Unit 3. COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY

1. Communication style across cultures

Exercises

3.1. In their book Riding the Waves of Culture, Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner investigate differences in the way people speak and listen across national cultures. Read the descriptions of three different communication styles based on their work and match each style to one of the diagrams.

1.

2.

3.

1. Speakers give their opinions briefly with just a little information - this is seen as more modest and less dominant. There is lots of silence to allow people time to think and reflect. People are not direct when giving an opinion because harmony in the group is seen as important. People may not disagree strongly. Not so much time is taken to clarify what was said. Professionals are expected to understand the first time.

2. People can give opinions in a very emotional or creative way. They may move around many subjects and talk so much that the only way to stop them is to interrupt them, and this is acceptable. People speak as others are speaking. If you don’t interrupt, you never get a chance to speak. Little time is allowed for clarification. It is more important to give an opinion than to check you have understood the other person’s opinion.

3. In discussions people speak for a long time when giving an opinion, and can be powerful and direct. It is seen as professional to be analytical, to give all the facts and to have a strong opinion. Interruption is seen as impolite. You wait until it is your turn to speak - you know when that is because the other person just stops talking. It is possible to start your turn with a strong and direct disagreement with the other person.

When these styles come together, the communication flow breaks down and misunderstanding increases as people begin to give their opinions in different ways: direct / indirect; long / short; and - as people listen in different ways - silence / interruption. As this flow breaks down, people judge each other negatively.

Which style is closest to the style in your culture? Which do you think is most effective?

3.2. One way to manage these different styles and create a clear flow of communication is to use an interactive communication style. Read and complete the guidelines opposite with the correct phrase(s) from the box.

I couldn’t agree more on that.	I think, and it’s just my experience, that...
I’m not disagreeing with you.	It’s just that...
You mean that...	I may be wrong about this but for me ...
What’s your experience with this?	What do you think?
What’s your take on this?	What about you?
What you said was very interesting ...	Yes, but...
Interesting.	Absolutely.

Interactive communication style: guidelines

When speaking: Give an opinion briefly. Don’t speak for too long before letting the other person speak (90 seconds maximum). Don’t be too direct when giving an opinion. Show modesty and openness, perhaps by saying the other person could be right, e.g. (1) …………. . Make clear that your opinion is not negative about what the other person said, e.g. (2) As you decide to stop talking: Finish with a question such as (3) ………….. or Do you see what I mean? to hand over to the other person and to show you are interested in their point of view. This handover question also helps to make the conversation flow more easily.

When listening: Give feedback to the speaker. Do this with non- verbal communication, e.g. nodding or smiling, or verbally, e.g. Aha, OK, I see what you’re saying or (4)…………. . As the other person stops talking: Don’t disagree too quickly by saying (5) . Begin with a short summary of what was said, e.g. If I understand you correctly... or (6)…………. to make sure that you understand. Focus first on areas of agreement, e.g. You may be right or (7)………… . If you want to disagree, be polite and ask a question to discover more about the opinion: Why do you say...? Finally, give your opinion briefly.

3.3. In pairs, think of two more phrases of your own for each of the seven areas.

3.4. Listen to three colleagues exchanging opinions over lunch. Answer the questions. audiofile: Exercise 3.4.mp3

1. Which proposal is discussed?

2. Summarise the opinions of the three colleagues to the proposal.

Jari:

Marie:

Sue:

Listen again.

1. What questions does Jari ask to help the conversation to flow?

2. Which two handover questions does Marie use?

3. Sue does not want to appear direct or arrogant. Which phrases does she use communicate her opinions less forcefully?

Tapescript (audiofile: Exercise 3.4.mp3)

Marie: Shall we sit here?

Jari: Sure, Marie. That’s fine.

Sue: Good.

Marie: Mmm, I’m tired. Busy morning.

Sue: Very.

Jari: Hey, did anyone see the thing on the Intranet today about email?

Sue: No.

Marie: No, what was it?

Jari: Well, apparently, our CEO has proposed an email-free day next month, what was it, ‘to let people get on with real work’ ... or something like that.

Marie: Ridiculous. I know we all complain about it but you can’t just stop people using it.

Jari: What do you mean, Marie? Why do you say that?

Marie: Well, it’s not email that’s the problem, it’s how you use it. For me, at least, if you overuse it or use it in the wrong way, it’s not an email problem, it’s a problem with the person. You see what I mean?

Jari: I see what you’re saying, Marie. But I think we need to do something. I’m just totally overloaded. People need to learn what a phone is again.

Marie: Absolutely. I just think you can do this in other ways. I mean if you’re really serious about doing something with email in the company, you're going to need more than a free day. I think it’s just a gimmick. Maybe I’m wrong. But you see what I’m saying?

Jari: Yeah, yeah. Sue, you’re the comms expert. What do you reckon?

Sue: I’m staying well out of this.

Jari: No, what do you think?

Sue: Well, I think the free day is a good idea. I mean, I may be wrong, but I think we’ll all find we can live without it, for a day or two.

Marie: OK.

Sue: Yeah, I’m not disagreeing with you. I just think it’ll I make people think a bit more about what they’re doing with emails. And that’s no bad thing.

Jari: Absolutely.

Marie: Yeah, this is from Mr Email himself. I think I’ve had about 10 from you this morning already ...

3.5. Work in small groups. Choose one of the topics (see below); both are about communication in organisations.

1. Discuss the topics using an interactive communication style to exchange opinions and thoughts. One person in the group should observe and then give feedback on the conversation using the guidelines in exercise 3.2.

2. Change roles and repeat with the second topic or another one of your choice.

Topic 1.

Research shows that telephone conferences are much less effective than face-to-face meetings. The general level of involvement is lower; for example, people often write e-mails as they listen and don’t concentrate on what is said. Participants’ understanding of the discussion also decreases: it’s more difficult to follow the discussion without the support of body language. Another major problem is that native speakers of the language being used tend to talk too much compared to non-native speakers. What can organisations do to make telephone conferences more effective?

Topic 2.

Research shows that most people complain about the use of email in their organisation. They complain that they receive too many unnecessary emails. They say that the emails which they do receive are usually written too quickly and are not clear enough, leading to further email exchanges. Many people report that email is frequent generator of misunderstanding and even conflict. What can organisations do to make email communication more effective?