(
课件网) Intercultural Communication Success Tips Unit 10 Show empathy. Try walking a mile in their shoes. It will make you more tolerant of their view and also reveal just how much your own cultural background influences your perceptions and view of ideal social interactions. Be flexible. Not all Europeans are the same, nor are they all Africans, or all Asians. Not only does culture vary dramatically within a single geographic region, they may be wildly different within regions of a single country. Be ready to adapt. Manage your responses. It is far easier to manage your responses than to change those of others. Don’t go native. Going native, becoming “one of them” can damage your image and make you look silly. Be proud of your own cultural identity but by the same token don’t shove it down anyone’s throat, either. Be aware of non-verbal communication. With a language barrier, picking up on non-verbal forms of communication may be your only direct way to assess your partner. Develop trust by combating mistrust. When cultures collide there is an inordinate amount of mistrust between parties, a least parties, at least initially. Take the initiative to break down that barrier. Reassure your partners that you have trust in them. (But don’t be so foolish as to reveal important matters until a mutual trust has been established.) Become involved. Be it a dinner, an opera, a ball game or a drink at the bar; participate, even if you have to force yourself. Try the chopsticks, the fried dog, the Coney Island hot dog, the chili, the chilled vodka. Don’t drift off to the sideline. It will be perceived as a snub of the home culture and a sign that you are felling quite superior. Cultural Caution: While it is certainly wise to meet your counterpart, you should not feel obligated to participate in activities that might violate your personal moral codes or endanger your health. If you must decline, do so respectfully. Some Examples of Global Flextime When South Africans are asked to do something they are likely to give one of the two responses which, while sounding similar, are as different as night and day. One is “I will do it now-now,” the other is “I will do it just now.” “Now-now” carries a sense of immediacy and it meant a task has been given top priority. “Just now” is the South African equivalent of manana. It means that a task is of low priority and it will get done at some unspecified time in the future. However, if the truth be told, there is no guarantee it will get done at all. If you ask an Israeli employee if he or she has completed an assigned task you are likely to hear Yihiyeb b’seder, which loosely translated means “not to worry, everything is fine.” The expression probably means the task has yet to be started. Only in a crisis does time take on serious meaning for most Israelis. Kenyans have a similar expression which reveals a highly relaxed attitude toward time. When ... ...
