1 / 17

Suying Hugh Work and Study Abroad Officer International Student Centre University of Toronto

Communicating Across Cultures Presentation for the Canadian Association of Law Libraries 2008 Conference Saskatoon, Saskatchewan May 27, 2008. Suying Hugh Work and Study Abroad Officer International Student Centre University of Toronto. Overview of Presentation. What is culture?

meris
Download Presentation

Suying Hugh Work and Study Abroad Officer International Student Centre University of Toronto

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Communicating Across CulturesPresentation for the Canadian Association of Law Libraries 2008 ConferenceSaskatoon, SaskatchewanMay 27, 2008 Suying Hugh Work and Study Abroad Officer International Student Centre University of Toronto

  2. Overview of Presentation • What is culture? • Models of Culture • International Student Centre (ISC) at UofT • Challenges to communicating across cultures • Resources and tools for effective communication across cultures

  3. Culture is: Historical Behavioural Learned Collective Distinctive Definitive Dynamic “Culture has been succinctly defined as the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes one category of people from another.” -- Lewis, (2003) The Cultural Imperative Global Trends in the 21st Century ,Intercultural Press. “Culture is not a universally accepted notion, and there are a great many different ways to define it. However, all but the most exotic definitions include…the sense that culture pertains to the social world; it determines how groups of people structure their lives.”-- Hofstede et al (2002) Exploring Culture ,Intercultural Press. What is Culture?

  4. Understanding CultureModels of Culture This is a cross cultural exercise done with students to allow them to see the different layers of culture and how we experience them.

  5. Understanding CultureModels of Culture Perception: What do you see?

  6. Understanding CultureModels of Culture Suggested interpretations from the image: • A woman bribing a man • Negotiation • A violent discussion • A discussion among friends • A quarrel • A lady giving her address to a man

  7. High Context Cultures Process focused Relationships built over time Group oriented Hierarchy Formality valued Indirect communication style Time polychronic Low Context Cultures Results (task) focused Fast built relationships Individually oriented Equality Informality valued Direct communication style Time monochronic Cultural ModelsA way of Understanding

  8. Model of Cultural Variation

  9. What can be illustrated from this experience? understanding target audience adaptation and adjustment issues cultural tendencies and designing programs and projects experiences which can offer transferable situational information The International Student Centre

  10. Target Audience of ISC International students • 7, 537 students from over 100 countries • Top 4 countries (undergraduate): China, United States, South Korea and India • Top 4 countries (graduate): United States, China, India and Iran Domestic Students • Layers and interests • Global understanding

  11. Cultural Implications and Programs • General design and objectives • Orientation Programs • Work and Study Abroad • Interchange/ Intercultural Programs

  12. Experiences at ISC What we see and perceive from a situation, grounded in our own values inform how we act and communicate. • Anecdotal experience from daily encounters (the never ending question, the non communicator, etc) • Culture and adaptation • Mentorship • Expectations and “reality”

  13. Challenges to Communicating Across Cultures Communication is a combination of what is said, the way in which it is said and our body language. Challenges can be categorized as: • speaking accent • topics of conversation • slang/jargon

  14. Challenges (cont’d) • Formal/informal language • Tone • Gestures/ Posture • Physical space and contact • Communication Style • Dress and appearance • Gender

  15. Resources and Tools • There is no right or wrong communication style or method • Understanding your own perceptions and values will guide you • Knowledge and Awareness are key • Communicating across cultures is dynamic • Learn to take cultural cues

  16. Resources and Tools (Cont’d) Hofstede, Gert Jan, Pedersen, Paul B. and Geert Hofstede (2002) Exploring Culture Exercises, Stories and Synthetic Cultures Intercultural Press Lewis, Richard D. (2003) The Cultural Imperative Global Trends in the 21st Century Intercultural Press Lewis, Richard D. (2006) When Cultures Collide: Leading Across Cultures Nicholas Brealey Publishing Ltd. Peterson, Brooks (2004) Cultural Intelligence A Guide to Working with people from other cultures Nicholas Brealey Publishing Ltd.

  17. Thank You. Contact information: suying.hugh@utoronto.ca

More Related