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International Online Training Program On Intractable
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Conflict Research Consortium, University
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Cultural Barriers to Effective Communication
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Effective communication with people of different cultures is especially challenging.
Cultures provide people with ways of thinking--ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting
the world. Thus the same words can mean different things to people from different
cultures, even when they talk the "same" language. When the languages are
different, and translation has to be used to communicate, the potential for
misunderstandings increases.
Stella Ting-Toomey describes three ways in which culture interferes with effective
cross-cultural understanding. First is what she calls "cognitive constraints."
These are the frames of reference or world views that provide a backdrop that all new
information is compared to or inserted into.
Second are "behavior constraints." Each culture has its own rules about
proper behavior which affect verbal and nonverbal communication. Whether one looks the
other person in the eye-or not; whether one says what one means overtly or talks around
the issue; how close the people stand to each other when they are talking--all of these
and many more are rules of politeness which differ from culture to culture.
Ting-Toomey's third factor is "emotional constraints." Different cultures
regulate the display of emotion differently. Some cultures get very emotional when they
are debating an issue. They yell, they cry, they exhibit their anger, fear,
frustration, and other feelings openly. Other cultures try to keep their emotions hidden,
exhibiting or sharing only the "rational" or factual aspects of the situation.
All of these differences tend to lead to communication problems. If the people involved
are not aware of the potential for such problems, they are even more likely to fall victim
to them, although it takes more than awareness to overcome these problems and communicate
effectively across cultures.
Links to Examples of this Problem:
- Raymond Cohen--Negotiating Across Cultures:
Communication Obstacles in International Diplomacy
- Cohen examines the effects of cultural differences on international negotiations and
diplomacy.
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- Raymond Cohen--Negotiating Across Cultures:
Communication Obstacles in International Diplomacy (U.S. - India Diplomacy)
- This essay (the three that follow) gives an example of the ideas Cohen discussed in the
earlier article.
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- Raymond Cohen--Negotiating Across Cultures:
Communication Obstacles in International Diplomacy (Cultural Differences)
- (see Cohen, above)
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- Raymond Cohen--Negotiating Across Cultures:
Communication Obstacles in International Diplomacy (The 1971 U.S. - Japan Monetary Crisis)
- (see Cohen, above)
- Raymond Cohen--Negotiating Across Cultures:
Communication Obstacles in International Diplomacy (The Astoria Affair)
- (see Cohen, above)
- A Beginner's Guide to International Business
Negotiation
- This is a discussion of the cultural impact in a very different setting--international
business negotiations.
- Rethinking the Culture-Negotiation Link
- This article reviews four different approaches to understanding the impact of culture on
negotiation.
- Managing Communication
- This short piece illustrates that culture is a broader concept than nationality,
language, or ethnicity-it can also refer to professional roles which make people see
the world differently from others.
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- **TOUR (Try 1st)** Andrea Williams - Resolving Conflict in a Multicultural
Environment
- This is an article which illustrates the way in which cultural differences can lead to
misunderstandings.
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- Roger Fischer, Elizabeth Kopelman and Andrea
Schneider - Explore Partisan Perceptions
- This is a short but effective illustration of how people with different pre-dispositions
can be unaware of the possibility that others might see the same situation
differently.
- John Paul Lederach -- Building Peace,
Introduction and Framework
- This book, by an expert in cross-cultural issues discusses the interplay between culture
and conflict.
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- Letty Cottin Pogrebin -- The Same and
Different: Crossing Boundaries of Color, Culture, Sexual Preference, Disability and Age
- This article explores the problems of and the adjustments that are required to forge
cross-cultural friendships.
Links to Possible Treatments for this Problem:
Links to Related Problems:
Copyright ©1998 Conflict Research Consortium -- Contact: crc@colorado.edu