WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION?

• GLOBALIZATION is the increasing

economic, political, and cultural integration
and interdependence of diverse cultures- ❑Connect with people by understanding
the world wide integration of humanity. them.

• DIVERSITY- the recognition and valuing of ❑Expand your cultural lens. See the world
the difference, encompassing such factors through the eyes of your audience
as age, gender, race, ethnicity, ability,
religion, education, marital status, sexual ❑Review demographic information,
orientation and income. including consumer buying and media
consumption habits, reading levels,
• MARSHALL MCLUHAN- a theorist who educational backgrounds, health data, and
predicted many years ago that our world lifestyle decisions. Search for similar needs,
would become a global village. characteristics, and preferences.
• At this era, people are linked physically ❑Know how ethnic and minority populations
and electronically around the globe perceive and interact with you and your
• Digital technology has helped erased the organization.
notion of territorial boundaries between
❑Learn the history of the communities that
countries, gradually eroding the idea of the
you serve.
term nation.
• MULTICULTURALISTS- persons
respectful of and engaged with people from
distinctly different cultures.

❑ Connect with people in their everyday

environment.

❑ Take your message to the streets and the

communities that your organization serves.
Engage community leaders and influencers to
Circle of Multicultural Communications
help get the word out.

❑ Think about media and the ways your

audience receives information.

❑ Identify effective communication channels

that will best connect
 CULTURAL IGNORANCE

• Communicators can be judged as insensitive,

ignorant or culturally confused when they fail to
realize the people from different cultures and
whom they interact with

• Culturally confused- lacking understanding of

❑ Form a positive relationship with people by
cultural difference
earning their trust. Be a good listener. Respect
cult ure and tradition. • Cultural ignorance affects communication

❑ Know the protocols and nuisances of

working with diverse populations within their
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
community.
• Showing the sole of a shoe means nothing to
❑ Establish a track record of success by
observers in the US or Europe. As a result, when
consistently delivering on your mission and
visiting KSA, the American and European
promise.
delegates to a conference thought nothing
❑ Communicate often and stay connected to about crossing their legs and pointing their
the community. Invite participation and be shoes toward the speaker while listening to his
responsive presentation. The speaker, however, was
horrified. In Muslim cultures, the gesture is
perceived insulting.

• US- crossing legs is to relax; Korea- it is a

social faux pas

• Japanese view the business card as an

extension of a person; American view it as
business formality and a convenience.
Consequently, the Japanese handle business
cards with great care, making certain to put
❑ Mutually rewarding relationships grow. They them in safe places, Americans are quick to put
get stronger over time and result in a win-win them away thus often end up insulting the
for everyone. Japanese
❑ Successful multicultural communications take FORMS OF MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION
commitment and resources.
❖INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION –
❑ It’s not a one-time deal, but a learning curve interactants are of different races (physical
that requires adjustments. attributes)
❑ Organizations that proactively reach out to ❖INTERETHNIC COMMUNICATION-
multicultural stakeholders will be better communicating parties have different ethnic
positioned to serve the needs of a diverse (cultural factors – nationality, regional culture,
population ancestry, etc) origins
❖INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION- disability, sexual orientation, gender identity
communication between persons representing education or income, or living in various
political structures or nations, communication geographic localities
practice that occurs across international borders
DOMINANT CULTURES – being perceived as the
❖INTRACULTURAL COMMUNICATION –
majority of the population and having a
includes all forms of communication among significant presence in institutions relating to
members of the same racial or ethnic group or communication, education, artistic expression,
co-culture groups law, government and business Strategies of co-
• INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION- culture members to join in the dominant culture
interaction with individuals from different • ASSIMILATION – means by which co-culture
cultures. members attempt to fit in with members of the
CULTURES AND CO-CULTURES dominant culture i.e. they dress as members of
the dominant culture dress; give up their own
• CULTURE is the system of knowledge, beliefs, ways in an effort to assume the modes of
values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that behavior of the dominant culture
are acquired, shared and used by its members
• ACCOMMODATION – means by which co-
during the daily living; within a culture as a
culture members maintain their cultural identity
whole are co-cultures
while striving to establish relationships with
• CO-CULTURES are composed of members of members of the dominant culture; a gay or
the same general culture who differ in some lesbian who takes his or her partner to an
ethnic or sociological way from the parent occasion in which members of the dominant
culture Co-cultures: culture will be present

• Philippines – Igorots, Ilocanos, Bicolanos • SEPARATION- means co-culture members use

(Luzon) to resist interacting with members of dominant
culture; prefer to interact with each other rather
• United States- Native Americans, certain
than have a contact with persons they perceive
Scandinavian American groups, Middle Eastern
to be outsiders
Americans, some Latino groups (especially those
of Chilean, Peruvian, and Spanish ancestry), and
some Asian American groups (Chinese
Preferred strategies and communication
Americans and Taiwanese Americans).
approaches of marginalized groups
• Disabled, gays and lesbians, cyberpunks,
elderly

MARGINALIZED GROUP- group whose members

feel like outsiders; different groups of people
within a given culture, context and history at
risk of being subjected to multiple
discrimination due to interplay of different CULTURE GUIDES COMMUNICATION
personal characteristics or grounds (sex, gender • Culture is the lens through which we see the
age ethnicity, religion or belief, health status, world
 • ETHNOCENTRISM- tendency to see one’s own individual initiative and achievement; “I” (Great
culture as superior to all; this lacks cultural Britain, USA, Canada, France and Germany)
flexibility; (experiencing great anxiety when
• COLLECTIVISTIC CULTURES- group goals are
interacting with persons from different cultures)
stressed; tend to nurture group influences;
• CULTURAL RELATIVISM – the acceptance of “We” (Arab, African, Asian and Latin American)
other cultural groups as equal in value to one’s
HIGH CONTEXT VERSUS LOW CONTEXT
own (trying to understand the behavior of the
other groups. • HIGH CONTEXT COMMUNICATION – a
tradition- bound communication system which
DIVERSITY IN FOCUS
depends on indirectness; tradition bound; their
• MELTING-POT PHILOSOPHY- the view that cultural traditions shape the behaviour and
different cultures should be assimilated into the lifestyle of group members; over-polite and
dominant culture indirect in relating others; Asian cultures

• CULTURAL PLURALISM- adherence to the • LOW-CONTEXT COMMUNICATION – a system

principle of cultural relativism that encourages directness in communication;
exhibit a more direct communication style; tend
– They advocate respect for uniqueness,
to gather background information when
tolerance for difference and adherence to the
meeting someone for the first time (Interview
principle of cultural relativity.
the person they talk to); feel that they have to
THE INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION explain everything rather than rely on non-
IMPERATIVE: REDUCE THE STRANGENESS OF verbal, contextual information; Western
STRANGERS cultures.

We need to open ourselves to differences by

adding our storehouse of knowledge, by
HIGH CONTEXT VERSUS LOW CONTEXT
learning to cope with uncertainty, and by
developing an appreciation of how increasing
our cultural sensitivity will possibly affect our
communication competence. Accept the fact
that our culture is not superior to others.

EXPLORING CULTURAL DIALECTICS

• Individualism versus collectivism

• High context versus Low context

• High power distance versus low power

distance High power distance versus low power distance
• Masculine versus feminine culture cultures

INDIVIDUALISM VERSUS COLLECTIVISM • HIGH POWER DISTANCE CULTURES - cultures

based on power differences in which
• INDIVIDUALISTIC CULTURES- cultures in which subordinates defer to superiors (Arabia, India
individual goals are stressed; cultivates
and Malaysia); view power as a fact of life and • GENDER ROLES- refers to the way of
are apt to stress its coercive or referent nature. presenting themselves

(superiors and subordinates view each other • RACIAL AND ETHNIC IDENTITY- socially
differently; subordinates quick to defer to constructed; share experience of oppression
superiors)
• RELIGIOUS IDENTITY- has to do with belief on
• LOW POWER DISTANCE CULTURES - believe faith issues
power should be used only when it is legitimate;
• SOCIOECONOMIC IDENTITY- related to the
they are apt to employ expert or legitimate
widening gap between the ultrawealthy, and
power ( Sweden, Israel and USA)
middle and lower classes
(Superiors and subordinates emphasize their
• NATIONAL IDENTITY- refers to the legal status
interdependence – consultation preference;
or citizenship
subordinates will even contradict their bosses
when necessary) GENDER ROLES- refers to the way of presenting
themselves
MASCULINE VERSUS FEMININE CULTURES
RACIAL AND ETHNIC IDENTITY- socially
Cultures differ in their attitude toward gender
constructed; share experience of oppression
roles
Religious identityhas to do with belief on fait
• HIGHLY MASCULINE CULTURES- value male
aggressiveness, strength and material symbols
of success (Japan, Italy, Germany, Mexico and
Great Britain); dominant and competitive;
confront conflicts; win-lose strategy

• HIGHLY FEMININE CULTURES- value

relationships, tenderness in members of both
sexes, a high quality of life (Sweden, Norway,
the Netherlands , Thailand and Chile);
compromise; negotiation to resolve conflict;
win-win solution

IDENTIFYING INFLUENCES ON CULTURAL

IDENTITY