CULTURE AND

COMMUNICATION
 DEFINITION
• “culture” - collection of knowledge, folklore,
language, rules, rituals, habits, lifestyles,
attitudes, beliefs, and customs that link and give a
common identity to a particular group of people
at a specific point in time.
• cultural universalism (food, shelter, clothing,
family organization, religion, government, social
structures)/cultural relativism (particular
traditions, values and ideals)
• social units – groups, organizations, societies or
nations
 Common functions
• important from a communication perspective
are:
(1) linking individuals to one another,
(2) providing the basis for a common identity,
and
(3) creating a context for interaction and
negotiation among members.
 Characteristics of Culture
• Cultures are subjective
• Cultures change over time
• Cultures are largely invisible
 The Relationship Between Communication and Culture

• cultures are created through communication

• cultures are a natural by-product of social
interaction
• communication practices are largely created,
shaped, and transmitted by culture.
• communication shapes culture, and culture
shapes communication.
 CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
CHALLENGES
• Kevin Avruch and Peter Black (1993) : “...One's
own culture provides the "lens" through
which we view the world; the "logic"... by
which we order it; the "grammar" ... by which
it makes sense. (…) In other words, culture is
central to what we see, how we make sense of
what we see, and how we express ourselves.”
Patterns of Cultural Difference

– Different Communications Styles

– Different Attitudes Toward Conflict
– Different Approaches to Completing Tasks
– Different Decision-Making Styles
– Different Attitudes Toward Disclosure
– Different Approaches to Knowing
 Diversity and differences in the
workplace

When faced by an interaction that we do not

understand, people tend to interpret the
others involved as "abnormal," "weird," or
"wrong."
(Kevin Avruch and Peter Black)
• prejudice, ethnocentrism
• to adjust and integrate
 Respecting Differences
LEARN:
• to collaborate across cultural lines as
individuals and as a society
• about different ways that people
communicate
• about people's cultures
• about people from other cultures
 Multicultural Collaboration
• Learn from but don't use generalizations
• Practice
• Don't assume that there is one right way
(yours!) to communicate
• Listen actively and empathetically
• Look at the situation as an outsider
• Check your interpretations i
QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS

• What is culture? What are its characteristics?

How does it function in society?
• What is the role and importance of culture?
• How can one distinguish different cultures?
• What does multicultural collaboration
involve?