Intercultural Communication in Business Contexts

Term Paper , 2008 , 29 Pages , Grade: 1,3

Communications - Intercultural Communication

A lot of people think that communication isn’t more than decoding a message that an information source transmits through a channel to you- you in this case are the destination where the message arrives (see Chandler (2000) p.1). The chosen words, the accentuation and the circumstances of the talk (e.g. on the phone, private or institutional dialogue) sometimes show how something is meant by the speaker but this aren’t the only important cues during a communication process. You should also take care of the nonverbal cues everyone sends to a receiver of a message like gestures (Archer (1991)) and the culture of the specific information source.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Preface
• Why should you participate in this course?
• General information about the seminar
• Overview of the content of the seminar
  • Difference between informal talk and negotiations
  • Institutional Dialogue
  • Telephone conversations
  • Repair and complaints in Business Interaction
  • Sensitisation for occurring problems
    • Puns
    • Pragmatic transfer
    • Silence
    • Usage of words: “warum\" and \"wieso”
    • Laughter
    • The meaning of nonverbal communication: gestures
  • Practices of “membership categorization”
  • Psychological perspective: Transactional analysis
  • Turn- construction methods
  • “Weird” effects: coherent- creating groups & sense of being stared at
  • Useful advice: how to create better international brand names
  • How to detect liars- is this really possible?
• Discussion
• Preview
• Sources

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This seminar aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of intercultural communication in business contexts. The seminar will equip participants with the skills and knowledge to analyze and facilitate effective communication in both local and global business settings. Key themes explored in the seminar include:

• The importance of recognizing and understanding cultural differences in communication.
• Identifying and addressing potential communication breakdowns arising from cultural assumptions and values.
• Developing strategies for navigating intercultural communication challenges in business contexts.
• The impact of nonverbal communication and its role in shaping intercultural interactions.
• Analyzing the various forms of communication in business settings, including telephone conversations, negotiations, and institutional dialogues.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The preface emphasizes that communication is a complex process involving encoding, decoding, and interpreting messages within specific cultural contexts. The importance of understanding nonverbal cues, such as gestures, and the influence of cultural background on communication are highlighted. The second chapter delves into the importance of intercultural communication in business, highlighting the complexities and challenges associated with communication across cultural boundaries. It underscores the seminar's goal of equipping participants with the necessary skills to navigate these challenges and prevent misunderstandings. The third chapter provides general information about the seminar, outlining its target audience, format, and the importance of active participation. The overview of the seminar content outlines the different modules that will be covered, starting with the foundational concepts of conversational analysis and moving into problem-solving techniques and deeper-going issues like membership categorization, transactional analysis, and turn construction methods. The final modules focus on creating international brand names and detecting liars, linking these concepts back to the practical applications of the seminar for marketing professionals.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The main keywords and focus topics of the text include: intercultural communication, business contexts, cultural differences, communication breakdowns, nonverbal communication, conversational analysis, membership categorization, transactional analysis, turn construction methods, international brand names, and detecting liars. The text focuses on practical applications of these concepts in various business settings, emphasizing the importance of understanding and navigating cultural differences to achieve effective communication and prevent misunderstandings.

• College: University of Flensburg
• Grade: 1,3
• Author: Bachelor of Science Agnes Michniuk (Author)
• Publication Year: 2008
• Pages: 29
• Catalog Number: V140563
• ISBN (eBook): 9783640507245
• ISBN (Book): 9783640507528
• Language: English
• Tags: Interkulturelle Kommunikation;, Intercultural;, Communication;, Business;, nonverbal cues;, gestures;, talk;, culture;