首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Culture As a Barrier to Communication Our culture will prevent us getting our message across and receiving the full message inte
Culture As a Barrier to Communication Our culture will prevent us getting our message across and receiving the full message inte
admin
2017-04-25
42
问题
Culture As a Barrier to Communication
Our culture will prevent us getting our message across and receiving the full message intended by others. That’s why we need to overcome the cultural barriers in the communication.
I. Three levels of culture
A. Outward manifestations
— Examples: food, art,【T1】_____, etc.【T1】______
B.【T2】_____【T2】______
— Invisible rules
C.【T3】_____ cultural assumptions【T3】______
— Characteristics of American culture: individualism, equality, competition, etc.
II. Main causes for cross-cultural misunderstanding
A. The in-group/out-group distinction
— It allows individuals to find an【T4】_____【T4】______
— Tendency to blame out-groups for troubles
— Tendency to【T5】_____ other groups【T5】______
B. Stereotyping
— It is a(n)【T6】_____to reduce anxiety【T6】______
C. Other causes
— Lack of trust
— Lack of empathy
— The【T7】_____【T7】______
III. Skills for cross-cultural communication
A.【T8】_____【T8】______
— Identify your attitudes, opinions, biases, etc.
B.【T9】_____【T9】______
— Listen to others
— Don’t jump to conclusions
— Periods of silence and【T10】_____ are allowed in some cultures【T10】______
C. Encourage feedback
— Feedback allows to correct and adjust messages
— Feedback can help us reach【T11】_____【T11】______
—【T12】_____ could be appropriate feedback【T12】______
D.【T13】_____ empathy【T13】______
— Put ourselves in the other person’s shoes
— Become more sensitive to others’ needs,【T14】_____【T14】______
E. Seek the【T15】_____ among cultures【T15】______
— Establish a bond despite cultural differences
【T7】
Culture As a Barrier to Communication
Good morning, everyone. In this lecture, I am going to lead you to the discussion of cultural barriers and their solutions. I am sure that each of us is exposed to people from other cultures on a regular basis, in the workplace, in our social activities, at school, or even within our families. Our culture hinders us from getting our message across as well as receiving the full message that others want to convey to us. This talk expounds on three aspects: what culture is, the main causes for cross-cultural misunderstandings, and the attitudes and skills that we need to communicate cross-culturally.
First of all, let’s talk about what culture is. When we think about culture we first think about a country,[1]and particularly about its food, art, customs, and patterns of behavior. These are the outward manifestations of a system of values, assumptions, and deeply rooted beliefs. Culture emerges as a group of people meet and then react to the challenges of life. The responses to those challenges that are successful are taught and shared among members of the group and are passed on from the older to the younger members. Culture is then learned through experience.
You can think of culture as having three levels: first, the top level is the outward manifestations, the artifacts:[1]visible behavior, art, clothing and so on;[2]second, in the middle level are the values. These are invisible rules that cause the artifacts; thirdly, the most powerful dimension of culture is the implicit cultural assumptions. These assumptions lie so deep that they are never questioned, stated or defended.
[3]Culture also exists among Americans, but what are the implicit cultural assumptions of Americans? Some of the most distinctive characteristics of the American culture are: individualism, equality, competition, personal control of the environment, self-help concept, action orientation, informality, directness, practicality, materialism, and problem-solving orientation. These American values and deeply rooted beliefs are very different from other country’s values and beliefs. The implicit cultural assumptions of Americans are often opposed to those of other cultures. When individuals from different cultures run into each other’s values and beliefs, cross-cultural misunderstandings take place.
Now, let’s talk about the main causes for cross-cultural misunderstandings. People constantly interact with people who have similar views and who reinforce their beliefs.[4]To be able to distinguish between the in-group and the out-group is of central importance for individuals because it allows them to find who they are and who they are not. In the book entitled Cross Cultural Encounters, Brislim states: "If individuals have out-groups whom they can blame for troubles, the in-group is then solidified since there is a common goal around which to rally." Later on he says: "Individuals become accustomed to reacting in terms of in-group and out-group. They continue to use such distinctions when interacting with people from other cultures whom they do not know."
This in-group/out-group distinction provides us with the basis for ethnocentrism,[5]which is the tendency to interpret and to judge all other groups, their environment, and their communication according to the categories and values of our own culture. We are guilty of ethnocentrism when we hold that our view of the world is the right one, the correct one, and the only one.
We are all familiar with stereotyping, which is one of the most serious problems in intercultural communication.[6]Our tendency to hold beliefs about groups of individuals based on previously formed opinions, perceptions, and attitudes is often a defense mechanism, a way of reducing anxiety.
[7]There are many other causes of cross-cultural misunderstanding: lack of trust, lack of empathy, and the misuse of power. All of us know what they are about and the turmoil that they cause. But, how can we do a better job at communicating among cultures?
This is actually the last part of my talk. The same skills that we need to communicate in general apply to cross-cultural communication. Let’s look at some of those skills:
1.[8]Know yourself: Identify your attitudes, your opinions, and the biases that we all carry around. Identify your likes, your dislikes, your prejudices, and your degree of personal ethnocentrism.
2.[9]Take time: Listen to the other person and allow him or her to accomplish their purpose. Don’t jump to conclusions. Sometimes we finish the thoughts and ideas of the other person before he or she has finished talking.[10]In some cultures, non-verbal styles call for periods of silence and long pauses.
3. Encourage feedback: Feedback allows communicators to correct and adjust messages.[11]Without feedback we cannot have agreement. First we must create an atmosphere where others are encouraged to give us feedback.[12]Again, don’t be afraid of silence. It could be the appropriate feedback at times.
4.[13]Develop empathy: The greater the difference between us and others, the harder it is to empathize. To develop empathy we must put ourselves in the other person’s place.[14]By becoming more sensitive to the needs, values, and goals of the other person, we overcome our ethnocentric tendencies.
5.[15]Seek the commonalities among diverse cultures: Despite our cultural differences we are all alike in many ways.[15]We need to seek that common ground to establish a bond between ourselves and the rest of humanity.
All right. I think I have covered the three main parts of my talk. Finally, I would like to reiterate that although our own ethnocentrism might have hindered us from getting to know people from other cultures, let us be more than ever committed to helping ourselves and others overcome the barrier that culture creates. Let us endeavor to minimize the occurrences of cross-cultural misunderstandings as we develop the attitudes and the skills that are needed to communicate cross-culturally.
选项
答案
misuse of power
解析
根据讲座,引起跨文化误解的其他因素有缺乏信任、缺乏同情心、滥用权力。这里填misuse of power。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/eBsK777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
A(n)______isthesmallestunitofsoundinalanguage,whichcandistinguishtwowords.
Theviewthat"thereisnodirectlinkbetweenlinguisticformandwhatitrefersto"ismaintainedby
在得病以前,我受父母宠爱,在家中横行霸道,一旦隔离,拘禁在花园山坡上一幢小房子里,顿感被打人冷宫,十分郁郁不得志起来。一个春天的傍晚,园中百花怒放,父母在园中设宴,霎时宾客云集,笑语四溢。我在山坡的小屋里,悄悄掀起窗帘,窥见园中大干世界,一片喧闹。自己的哥
有些批评家说,中国的文人学士,尤其是诗人,都带着很浓厚的颓废色彩,所以中国的诗文里,颂赞秋的文字特别的多。但外国的诗人,又何尝不然?我虽则外国诗文念得不多,也不想开出账来,做一篇秋的诗歌散文钞,但你若去一翻英德法意等诗人的集子,或各国的诗文的文选来,总能够
读书的状态大致分为三种:一是为别人而读,二是为有用而读,三是为兴趣而读。处在第一种状态是最痛苦的,自己本不想读,但迫于外界压力却不得不读。好多中小学生就属于这种情形。在这样的状态下,读书真是苦不堪言。有不少学生曾咬牙切齿地发誓:毕业考试一结束,一
这所全国重点大学为社会输送了大批的人才。
匆忙与休闲是截然不同的两种生活方式。但在现实生活中,人们却在这两种生活方式间频繁穿梭,有时也说不清自己到底是“休闲着”还是“匆忙着”。(2011年真题)
这风景美得我无法形容。
中国民族自古以来从不把人看作高于一切,在哲学文艺方面的表现都反映出人在自然界中与万物占着一个比例较为恰当的地位,而非绝对统治万物的主宰。(2006年真题)
流逝,表现了南国人对时间最早的感觉。“子在川上曰:逝者如斯夫。”他们发现无论是潺潺小溪,还是浩荡大河,都一去不复返,流逝之际青年变成了老翁而绿草转眼就枯黄,很自然有错阴的紧迫感。流逝也许是缓慢的,但无论如何缓慢,对流逝的恐惧使人们必须用“流逝”这个词来时时
随机试题
在Access中,供用户输入、查看或编辑数据的窗口的是______视图。
吸入性急性肺脓肿最有特征性的临床表现是
A.HLA同型献血B.稀有血型献血C.缺乏抗原献血D.试剂献血E.ABO献血Rh阴性的献血者献血是
A.血容量严重不足B.血容量不足C.心功能不全或血容量相对过多D.容量血管过度收缩E.心功能不全或血容量不足
宏远公司为国有企业,在2011年内发生了以下事项:(1)4月1日,宏远公司开出一张面额为10000元整的转账支票向某运输公司支付运费。次日.运输公司向银行提示付款,银行发现该支票为空头支票,遂予以退票,并对宏远公司处以1000元的罚款。某运输公司要求宏远
设置圈梁的位置一般在()。
根据责任成本管理基本原理,成本中心只对可控成本负责。可控成本应具备的条件有()。
教:学:教学
Inafamilywheretherolesofwomenandmenarenotsharplyseparated,notionsofmalesuperiorityarehardtomaintain.Thepa
(2009上集管)小赵是一位优秀的软件设计师,负责过多项系统集成项目的应用开发,现在公司因人手紧张,让他作为项目经理独自管理一个类似的项目,他使用瀑布模型来管理该项目的全生命周期,如下所示:项目进行到实施阶段,小赵发现在系统定义阶段所制订的项目
最新回复
(
0
)