CHAPTER 3

LOCAL AND GLOBAL

Communication IN
MULTICULTURAL
SETTINGS
OBJECTIVES
- Demonstrate awareness of the reality of cultural diversity
- Demonstrate understanding of how cultural diversity affects
communication
- Appreciate the benefits and challenges of cross – cultural
communication

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 DISCUSSION

Culture is manifested in our actions and affects how we tell the world who we are and what
we believe in. It is also the basis for how we behave in a certain communication context.

PRINCIPLE OF COOPERATIVE CONVERSATION

Local and global communications are kept constant in a multicultural setting. It requires the need to
foster cooperative conversation for a successful communication.

Grice’s Four Maxims in Conversation

1. Maxim of relation (Be relevant). Every interlocutor should be relevant in conversation. They
need to be relevant in communicating, requiring them to respond based on cultural and contextual
requirements.

There is one maxim of relation:

• Be relevant. Make sure that all the information you provide is relevant to the current
exchange; omit irrelevant information.

2. Maxim of quantity (Be informative). Grice underscores that every interlocutor should observe a
“fair-share-talk of time.” Everyone should be given the opportunity to talk.

There are two maxims of quantity:

• Make your contribution as informative as is required. Provide all the information which is
necessary for the purpose of the current exchange; don’t leave out anything important.

• Do not make your contribution more informative than is required. Leave out any unnecessary
details that aren’t important to the current exchange.

For example, based on the maxims of quantity, if someone asks you “how do I get from here to the
library?”, your expected answer should contain enough information for them to understand how to
get to the library, but no more information than that. Based on this, the following is generally a
reasonable response:

“Keep walking straight until you reach the intersection, and then turn right.”

Conversely, the following response lacks important information, and therefore violates the first
maxim of quantity (‘make your contribution as informative as is required’):

“Keep walking.”

On the other hand, the following response contains too much information, and therefore violates the
second maxim of quantity (‘do not make your contribution more informative than is required’):

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 “Keep walking straight ahead; there will be some nice flowers on your right and some lovely new
trees that they just planted a few months ago on your left. Anyway, once you reach the big
intersection—it’s one of the biggest in the area, it took forever to build it—then you need to turn to
your right.”

3. Maxim of quality (Be truthful). Every interlocutor should maintain what is true in a given
conversation. Do not add nor deduce information. Always maintain a very good reputation whenever
you talk. Manifest honesty in words in order to talk with quantity.

There is one supermaxim of quality:

• Try to make your contribution one that is true.
Furthermore, based on this supermaxim, there are two more-specific maxims of quality (sometimes
referred to as submaxims):

• Do not say what you believe to be false. Avoid stating information that you believe might be
wrong, unless there is some compelling reason to do so. If you do choose to include it, then
provide a disclaimer that points your doubts regarding this information.

• Do not say that for which you lack evidence. Avoid including information that you can’t back
up with supporting evidence. If you do choose to include such information for some reason,
provide a disclaimer that points out your doubts.

4. Maxim of manner (Be clear). In the local culture, the manner of saying a word is more regarded
than its content. How a person negotiates meaning is very important in conversation. Clarity of
speech should be observed so that you will not be misinterpreted.

There is one supermaxim of manner:

• Be perspicuous [clear].
There are various additional maxims of manner (sometimes referred to as submaxims), that are based
on this supermaxim. Grice lists four specific ones in his original work:

• Avoid obscurity of expression. Avoid language which is difficult to understand, such as because
it contains words that the listener doesn’t know.

• Avoid ambiguity. Avoid ambiguous language which can be interpreted in multiple ways, and
which therefore makes it difficult for your recipient to understand what exactly you’re trying to
say.

• Be brief. Provide information in a concise manner, that allows your recipient to focus on the key
details.

• Be orderly. Provide information in an order that makes sense, and makes it easy for your recipient
to process it.

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MODES OF COMMUNICATION

Words are primary in communication, but gestures would even make a meaningful communication.

▪ Words, Greetings, and Expressions Used in Intercultural Communication

WORDS FILIPINO/ SPANISH KOREAN MANDARIN/

TAGALOG CHINESE
goodbye paalam adiós annyeong záijian
thank you salamat gracias gomawo/ xié xié ni
kamsahamnida
I love you mahal kita te amo saranghaeyo wǒ ái nĭ
you’re walang anuman de nada chonmaneyo búkéqí
welcome
take care ingat cuidate jalkaseyo băozhòng

BODY LANGUAGE USED IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Body language is a form of non-verbal communication in which visible body language

communicates particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with speech.

In a multicultural context of communication, you should be culturally sensitive to the differences of

this body language. Effective communication, therefore, would require the communicator
appropriate knowledge of the cultural use of body language in a multicultural setting.

▪ Shaking hands. In the Philippines and in America, the cultural gesture of shaking hands
upon greeting is considered the norm when doing a person-to-person introduction. In fact, to
refuse a handshake is considered a very rude gesture. In Saudi Arabia, you can shake a
man’s hand after meeting him but you cannot shake a woman’s hand at all in greeting.

▪ A-OK sign. The OK hand gesture in America and England is quite popular and considered a
general gesture that denotes an agreement of sentiment. However, this gesture in Brazil is
the equivalent of using your middle finger as a gesture in America. Likewise, the OK hand
gesture is taken as an insult in most Latin American countries, Austria, and France.

▪ Thumbs-Up. The Thumbs Up gesture can be an equivalent to the OK gesture and is widely
used within America England, and the Philippines. Once again, in a large amount of cultures
around the globe, giving a Thumbs-Up is a horrible idea. Using this gesture can be denoted
as a sexual insult and correlates to the middle finger meaning in the United States.

▪ Sitting with crossed legs. Sitting with crossed legs is common in North America and
European countries, but it is considered disrespectful in Asia and the Middle East where a
straight and balanced posture prevails as the norm.

▪ Eye contact. When speaking to someone, eye contact is considered a positive aspect of body
language in the Philippines. It is also common in Spain and the Arabic culture (among
people of the same sex). Not looking back when someone is looking at you is considered
disrespectful and demonstrates insecurity, lack of interest, or indicates deception.

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 ▪ Nodding the head. For Filipinos, head nod up and down generally means agreement,
approval, or “yes” while head nod from side to side or head shake means the reverse.
However, Bulgarians and Greeks, for example, are known for their unusual manner of
saying “yes” and “no”: Nodding up and down indicates a negative response.

▪ Tugging the Earlobes. The Portuguese tug their earlobes to indicate tasty food, the
Spaniards to signify that someone is not paying their drinks, but in Italy to insinuate sexual
innuendos.

▪ Pointing using the lips. In some culture—Filipino, Native American, Puerto Rican, and
many Latin American cultures— people use their lips to point, instead of a finger. In the
West, people often kiss when they meet or when they say goodbye; in many Asian countries,
it is considered too intimate of an action to be displayed in public.

▪ Broad arm movement. Many cultures use their arms freely, as in Italy or the US, where they
often wave their arms around when talking. However, Northern Europeans find it hard to
tolerate gesturing with the arms, associating it with insecurity ad over dramatization. In
Japan, gesturing with broad arm movements is considered impolite.

THE ABC’s OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Communication is complex because of the cultural and contextual factors embedded in it. Although
effective communication is difficult to achieve because of these considerations, good communication
is attainable. Lewis (2008) provided the following ABC’s of intercultural communication.

A- Acknowledge
-Differences in communication style should be acknowledged. Every person in a group has a
particular communication style which gives her/his own identity in communicating.

B- Bi-level
-Communication does not only uphold speaking and listening but also require a holistic process that
includes verbal and non-verbal channels.

C- Clarify
-If you are doubtful of your understanding about what is being communicated, ask for clarification.
Devote a little extra time to verify understanding so that you can save time and avoid frustration.

CULTURAL COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

These barriers obviously give difficulty in understanding people, whose language is different, and
evidently challenge people who are trying to work harmoniously with others of a different
background.

1. Language barrier. Language is evidently the primary barrier of communication in second and
foreign language contexts.

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 2. Hostile stereotypes. Stereotypes are generalizations or assumptions people make about the
characteristics of members of a group, based on an image about what people in that group are
like.

3. Behavior Differences. Differences of behavior between employees of different cultures can

cause misunderstandings. Every culture has its norm about what is regarded as appropriate
behavior.

4. Emotional display. What is considered appropriate display of emotion in one culture may not
be appropriate in another culture.

ENHANCING ORAL COMMUNICATION IN A MULTICULTURAL SETTING

1. Learn foreign phrases

2. Use simple English
3. Speak slowly and enunciate clearly
4. Observe eye messages
5. Encourage accurate feedback
6. Check frequently for comprehension
7. Accept blame
8. Listen without interrupting
9. Smile when appropriate
10. Follow up in writing (letters, proposals and contracts)

DEVELOPING WRITTEN COMMUNICATION TO MULTICULTURAL AUDIENCES

Your writing style and tone should be appropriate to the culture of the receiver and context where it
was written.

1. Consider local styles. Documents have their standard formats; hence, writers should
know which one is followed or recommended by the receiver of the document.

2. Observe titles and status. Use last names, titles, and other signs of rank and status.

3. Use short sentences and short paragraphs.

4. Avoid ambiguous expressions. Use action-specific words (e.g. purchase a computer

rather than get a computer).

a) Idioms and figurative clichés. This form of language uses words and
expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation.
Examples:
Beat the clock- to do something before the deadline
Go with the flow- to do what people do and accept things as
they are
Bend the law or bend the rules- to cheat a little bit without
breaking the law
Do the dirty work- to do the disagreeable, illegal, dishonest
things

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 b) Slang. It is a short or highly colloquial (informal) word.
Examples:
gonna- going to
wanna- want to
okay- all right
What you see is what you get- there is nothing hidden
lit- super cool or ‘on fire’

c) Acronym.
Examples:
LAM- leave a message
IMO- in my opinion
AKA- also known as
ASAP- as soon as possible
BAE- before anyone else
GOAT-greatest of all time

d) Abbreviation. Short form of a lengthy word or expression.

Examples:
Acct- account
recd- received
fwd- forward
ad-advertisement

e) Jargon. Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession

or group and are difficult for others to understand.
Examples:
Chief cook and bottle-washer - A person who holds many
responsibilities (businessjargon)
Suspect - A person whom the police think may have committed
a crime. (police jargon)

f) Strive for clarity. To present the message clearly, the writer must avoid
words that have multiple meanings, clarity words that may be confusing, and
replace phrasal verbs with clear single words.

g) Use correct grammar.

h) Cite numbers carefully. Numbers should be written following the metric

system. Spell out numbers one to nine and write the figure number 10 and
above, but spell out the number if it begins a sentence. Avoid using figures to
express the date, for example, April 8, 2019 should not be written as 4/8/19
except in North America or 4.8.19 in Europe.

i) Accommodate the reader in organization, tone and style. Organize your

message, observing appropriate tone and style to appeal to your audience.

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