Communication enables individuals to share ideas, express their feelings and effectively contribute to discussions and debates. In most cases, dialects pose a great barrier to communication between different cultures or communities. Cross-cultural communication is a ground of study that looks at how people from differing and conflicting social fundamentals communicate, in comparative and distinctive courses among themselves, and how they attempt to convey crosswise over cultures .(Wikipedia).For effective cross-cultural communication, people have to understand the need for knowledge. Without knowledge, cross-cultural communication is relatively impossible. This knowledge involves understanding the potential cross-cultural problems and developing means to conquer them effectively. Also, people should recognize the need for behaviour adjusts in the case of personal efforts failure.
One should realise the changes that are brought about by cultural differences and be slow at making conclusions and judgment that are culturally prejudiced. Effective cross-cultural communication Today’s workplace is varying to lodge different geographical regions and span many cultures. Therefore, it’s hard to understand how to effectively communicate with individuals who trust on different means to reach a mutual goal or speak a different language. Despite the fact that, people maybe from same geographical area, there are some cultural disparities that should be considered for effective communication to be in place. The first step of effective cross-cultural communication distinguishes that the sender and receiver of the message are from two separate cultures or backgrounds. Having knowledge on cultural diversity is significant to cross-cultural communication.
Learning how to better communicate with people whose first language does not match with ours does not necessarily mean learning their language and culture. However, it is significant to learn the rudimentary about other people culture is supreme. The basics about culture is to aid one and engage effectively in greetings and physical contact that is the primary step of forming an effective communication. Although most companies offer cultural training across diverse cultures, it is important for people to upsurge their understanding and knowledge about these cultures.
This entails identifying that some individual reactions and behaviour are culturally driven, and they may seem inappropriate to you but to them they are culturally appropriate (Kings-speech.com, n.d). Barriers to effective cross-cultural communication and ways to surmount them: In business, cross-cultural communication plays a serious role in effectively carrying out business with teams and stakeholders in other areas of the globe. When the communication is effective, everyone benefits from amplified bandwidth, institutional knowledge, and competitive advantage. Ineffective communication however, can upset, confuse or send a misconstrued message which could lead to broken relations with customers, partners, vendors, and employees.
Some of the barriers are as under (communispond.com, n.d) Language Barriers Although English is viewed as the normal worldwide dialect of business, only one out of every odd business universally utilizes English all the time. Representatives may have more trouble when imparting in English, which can prompt misconceptions when taking lead, understanding level of firmness and conveying issues or concerns. Never accept that on the grounds that your directions get head nods. Check for genuine comprehension by requesting that others to summarize what they simply heard you say. When Parker Pen advertised a ballpoint pen in Mexico, its promotions should state, “It won’t spill in your pocket and embarrass you.” Be that as it may, the organization erroneously thought the Spanish word “embarazar” implied embarrassment.
Rather the promotions said that. “It won’t spill in your pocket and make you pregnant.” Example 2: “In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into Schweppes Toilet Water. Cultural Barriers Every culture has an alternate set of values, business ethics, acknowledged conduct and decorum even diverse facial expressions and gestures. It is critical to recognize these differences to show genuine respect for other cultural mores –when communicating with professionals from other cultures. Example: In the United States it is common for the speaker to share personal anecdotes to build audience rapport, but in other countries this is considered tiresome. Humour can be particularly tricky to employ; better to be straightforward rather than run the risk that your joke may unintentionally embarrass or insult the listener (communispond.com, n.d).
Presentation Style Trust it or not, culture impacts how individuals in various nations like to get data. The key with any group of listeners from another culture is to do your homework, and don’t trust on your personal frame of reference when addressing an audience of another culture. By concentrating alone the edges of reference, you recognize their traditions and point of view, which goes far towards prevailing upon them (communispond.com, n.d). For instance, how intelligent you should make your introduction relies upon the way of life to which you display. When all is said in done, English talking societies like introductions to be exuberant and intelligent.
Nonetheless, Eastern Europeans are acquainted with introductions that are formal, high point by point and with couple of intrusions. Inquiries are replied toward the finish of an introduction. Japanese audiences expect more specialized data. Canadians, similar to Americans, appreciate an energetic pace; and Latin American audiences lean toward a discourse with an abnormal state of enthusiastic interest (communispond.com, n.d). Global location where barriers of cross-cultural communication are relevant: I have observed these barriers of cross-cultural communication in my country, India. India is a country of both multiplicity and continuity made up a unique blend of cultures, religions, races and languages, because of these diverse cultures there is a lot of cultural gap between different states of the country. Many people face these barriers of communication while traveling from one part of country to another part, it may be due to language variances or by non-verbal communication. Through cross-cultural behaviour we can overcome these misinterpretations.
