Verbal Communication: The Way People Speak

Verbal communication: spoken communication, including the use of words and intonation to convey meaning.

Cultures influence communication styles Cultural styles create misunderstanding in conversations among people from different cultures. Example: The Italian enjoy making strong political statements. The American didnt enjoy verbal conflicts over politics or anything else. Misunderstandings in conversation: + The American didnt want to involve in the conversation + The Italian became angry.

Conversation Involvement
Hight Involvement style: + Talk more + Interupt more + Expect to be interupted + Talk more loudly at times + Talk more quickly than high considerateness style + Enjoy argument to make a headted discussion High Considerateness style: + Speak one at a time + Use polite listening sounds + Refrain from interesting + Give plenty of positive and respectful responses to their conversation partners

Incorrect Judgments of Character

Example: - Newyorker: tend to talk faster, respond more quickly than Californians +To some Newyorker, Californians seem slower, less inteligent, and not responsive. +To some Californians, Newyorker seem pushy and domineering. Judgment: Regional differences different culture Communication styles

Directness and Indirectness

Cultural beliefs differ as to whether directness or indirectness is considered positive. American culture : being direct rather than indirect. Honesty is the best policy Honesty and directness in communication are strongly related. Asian culture: being indiect rather than direct. Ex: In Japan, there are at least fifteen ways of saying no and it would be considered rude to say directly I disagree with you, or youre wrong

Some expression in English that emphasize the importance of being direct:

Get to the point Dont beat around the bus Lets go down to the business

In dailylife: American women are more polite and soft in making requests, epressing criticism, and offering opinions Women tend to be more direct then than men when talking about emotional issues and feeling. In the work place: Women have to be more direct when making suggestion, giving criticism, expressing ideas because they want to communicate and compete with men.

American Male-Female Difference in Directness

Cross-Cultural Implications:
Americans value directness: Latin American or Asians value indirectness: some of the goal of indirect communication Include not + angering + Embarrassing + Shaming another person Saving face Losing face

Conversation Structures
American: Ping-Pong conversation style + The greeting and the opening + The discussion of a topic + The closing and farewell North Americans are impatient with culturally different conversation styles

Ping-Pong and Bowling Conversation Styles

American Ping-Pong style Japanese Bowlingstyles One person has the ball and then hits it to the other side of the table. The other player hits the ball back and the game continue.If one person doesnt return the ball, then the conversation stops. Each participant in a Japanese conversation waists politely for a turn and knows exactly when the time is right to speak.Ones turn depends on status, age, and the relationship to the other person

Ethnocentric Judgments:
Ethonocentric interpret, judge, behave in a way that they assume to be normal, correct, universal Four points to follow a mysterious ways conversation: 1. The way thay speak reflectd a cultural style. 2.

Comprehension question:
1. According to the authors, cultural styles: [A] a.Create misunderstandings in conversations between people from different cultures.
2. How did the american respond to the political statement made by Italian? [B] Well, everyone is entitled to an opinion.I accept that your opinion is different than mine.

3. The authors say that many high involment speakers: [D] d. Both b and c
4. People who have high considerateness styles tend to: [E] b. Be polite and respond respectfully 5. Name three cultures with high involment conversation styles: [F] Russsian, Italian, Spanish

6. The authors say that the various Asian as well as mainstream American communication styles can be characterized as: high considerateness, although the two styles do differ.Is the difference significant or slight? [F] It is significant 7. The authors suggest that American can have problems when they talk to each other. What example do they give? [G] Newyorkers tend to talk faster and respond more quickly than Californians Californians seem slower, less inteligent, and not as responsive.

8. According to the authors, differences in communication can: [H] d.Both b and c 9. What is one way to detemine whether a culture favors a direct or indirect communication style? [I] One way to detemine whether a culture favors a direct or indirect communication style is to find out how the people in this cultural express disagreement or how they say No 10. The authors say that cultural groups misjudge each other. How does this happen? [J] This based on different beliefs about directness and honesty in communication

11. According to the authors, when Americans go to work in countries where indirect communication is valued, they may need to: [N] c. Modify their communication style

12. Many Americans are impatient with culturally different conversation styless because the styles are: [P] c. unfamiliar.
13. Give an example of a conversation style that contrasts with the American Ping-Pong style. What analogy do the authors use to describe the example? [R]

14. The authors discuss differences between American and Japanese speakers.Sometimes, both speakers can misjudge the other because: [T] c.They are not familiar with each others conversation styles. 15. In their discussion of ethnocentric judgements, the authors talk about a gap.What does it mean? [U] This means the difference between two cultures.

16. What advice do the authors give regarding judging people more accurately? [W] You should anticipate differences in communication style.