The Impact of Cultural Differences on Communication

Cultural Differences

Cultural differences can affect the communication process because they often influence how the message is transmitted and received. Effective communication with people from different cultures is especially challenging. Cultures provide people with ways of thinking, seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world.

The same words can mean different things to people from different cultures, even when they speak the "same" language. It is almost impossible for everyone to share the same ideas or opinions because everyone comes from different cultural contexts, and these contexts influence our relationship with the world.

When languages differ and translation is necessary for communication, the potential for misunderstandings increases.

Nonverbal Communication

We must understand that each culture has its own rules about behavior, which affect verbal and nonverbal communication. These rules include whether one looks another person in the eye, whether one says what one means directly or talks around the issue, and how close people stand to each other when talking.

These and many more are rules of politeness that differ from culture to culture. Also, different cultures regulate the display of emotion differently. Some cultures get very emotional when debating an issue; they yell, cry, and exhibit their anger and other feelings openly. Other cultures try to keep their emotions hidden, exhibiting or sharing only the "rational" aspects of the situation. These differences tend to lead to communication problems.

If the people involved are not aware of the potential for such problems, they are even more likely to fall victim to them, although it takes more than awareness to overcome these problems and communicate effectively across cultures.

Globalization and Communication

Furthermore, the communication process can also be influenced by globalization. In simple words, globalization is how the world is socially, politically, and economically interconnected through channels such as the internet. However, it is almost impossible for all of us to share the same ideas because we all come from different cultural contexts, and these contexts influence our relationships with the world.

The influence of globalization and cross-cultural interaction in recent decades has impacted the types of communication skills needed in dramatic ways. No longer can entrepreneurs afford to communicate well only within their own homogenous cultures. Globalization has introduced virtual communication and collaboration as a major part of workplace dynamics.

Modern entrepreneurs need to understand the strengths and limitations of different communication media and how to use each medium to maximum effect. For example, communicating via email to distant team members requires a certain etiquette and nuance not necessarily required in face-to-face interactions.

Today, people need to understand the dynamics of long-distance collaboration, the impact of culture on manners of speaking and body language, and how to use technology to communicate with people on the other side of the globe.