The Causes of Differences in Communication Across Cultures

Different cultural communities have unique methods of communication or language. Therefore, communication between people of different cultural communities can be challenged by communication barriers. Cultures play important roles in societies because they influence practices and the knowledge of the people practising the culture. Subsequently, when people of different cultures are brought together, challenges influenced by their cultural practices arise. Consequently, these challenges may lead to acculturation among people of different cultural backgrounds. Differences in communication vary both in written and oral communication, and strategies are created as a countermeasure to these differences.

Differences in written communication vary with cultures. According to Chakorn (2007), cultural background influences written communications because of the differences in writing methods used by different cultures, and the practices in place during writing also vary with different cultures. Cultures are divided into two groups, the high context cultures that use convert messages written communication that focuses on the contexts of the messages, and low context cultures that use overt messages that do not focus on the contexts as much as the lucidity of writing methods. Differences in writing also arise from the use of different writing styles that differ from formats to salutations and writing features applied in different cultures. Yunxia Zhu, suggests the best strategy to overcome the challenges caused by differences in written communication is the use of theoretical imperatives (Chakorn, 2007). Theoretical imperatives will allow people of different cultural backgrounds to learn about other cultural practices relating to written communication. The similarities in written communication between cultures are influenced by the high and low context of the written cultures (Christopher, 2012).

Verbal communication varies among different cultural communities. The characteristics that influence verbal communication include; the language used preferred forms of salutations, tones, and audibility of the voices. Differences in verbal communication lead to language barriers. Therefore, people of different cultures may have a challenging conversation. According to Christopher, the most appropriate strategy to overcome these challenges posed by verbal communication is intercultural training and the willingness of individuals of different cultures to learn and understand other people’s languages (Christopher, 2012). This strategy will improve the verbal communication between people of different cultural backgrounds. Sequentially and synchronicity in relation to time influences similarities in both verbal and nonverbal communication (Goman, Ph.D., 2020).

Nonverbal communication varies among different cultural communities. Nonverbal communication includes; body language, facial expressions, eye contact, touch, and physical distancing. Nonverbal communication is important in sign language, where people use body language while conversing. Therefore, people maintain eye contact as they observe body language and facial expressions. People who do not understand sign language cannot converse using it. The practices of different cultures might also influence nonverbal communication because actions and appearances might mean different things in different cultures. The strategy to overcome this difference would be acculturation, because as different cultures come together, people observe, learn and pick up the characteristics of a community, and learn sign language. Reason and emotions influence similarities in cultures practising nonverbal communication (Goman, PhD, 2020).

In conclusion, different cultures practice different communication practices. When the communities come together, the differences in their communication become evident. The strategies listed above are used to overcome these differences and ensure communication goes smoothly. Therefore, strategies are applied to smoothen the differences in communication.

References

Chakorn, O. (2007). Book review: YUNXIA ZHU, Written Communication Across Cultures: A Sociocognitive Perspective on Business Genres. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2005, 215 pp. Discourse Studies, 9(5), 707-709. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614456070090050503