7-1
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
Part II: Chapter-by-Chapter Lecture Notes & Exercises
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
Teaching Suggestions
In today’s global marketplace, it’s more important than ever to be aware of cultural differences and be
able to navigate the communication networks of a workplace that could include people from a variety of
It may be helpful to begin this chapter by either showing a video or giving students a written piece of
information that is in an entirely different language from what most of your students will be used to.
Instruct them to glean as much information as they can from the written or visual message, then discuss
their impressions. What were they able to understand about the relationship between the senders and
receivers of communications? What could they find out from the format of the message? If watching a
video, what did the body language communicate?
Another fun exercise to start this chapter would be to divide students into teams and give them a simple
task to perform (online students could use a friend or neighbor as a partner and report on their results).
The task could be something such as lining up nine sheets of paper to form a solid square, or cutting
pieces of paper into simple shapes (such as hearts, triangles, stars, etc.). The challenge is that neither team
As we’ve discussed, good communicators are good problem-solvers. This chapter will help your students
solve the problem of transferring information and building positive business relationships across cultures.
Connect provides instructors with a variety of ways to customize courses, create assignments, determine
grading policies, and receive student work. One of the tools Connect offers is the ability to select and add
interactive assignments to your course. Explanations of these assignments and how they support the
learning objectives are integrated into the instructor’s manual with the relevant subject areas.
7-2
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
Learning Objectives
LO 7-1 Explain why effective cross-cultural communication is important for today’s businesses.
LO 7-2 Describe three major factors that influence a country or region’s culture.
LO 7-3 Describe cultural differences regarding body positions and movements and apply this knowledge
when communicating across cultures.
LO 7-4 Describe the impact of culture on views and practices concerning human relationships and apply
this knowledge when communicating across cultures.
LO 7-5 Describe language issues that can cause trouble for nonnative speakers.
LO 7-6 Describe ways to prepare for effective cross-cultural communication.
Key Terms
culture
translation tools
ethnocentrism
monochronic
polychronic
low-context culture
high-context culture
power distance
back translating
two-word verbs
stereotypes
Text Summary, Lecture Outline
Importance of Cross-Cultural Communication Skills
Slides 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 7-4
Globalization is one of the major trends in business. The spread of the Internet, social media, and mobile
devices has only fueled this trend.
This chapter will give students helpful advice on how to communicate with clarity, courtesy, and
correctness in any cross-cultural situation.
As you review the objectives for the class (or before), consider doing one of the suggested exercises from
the Teaching Suggestions section. Or ask students to share a time when they experienced another culture
that was very different from their own, or had to try to understand another language that they did not
know. How did they feel about that experience? What did they learn from that? Was there anything they
could have done to understand that culture better or to have made the experience more successful?
Problem-Solving Challenge
Check out the Problem-Solving Challenge at the beginning of this chapter. Ask students to analyze the
interaction between the Swedish head manager and the Indian HR manager. What didn’t go well in that
interaction and why? How could it have been handled better? What might have happened if Andreas, the
Swede, had appointed a contact person in a separate discussion instead of doing so in front of you in the
role as the trainer? What could you as the trainer have done to reflect an understanding of the different
cultures involved?
7-3
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
Allow students to discuss their responses to these questions. After you’ve finished working through this
chapter with them, have them revisit this challenge and see if they’ve learned any strategies or concepts
that could help this communication go well.
Skillful cross-cultural business communication is important for several reasons:
Dimensions of Cultural Difference
Slide 7-5
Global Connections
As stated in the textbook, cultures are “shared ways in which groups of people understand and interpret
the world.”
The spread of capitalism, advances in technology and science, and the growth of electronic media have
made many distinctions between cultures begin to fade and much more sharing to occur.
Slide 7-6
You Make the Call
Ask students to read the message on the slide and then respond. Encourage them to share stories of their
personal experiences of seeing differences between cultures eroded by the increased usage of technology.
What are their feelings on this subject?
Slide 7-7
Major Factors Affecting Culture
This slide presents an overview of some of the major factors that affect culture. Discuss these factors with
students.
7-4
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
Significant historical events and movements of a culture can shape the attitudes and belief systems of the
people who live in that country or region. Ask students: What are the top three historical events or
movements that you think have shaped the experience of people in your home country or in your region?
What role does religion play in the culture?
Slide 7-8
Tech Challenge
You can use this tech challenge as an in-class or homework assignment.
Slide 7-9
Know Your Body Language
Give students time to decide which country goes with which gesture’s meaning, then reveal the answers.
Answers:
1=United States
2=Australia
Slide 7-10
Views of Human Relationships
This slide features six factors of human relationships that culture influences. These factors play a big role
in how people communicate with one another. Review each of these factors with students.
7-5
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
Communication Matters feature on “High-Context versus Low-Context Cultures: Edward T. Hall.” How
do these differences in contexts impact the directness of communication?)
Social hierarchy: Some cultures have strict divisions between social classes, while in others, such as the
United States, factors other than class tend to have a more significant impact on expectations in
communication (such as the type of job one has, shared regional identity, education levels, etc.).
Connect Assignment 7-1 (a-e): Preparing for a Cross-Cultural Meeting
Summary: The effectiveness of cross-cultural communication can play a major role in business
relationships. This activity will test students’ understanding of how to prepare for cross-cultural meetings
in the business context.
7-1a
Learning Objectives: 7-02, 7-03, 7-04, 7-06
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Communication
Blooms: Apply
7-1b
Learning Objective: 7-04
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Communication
Blooms: Understand
7-1c
Learning Objective: 7-04
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Understand
7-1d
Learning Objectives: 7-03, 7-04
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
7-1e
Learning Objectives: 7-04, 7-06
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
7-6
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
Slide 7-11
You Make the Call
Ask students to consider the questions on this slide, then ask them to discuss the validity of this statement:
“One’s age is not a significant factor at all in the shaping of a person’s work ethic.” Do they think this is
Problems of Language
Slide 7-12
Language Substitutions
We have spoken many times throughout this course about the need to adapt one’s message to one’s
audience. However, it is not always possible to adapt one’s entire language to make communication easier
with a particular audience. Few of us are able to learn more than one or two other languages well enough
to communicate fluently in business relationships. Thus, misunderstandings in international
communication are bound to occur.
Advice for Communicating across Cultures
Slide 7-13
Like other kinds of communication, cross-cultural communication involves people—and people are
unpredictable. The best you can do to make cross-cultural communication successful is be as prepared as
you can be. The advice in this section will help you to be prepared. You can use this and the following
slides to discuss this information.
Research: Learn as much as you can about your business associates’ culture. Study the factors that
impact culture in major ways: geography, history, and religion. Learn about the body language and values
7-7
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
that are typical of their society. (Exhibit 7-3 lists several websites that can be helpful in performing cross-
cultural research.)
Be open to change: Adapting to every aspect of someone’s culture is neither desirable nor always ethical.
But being open to understanding what has influenced people’s viewpoints and being willing to adapt your
business practices to promote successful communication will help you to grow as a person and as an
employee.
Connect Assignment 7-2: Test Your Cross-Cultural Knowledge
Summary: This click-and-drag activity will demonstrate students’ understanding of various factors that
differ across cultures and how to prepare for cross-cultural business relations.
Learning Objectives: 7-02, 7-03, 7-04, 7-05, 7-06
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Communication
Blooms: Evaluate
Follow-Up Activity: Students should present more effective ways to handle the interactions described for
Sam King, Mohammad Azur, and Geoffrey Benedict.
Slide 7-14
Research Exercise
Direct students to look at the websites in Exhibit 7-3 to find out information that will help them complete
this research exercise (it can be either an in-class or a homework assignment). Make sure students
Slide 7-15
You Make the Call
Take a survey of your students to see where they are originally from. Then divide the group into smaller
groups based on general regions of the country where their hometowns are located. Groups can answer all
7-8
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
Slide 7-16
Adapt Your English
We’ve explored some of the types of wording and sentence constructions that are difficult for nonnative
English speakers to understand. Whenever you interact with people from another country, don’t assume
they will understand you easily—even if they speak English well. Erring on the side of simplicity is your
best bet for clear communication.
Avoid slang words and job-specific terminology until you have a better understanding of their language
proficiency.
Connect Assignment 7-3 (a–e): Let’s Break a Deal: Cross-Cultural Communication Gone Wrong
Summary: Being ethnocentric can have a significant negative effect on cross-cultural business relations.
In this exercise, students will analyze a cross-cultural conversation (presented on video) and use their
knowledge of dimensions of cultural differences to explain the outcome of that conversation.
7-3a
Learning Objective: 7-04
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Communication
Blooms: Analyze
7-3b
Learning Objective: 7-04
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Communication
Blooms: Evaluate
7-3c
Learning Objective: 7-04
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Communication
Blooms: Analyze
7-3d
Learning Objective: 7-04
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Communication
7-9
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
Blooms: Analyze
7-3e
Learning Objective: 7-04
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Communication
Blooms: Analyze
Follow-Up Activity: Let students role-play the conversation between Mike Sokolow and Norio Tokunaka
and demonstrate how Mike’s approach to the meeting could have been improved.
Slide 7-17
The bottom line in cross-cultural communication is this: Do all you can to send clear messages. Mutual
respect is key to successful cross-cultural communication. Likewise, successful communication is key to
developing mutual respect.
As you wrap up your instruction on this chapter, direct students back to the Problem-Solving Challenge
presented at the beginning of the chapter. Ask students: If you knew you were going to be walking into a
similar cross-cultural interaction again, what would you do differently as a trainer? What could you do
before, during, or after the meeting to make things go more smoothly?
7-10
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
Power Charge Your Professionalism: Use the Right Pronoun
Use Reference Chapter A to help you select the word that correctly completes each sentence below.
Then explain why you chose the word you did. (Correct answers are shown in bold and
explanations are given in parentheses.)
(pronoun is object of the verb)
(pronoun is object of the preposition)
(pronoun is subject of the verb)
(pronoun is in restrictive clause)
(pronoun is possessive)
(pronoun is object of preposition)
(pronoun is object of verb)
(pronoun refers to persons)
Critical-Thinking Questions
1. If you were trying to persuade your boss to implement some form of cross-cultural
training in the company, what kinds of evidence might help you make a convincing case?
(LO1)
7-11
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
2. Put yourself in the shoes of the trainer described in this chapter’s Problem-Solving
Challenge. What might have been a better way to handle the situation? How might the
trainer have prepared better for such a situation? (LO2–LO6)
3. What are the prevailing attitudes in our culture toward the following, and how can those
attitudes affect our communication with nonnatives? (LO3)
a. Handshakes. (Answers may vary, but generally handshakes in our culture are firm and
4. What are the prevailing attitudes in our culture toward the following, and how can those
attitudes affect our communication with nonnatives? (LO4)
a. Negotiation methods. (Answers may vary, but generally will conform to these examples:
In the American business world, negotiation is considered to be a regular part of doing
b. Truth in advertising. (Americans place a high value on honesty and even consider truth
c. Company-worker loyalty. (These days most Americans expect to change jobs at least
once in their careers, often more times, and they expect their employers to hire and fire
d. Women’s appropriate roles in society. (While women are free to work as much as they
want in American society, and are frequently found in leadership roles, often their
e. The Protestant work ethic. (Western values about work have been influenced heavily
7-12
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
Copyright © 2018 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
leisure time, and that working hard has its own rewards. Yet in other cultures, this kind of
emphasis placed on work life may be confusing and seem strict or too stiff.)
5. Assume that you’ve just been made manager of a team of young employees that includes
a recent hire from Asia. Many people from Asian countries feel that it is inappropriate to
bother their boss or express dissatisfaction. How might you encourage your Asian team
member to ask you questions, let you know when he/she is having difficulties, and bring
any concerns to your attention? (If you’re an Asian student, what would encourage you
to communicate more with your boss?) (LO4)
Each student’s answer should be evaluated based on its merits. Their answers might include ideas
such as setting up regular update one-on-one meetings between the manager and the employee.
6. Is a conversational style as appropriate in cross-cultural communication as it is in the
United States? Discuss. (LO4–LO5)
7. On a recent trip to India, Mr. Yang, a prominent Chinese executive, dined with his
client, Himanshu Jain. Mr. Yang commented that the food was spicy, which Mr. Jain
interpreted as an opportunity to discuss Indian cuisine. After lengthy explanations, Mr.
Yang commented again that the food was spicy. What’s happening here? What barrier is
likely getting in the way of clear communication? (Adapted from Danielle Medina
Walker, Thomas Walker, and Joerg Schmitz, Doing Business Internationally: The Guide
to Cross-Cultural Success [New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003], 237.) (LO4)
Each answer should be evaluated based on its merits, but could include reference to the different
8. Think of English words or U.S. expressions (other than this chapter’s examples) that
probably do not have precise equivalents in some other culture. How would you attempt
to explain each of these to a person from that culture? (LO5)
9. Compare the two email messages below. Both were written to inform the reader that the
writer’s company had been charged too much for an ad published in the reader’s
magazine. The first (with both Japanese and English versions displayed) was written by
a Japanese author to a Japanese reader. The second was written by a U.S. author to a
U.S. reader. What differences in the two approaches do you see? What cultural
differences might account for these writing differences? (LO4–LO5)
7-13
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
(Refer to the letters as shown in the textbook.) Evaluate each student’s answer based on its merits.
Answers should note that the tone of the message written by the U.S. author is more direct and
indicates that a mistake was made on the part of the publication. However, the message written by
a Japanese author to a Japanese reader is more indirect and supplies information without stating
10. Following is a real message written from a U.S. marketing professional to a potential
client in Germany. After researching German business communication on the Internet,
explain why the U.S. author wrote the message the way she did for this audience.
(Consider how the message might have been different had she written it to a prospective
client in the United States.) (LO4–LO6)
(Refer to the message in the textbook.) Answers may vary somewhat depending on the amount of
research a student completes, however the answer will likely reflect the fact that typical business
Skills-Building Exercises
Understanding Cultural Differences (LO2–LO4)
1. Research Denmark or another country and analyze the likely impact of its geography on
its culture.
2. Research France or another country to assess the likely impact of its history on its
culture.
3. Research India or another country and analyze the likely impact of its religious
background on its culture.
4. Research how U.S. geography, history, and religious background have influenced its
culture.
7-14
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
9. Research the extent to which the younger adults in a country are breaking away from its
traditional cultural values and practices. What accounts for the changes, and what are
the implications for business communication?
10. Interview a student or business professional whose country of origin is not the United
States about differences between his/her country and the United States. Use this person’s
insights, as well as the information and references in this chapter, to write a short report
on your findings and their implications for business communication.
All of the above assignments are research-based, so the answers will depend on each student’s
research experience. Evaluate answers based on their merits.
Adapting Your Language for Cross-Cultural Communication (LO5)
1. From a newspaper, magazine, or website, find and bring to class eight sentences containing
words and expressions that a nonnative English speaker might have difficulty
understanding. Rewrite the sentences for this reader. (LO5)
2. What word choices in the following email message might give a nonnative speaker trouble?
Rewrite the memo to avoid such wording. (LO5)
Dear conference-planning team,
Sincere thanks to you for all the time and effort you invested in this labor of love. Your
organization is in your debt.
(Problematic language is underlined. A possible revision is shown below.)
7-15
Chapter 7: Communicating across Cultures
3. Review the cross-cultural thank-you message in the last item listed in the Critical-Thinking
Questions and rewrite it as if it were going to an executive at Verizon in New York City.
(LO4–LO5)
Answers will vary. Evaluate each student’s revised message based on its merits and whether or
not it reflects a correct understanding of typical business communication in the United States.
Exploring Ethical Issues in Cross-Cultural Business (LO6)
Choose a country quite different from your own and, after studying its culture and business
practices, write a short report on the kinds of ethical issues that might arise in doing business with
those from this country. (For starters, you might read the article “Building Ethical Business
Cultures: BRIC by BRIC” at http://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/?p=1930.) Which of these
issues might be relatively easy to deal with? Which would be more difficult? Which might be deal-
breakers?