Local and Global
Communication in
Multicultural Settings
“Culture guides communication”
HOW?
It tells you who you are, how to act,
how to think, how to talk, and how to
listen.
Ethnocentrism vs. Cultural Relativism
Ethnocentrism - introduced by Sumner in 1906
- the belief that your cultural or
ethnic group is superior to all other cultural
and ethnic groups
(Myers, 2014)
Cultural Relativism - the acceptance of other
cultural groups as equal in value to one's own
Ethnocentrism vs. Cultural Relativism
Evaluate the extent to which you display culturally
ethnocentric or culturally relativistic tendencies
by labeling the following statements
true or false.
1. I would rather communicate with someone like me than
with someone unlike me.
2. I can cooperate with people like me, but I find it is
difficult to cooperate with people unlike me.
3. I trust those who are like me more freely than
I trust those who are different from me.
4. I am less fearful when I am around people like
me than when I am around people unlike me.
5. I go out of my way to be with people like me.
6. I go out of my way to maintain my distance
from people unlike me.
7. I am much more apt to blame people unlike
me for causing trouble than I am
to blame people like me.
8. I use my frame of reference to assess the rightness
of the behaviors of people like and unlike me.
9. I believe that people unlike me threaten my ability
to succeed.
10. I believe that people unlike me should make an
effort to become more like me.
REFLECTIVE TEACHING
Ethnocentrism vs. Cultural Relativism
• What do your answers and examples tell you about the extent to
which you and others practice ethnocentrism or cultural relativism?
• Are there some cultures different from your own that you are more
comfortable with than others? Why do you think that is so?
• Are you content with your responses? Why or why not? What steps
are you willing to take, if any, to minimize the potentially negative
effects of ethnocentrism?
Using Culturally-appropriate Terms, Expressions,
and Images
Watch the video and share
your insights about it
Pop Culture in the Arab
World
Shereen Elfeki
What is culture?
• culture - a system of knowledge, beliefs,
values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts
that are acquired, shared, and used by
members during daily living
• co-cultures - groups of persons who
differ in some ethnic or sociological way
from the parent culture
Being Culturally
Appropriate
intercultural communication - interaction with
individuals from different cultures
interracial communication - the interpreting and
sharing of meanings with individuals from different
races
interethnic communication interaction with individuals of
different ethnic origins
Why do our students need to
be aware of cultural
differences?
Why do we need to be
culturally appropriate?
Some Examples:The Cost of Cultural Ignorance
John, who represented the interests of an American
multinational corporation, and Yu-Chen, his Taiwanese
counterpart, had difficulty establishing a working
relationship. John’s eyeblink rate increased as he became
more and more nervous, fearing that his efforts to
resolve their misunderstanding had reached an impasse.
This only made things worse.
Blinking while another person talks is considered
normal to North Americans; to Taiwanese it is
considered impolite.
Showing the sole of a shoe means nothing to
observers in the United States or Europe. As a result,
when visiting Saudi Arabia, the American and
European delegates to a conference thought nothing
about crossing their legs and pointing their shoes
toward the speaker while listening to his
presentation.The speaker, however, was horrified.
In Muslim cultures, the gesture is perceived as
insulting. Similarly, while crossing your legs in the
United States indicates you are relaxed, in Korea it is
a social faux pas.
McDonald’s fast-food chain unintentionally
offended thousands of Muslims when it printed
an excerpt from the Koran on its throwaway
hamburger bags. Muslims saw this as
sacrilegious. The mistake could have been
avoided if McDonald’s had displayed greater
sensitivity and awareness.
The Japanese view the business card as
a n ex t e n s i o n o f a p e r s o n , w h i l e
Americans view it as a business
formality and a convenience.
Consequently, while the Japanese
handle business cards with great care,
making certain to put them in safe
places, Americans are quick to put
them away and thus often end up
insulting the Japanese.
Eye contact preferences also differ across cultures.
Americans place a high value on eye-to-eye
communication and tend to distrust those who fail to
look at them directly. The Japanese, in contrast, believe
eye contact over a sustained period of time shows
disrespect. Among Asian cultures, too much eye contact
is deemed intrusive. Arabs, on the other hand, maintain
direct eye contact with those they interact with for
prolonged periods.
Think about this...
What happens if we
fail to develop
insights into
cultural nuances
and differences?
How Do People Respond?
assimilation - the means by which co-culture members attempt to fit in
with members of the dominant culture
accommodation - the means by which co-culture members maintain
their cultural identity while striving to establish relationships with
members of the dominant culture
separation - the means by which co-culture members use to resist
interacting with members of the dominant culture
Workshop 2: Doing
research and preparing a
report on various
cultural and intercultural
modes of
communication
 Work in groups of 6.
Identify other cultural
nuances and differences.
Do your own research
on culture-specific terms,
expressions, gestures, etc.
Present your findings.
Suggested topics:
1. Philippines
2. Middle East Countries
3. Other Asian Countries
4. US
5. UK
6. Canada
7. Australia
8. Other EU Countries
9. Latin American Countries
OP Guidelines
* 8-minute presentation
*with appropriate
visual aids (ppt, video
clip, etc.)
*all members should
take part in the OP
Peer Evaluation Assignment
Group 1 to be evaluated by Group 9
Group 2 - Group 8
Group 3 - Group 7
Group 4 - Group 6
Group 5 - Group 4
Group 6 - Group 5
Group 7 - Group 3
Group 8 - Group 2
Group 9 - Group 1
Guidelines for the Evaluation:
*Deliver your comments/ suggestion within 2 minutes.
* State the good points.
* State the points that need be improved.
Use expressions such as: It could have been
better if...
Perhaps, a better way
to present is...
Do not fake just to please.
Scoring Rubric for Oral Presentation
https://www.scribd.com/document/156857166/Rubric-for-Scoring-Oral-Presentation
*Presence
-body language and eye contact
- contact with the public
- poise, physical organization
- very engaging/ not engaging
3
2
1
*Language Skills
3
- correct usage
-appropriate vocabulary and grammar
- understandable (rhythm, intonation, accent)
- spoken loud enough to be heard easily
2
1
* Organization
- logical structure
-signposting
3
2
1
*Mastery of the Subject
-pertinence
-depth of commentary
-spoken, not read
-able to answer questions
3
2
1
*Visual Aids
-ppt/ keynote slides
-handouts
-audio, video etc
3
2
1