9

I €B Systemotic - orgonic 5:::, Heod - heort -tr

E
Some people like to present informotion, Some people rotionolise ond speok o
I or deol wiih topics, in o systemoiic, o
objectively ond reflectively; others speok (.)
sequentiol monner. Others prefer to instinctively. following their feelings, -
$
a explore ihings rondomly, relying on instinct
E
; or experience to help them touch upon
High contexi - low context J
the mojor orecs, =)
Low context communicotors stote the o
messoge simply ond cleorly, wiih no (o
2 f,: Direct - diplomotic redundont moteriol; for high contexi
Sorne people go stroight to the poini of communicotors, the situotion, surroundings
o communicotion, with no lime spent crnd other ossocioied detoils ore on
r
on rntroduction, preporoiion or formolity. rmportont port of the communrcolion.
Others will spend iime on sociol iclk or
on reloted moiters before moving to
the centi'ol point.
CoEleogue - frlend
Some people treot others cs o colleogue
E: with whom they hove o stricily professionol
Forrnol - informol relotionship; others ossume rhot most other
F Some people use formol ond possibly peopie ore their friends, ond ireot ihem
complex longuoge os opposed to os such.
f o more reloxed, fomilior ond friendly
sfyle; the tone of voice con be distoni
E or intimote. ,--)
--".--"/
E
4.,;., deductive
I Some people moke o suggestion or stote
on ideo. then exploin or jusiify it; others
E
will preseni informotion first, then drow o
{. conclusion or recommendoiion from it,

{
E 1 For each set of parameters, select the characteristic that best describes your
own communication style.
E

F 2 Do the same for another culture (national, corporate, etc.) with which you
are familiar.
€,

Fr.

r
--.
FL

{,;

Eui
L

InterculturalResourcePack@CambridgeUniVerSityPreSS2OO4ffi
 F*
Aims fl
. To examine different attitudes iowards intercultural communication.
F
,
. To identifythose Which are most important for each individual,
E
I

Procedure Outcomes I I
I Ask students if they have any : Try to establisl'r a class version of the statements. In r I
intercr:ltural communication. order to do this, it will airnost certainly be
be observations ('These'people necessary to modify sorne of them; adding to them t I
or advice ('Always do thisl'Never is also possible. Tl-re main objective, however, will
still be to have a greater personal awareness of the t I
issues involved.
agreement on this subject is rare. E
I
Explain that the object of this activitv is to work Development t
towards a set of agreed views on intercultural
Interestecl strrdents r.nay u,ish to drart up a small
communication, but that no two people need !,
personal 'r ule book', or present their conclusions
have exactly the same set. Task 1 is an
briefl1, to the class.
introduction to some common attitudes. Make E
sure the language is clear, and ask pairs to decide
on their ornm preferred versions. A few may be
l-i ii [.:eLi ai:tiv iiie.: 3
easy to agree on, but consideration will in most 1.9, 2.6, 4.8, s.3, 6.1, 6.9, 6.i0, 6.13
cases show the validity of each of the two F'
different options. In number 1, for example, the llr iii[-, pr- r.,:-:r-{ irrn
meaning of 'deep doum' is crucial: at a very deep E
See 6.11.
level, everybody is 'human', at a higher level
everybody is clearly different. So discussion [i
should revolve around the issue of the level at
f,i
which differences become significant, and how
one recognises them.
u
3 in task 2, students should begin in pairs to
compare their respective priorities, picking three ri
(or more) statements which they consider
important. They may modify or add to them if
they wish. In the feedback session, pairs may
rl
give individual or joint conclusions, and results
should be compared around the class.

F
I

Fl

p
 Dos and don'ts
E Rules about intercultura[ communication are difficult to establish or agree upon. -
o
People tend to draw oh fheir experience to formulate their own ideas.
, (d
.9
I 1 Read the following list of statements, and for each one decide which J

version you think is most accurate. E

I E
o
o
i 1
2 choose the three statements which you think are most important. !
i od
I 0)
I Do / Don't assume all people or groups are the same, deep down, f
i I =
J
2 Everybody has a very easily observed cultural identity, except / O
T (o
I including me.
u I
I 3 Gestures usually I rarely mean the sarne thirrg to differeni people.
il
l
4 lf you say sonrething very clearly, most people / few people will
E
understand exactly what you mean.

E
5 If you lool< car-efully at 'rhe face of a per^son r^iho speal<s to you, you
wrll generally / sornetimes be able to ',,n,or l< out wlrat ihey rnean.
E
5 Yes' means'Yes' alwavs / sonretimes
61
7 The best way to get somebody to do something rs / is not to ask
them to do it directly and polrtely.
E I

6 !
I Other people's habits are usually / sometimes really interesting.
I
9 lf you understand another culture, you will rarely I still flnd it hard
Fi
to get on wrth people who belong to it.
FI
-l I0 Vany I Few people can operate successfully in more than
:

if,l
Ll one culture.

El
ll It is possible to learn r^nost / some important things about a culture
simply by readrng books about it.
al
,2 Communicatrng with clrents from a different national culture is

sl the same as / different from communicating lvith clients from

basically
your own national culture.
E,I
,4 Always / Never try to make the differences rn culture explrcit
sl to the person you are dealing with.
El

el
r"{

lntercultural Resource Pack@ Cambridge University Press 2004

s@ffits