© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Diversity & the Effects of Culture

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

C H A P T E R 5

Twelfth EditionTheory and Practice

EFFECTIVEGROUPDISCUSSION

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What is Culture?

Culture: the patterns of values, beliefs, symbols, norms, procedures and behaviors…of a group of persons.

Cultural identity Co-culture Intracultural communication Intercultural communication

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Chapter Content

What is Culture? Diversity Cultural Characteristics Affecting

Communication Communication Challenges Public Dialogue Process Ethical Intercultural Interaction

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Diversity

United States is a pluralistic culture Diversity will increase Cultures and co-cultures influence

communication Ethnocentrism

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Cultural Characteristics Affecting Communication

Worldview Being orientation Doing orientation

Individualism versus collectivism Group is standard of reference Individual is standard of reference

Continued

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Cultural Characteristics Affecting Communication

Power distance Level of emphasis on status differences Authoritarian leadership Participative leadership

Uncertainty avoidance Tolerance level for ambiguity

Continued

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Cultural Characteristics Affecting Communication

Masculinity versus femininity

High- versus low-context communication Messages carried by context, nonverbal

content Messages carried by verbal content

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Communication Challenges

Communication challenges based on co-cultural differences: Race Age

Builder generation Boomer generation X generation Net generation

Socioeconomic class

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Public Dialogue Process

The Public Dialogue process is designed to promote sensitivity to and appreciation of cultural differences by encouraging respectful, interested listening.

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Behaving Ethically in Intercultural Interactions

1. Communicate with empathy and respect

2. Incorporate key cultural values into the group’s procedures and outputs

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Guidelines for Ethical Intercultural Interaction

Remember every discussion is intercultural

Recognize and accept differences Resist making attributions of stupidity Discuss intercultural differences openly Adapt to differences

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Intercultural Basics

What are some advantages of a group that is relatively culturally homogeneous?

What are some advantages of a group that is relatively culturally diverse?