Avoiding of Cross-Cultural Communication Conflict

Miscommunication - failure to communicate clearly

Let's explore some of the key reasons why miscommunication occurs:

Firstly, it's because of our expectations. Whenever we communicate, we expect to certain responses that are favorable to us, just something we thought we might hear. When those responses do not match our expectation, we get a quick flash of confusion, which later leads to bouts of frustration.

Secondly, it's the channels of message delivery. Words, voice and body language don't fully describe our experiences and our images, hence what we say are truly only a portion of what we really want to communicate.

The third reason why miscommunication occurs is because of our internal filters. The message delivered is often left to the readers and the listeners' interpretation too. When you read a story, you map it unto your own experience. The images conjured and emotions felt within you also hinge on your own understanding of the words and comprehension of the definitions.

Every country has its own communication style and habits. These different styles do not translate well and businesses need to pay special attention to communication with foreign clients.

* Americans like to use slang words and phrases that even other Americans don't always understand. "I'm jazzed when that happens!"

* Japanese people do not like to refuse something, so they say that it will be discussed "later". Later meaning never.

* French people can get easily offended. For example, every word has to have a French translation - e-mail, mail, and mèl are too English, so the word "courriel" was created.

* Germans love details and Italians don't.

We can also see difference in communication styles of East and West cultures. Let's consider that East culture is Japanese culture (it is red) and West culture is German culture (it is blue). As we can see it on the pictures Germans are direct express their opinion and tell the truth, but have not much interconnections in team communication system, while Japanese are not direct and have a lot of connections in communication system. Germans put themselves on the first place, love themselves and more conflict than the Japanese.

And the list of generalized differences can go on and on.

Also we can classify conflicts in such way:

* Conflict-See

* Conflict-Hear/Say

* Conflict-Feel

Conflict-See connected with the fact, what differences do you see in the people of another culture. Examples of this are:

* Body Language: Body language says a lot, but it can be interpreted differently in the world. For example, most Americans typically signal "no" in shaking their heads, but people from some countries raise their chins.

Symbol "Ok".

Personal Appearance: Hygiene and grooming, eating habits and attire can vary from country to country and culture to culture. For example, some people may wear attire such as a headdress as part of their custom and beliefs. To remain true to their beliefs, some workers may want to continue to wear this dress in workplace. Employers may view this as inappropriate or unsafe.

Conflict-Hear/Say