IX.

COMMUNICATION & NEGOTIATIONS ACROSS CULTURES

COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE WITH PERSONS FROM DIFFERENT

CULTURES

It is the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in various

cultural contexts. We can improve it by fostering attitudes that motivate us,
discovering knowledge that informs us, and developing skills that enable us.

KEY COMPONENTS:

MOTIVATION - refers to the root of a person’s desire to foster intercultural

relationships and can be intrinsic or extrinsic.

1. Intrinsic -If a person has a healthy curiosity that drives him or her
toward intercultural encounters in order to learn more about self and
others, then there is a foundation from which to build additional
competence-relevant attitudes and skills. Makes communication a voluntary,
rewarding, and lifelong learning process.

2. Extrinsic - the desire for intercultural communication is driven by an

outside reward like money, power, or recognition.

SELF AND OTHER – KNOWLEDGE - We learn who we are through our interactions
with others. Listening to people who are different from us is a key component of
developing self-knowledge. We should know much about others and ourselves and be
able to reflect on and adapt our knowledge as we gain new experiences.

TOLERANCE AND UNCERTAINTY - refers to an individual’s attitude about and

level of comfort in uncertain situations. Individual with a low tolerance for uncertainty
feels may lead them to leave the situation or otherwise communicate in a less
competent manner. Individuals with a high tolerance for uncertainty may exhibit
more patience, waiting on new information to become available or seeking out
information, which may then increase the understanding of the situation and lead to a
more successful outcome.
NEGOTIATING IN GLOBAL CONTEXT

Successful global negotiation requires identifying and prioritizing the issues, taking into
account the cultural factors and finally arriving at win-win solutions in achieving long-
term relations with our counterparts.

STAGES OF NEGOTIATION

PLANNING – identifying the objectives they like to attain.

1. Planning time

2. Exploring options

3. Establishing common ground

4. Focuses on long- versus short-term

5. Setting Limits

6. Using sequence versus issue planning

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP BUILDING – Involves getting to know the

people on the other side. The essence of any negotiation is primarily based on how much
there is trust in interpersonal relationship between partners involved in the negotiation.

EXCHANGING TASK RELATED INFORMATION – Each group sets their position

on the critical issues. At this point, the participants are trying to find out what other party
wants to attain and what is ready to give up. In negotiation, cross-cultural
miscommunication can give numerous obstacles or difficulty for the parties involved.

PERSUASION – This is the most important step in negotiation. The success of

persuasion often depends on:

1. How well the parties understand each other’s position.

2. The ability of each to identify the areas of similarity and differences;

3. The ability to create new options;

 4. The willingness to work towards a solution.

AGREEMENT – The final phase is the granting of concessions and hammering out of a
final agreement. To negotiate effectively in the international areas, it is necessary to
understand how cultural differences between the parties affect the process.

10 Negotiation Strategies that will work around the world ( Acuff, 1993) : some
guidelines

 Plan the negotiation

 Adopt a win-win approach

 Maintain a high aspiration

 Use language that is simple and accessible;

 Ask a lot of questions then listen with your eyes and your ears

 Build solid relationship

 Maintain personal integrity

 Conserve allowance / adjustment

 Be patient

 Be culturally literate and adopt the negotiating strategies of the host

country environment.
MULTICULTURAL TEAM EXERCISES, STUDENT NEGOTIATIONS AND
SIMULATIONS

Descriptions of Multicultural, Cross-cultural & Intercultural Games

& Activities

This is a fun, warm-up, cross-cultural

activity. The group tries to come up the
Hello in Different Languages
word(s) for "hello" in as many different
languages as possible.

Where does your name come from?

Share the story of where your name
comes from and what your name means.
Helps to build intercultural respect and
The Story of My Name
understanding.

Have You Ever? Active, fun group activity to explore and

 celebrate the rich diversity of people's
past experiences. Works well with large
groups.

A World Meal consists of a limited

amount of rice and beans. This is the
average meal for the average person on
World Meal
the planet. Cook this for a group of
others and encourage them in turn to
cook a World Meal for others.

This activity helps students become

aware that so-called "intelligence" is
culturally-bound and culturally defined.
Attempt short IQ tests for mainstream
US/Australian culture, Black-Rap 1960's
Cross-cultural IQ Tests
culture, Australian Aboriginal culture.
Ideal for class-room based education
about psychology and culture, suited to
older adolescents and adults. The tests
are written in good humor.

Prepared by: Rieth P. Batongbakal