Cultural Differences and Business

Communication

Thucydides 460BC – 411BCGreat Grandfather of International Relations

What is culture anyway?

The way of life, beliefs, customs and social expectations common to a group of people from a

particular place and time

Definition: culture

Наш человек

Our culture determines who is…

( and who is not )

So what’s the problem?

Cultures are different…

timepower distancespace

neutral or emotional

statusuncertainty avoidance

How cultures differ…

Individual or collective

Different culture = Different expectations

pushyaggressivecold

insincererude

politeloud

quiet

dispassionate

passionate

untrustworthy

emotional

Stereotypes…

Let’s look at a cultural misunderstanding…

The problem of language in cross-cultural communication

English is NOT Russian

What is politeness?

Politeness is…a set of social skills whose purpose is to ensure everyone feels comfortable in a social interaction

Two politeness strategies:

positive and negative

Positive politeness strategy users…

avoid giving offense by highlighting friendliness. These strategies include juxtaposing criticism with compliments, establishing common ground, using nicknames, honorifics and in-group jargon and slang.

Negative politeness strategy users…

avoid giving offense by showing deference. These strategies include questioning, hedging, and presenting disagreements as opinions.

Which uses a positive strategy?

What problems have you faced?

Who present the biggest problems for you -Native speakers of English or other

nationalities?

Stop!Ask yourself…

Am I misunderstanding this person?How should I react?

If you find yourself reacting negatively to a person from another culture…

The end