An open access workshop designed by the
Diversity Program of the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society
Communication across
cultures
for the Workplace
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Workshop Objectives
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Understand the context of communication
across cultures in our communities.
The ability to communicate with people of
another culture
Raise our individual and group awareness about
our communication triggers
Discuss strategies to increase our skills and
knowledge related to cross-cultural
communication
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Did You Know?
Within five years:
 Canada’s “visible minority” population will have grown
from 4 million (2007) to an estimated 8.5 million.
 100% of the growth in the labour force will be from
immigration.
 In urban centres such as Toronto, Montreal and
Vancouver, “visible minority” groups will be the majority.
 With more and more skilled immigrants coming to Canada,
all workplaces are becoming more diverse.
 With diversity comes innovation.
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FACTS IN NANAIMO
Between April 2011 and March 2012,
Our clients came from 55 different countries
and speaking 43 different languages.
Top 5 Source Countries were
PR China 17.5%
Philippines 15.5%
India 6.9%
England 8.5%
Korea 5.0%
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THE FACTS: CVI REGION
FIRST NATIONS
The Snuneymuxw’s labour force participation rate was 44%
(2006 Census)
First Nations people show the highest incidence of
unemployment; their unemployment rate is almost three times
that of the non-Aboriginal population. Aboriginal people not
living on their nations territory fare marginally better.
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Importance of Communication
Research has shown that people in organizations and business
spend approximately 70% of their time in interpersonal
situations
Improving communication is the single greatest opportunity
for success however defined
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Barriers in Communication
Examples?
 Low tolerance to ambiguity
 Focus on individual achievement
 Highly task-oriented
 Overly closed-minded and inflexible
(Weaver, 2009)
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Gestures and Communication:
the misunderstanding that can happen…..
Canada=OK
Japan=money
Russia=0
Afghanistan=obscene
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ACTIVITY : Synonym Twist
Scenario:
In pairs, discuss your weekend. BUT every
time you use a verb during the conversation
(saw, ate, enjoyed) you also have to come up
with a synonym (watched, ingested, liked).
Try it!
What do you notice? What made this challenging?
Debrief:
Definitions
Verb: The part of speech
that expresses existence,
action, or occurrence.
Synonym: A word or phrase
that means exactly or
nearly the same as another
word or phrase in the same
language.
This ice breaker is an exercise to increase awareness
about the challenges of communication
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How to develop better Cross-Cultural
Communication Skills
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Exploring what Culture is
Examine how culture affects communication
Understanding Communication Triggers
Apply new understanding to workplace
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CULTURE : WHAT IS IT?
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(Weaver, 1986)
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Individual communication is
affected by:
 Racial/Ethnic National
Identity
 Gender & Sexual Identity
 Spatial & Regional Patterns
 Acculturation/Assimilation
 Family Ties
 Socioeconomic Status/Class
 Social History
 Religious/Spiritual Beliefs
 Perception of Time
 Literacy Level & Education
 Language
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And External Factors :
 Institutional Biases
 Racism &
Discrimination
 Community Economics
 Intergroup Relations
 Resiliency of
Community
 Natural Networks of
Support
 Community History
 Community
Demography
 Political Climate
 Workplace Diversity
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TRIGGERS
Discussion
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How do you feel:
when someone does not make eye contact?
when they give a very gentle handshake?
when they show little or no facial expression?
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Workplace Scenario
Catherine, Head of HR for ABC Company , was searching for a new
program coordinator. After interviewing many candidates, she
came across Shazia. Shazia coordinated many national programs
in her home country of Pakistan. In these positions, she had to
communicate with national and international aid agencies as well
as outreach coordinators in communities across Pakistan. Shazia
speaks fluent Urdu, French, Arabic and English. Her English has
very precise grammar and a wide vocabulary, but she still has a
strong accent. Catherine recommends Shazia to Robert, the head
of the company, who quickly sets up the interview. Robert comes
back to Catherine and says, “Shazia is highly qualified for the job,
but I just don’t think my team will be able to easily understand her.
I think we have to keep looking.”
Adapted from Upwardly Global: Winning with World Class Talent, 2003
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Discussion
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Has this ever happened in your organization?
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Can you think of specific examples where accent
was the primary reason for rejecting a skilled
immigrant candidate
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Points to Consider
Catherine states, “Robert, you are right that it may take more effort to
understand Shazia. However, I think it could be beneficial for our team to develop
that patience. Our mission is to ensure access to education for all children in our
community. You and I both know that Canada is becoming much more diverse
and that we regularly work with parents for whom English is a second language,
including many from Pakistan. As our team learns to communicate with Shazia, I
think they will become better communicators in the community we serve.”
Developing the patience to understand someone in spite of a
different accent can be an important skill that carries over to
serving customers and clients. A customer would not be turned
away because they have a strong accent.
Adapted from Upwardly Global: Winning with World Class Talent, 2003
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Discussion
Is the customer base your organization serves
changing and becoming more diverse?
Will the ability for your staff to understand and
communicate across cultures be more or less
important in the future?
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Points to Consider
Robert says,
“Catherine, I think I could agree to hire Shazia if her accent were not
quite as pronounced. I remember I had a hard time with Raj, but he
became easier to understand over time. However, I think Shazia’s accent
is beyond what I’m comfortable with.” Catherine responds, “Robert, I see
your point, but how about this: we hire Shazia under a three-month
probationary contract to work under Delia who is stepping down as
education coordinator in three months. I’ll suggest that Shazia sign up for
a communication training course. This way, we can gain the advantage
of having Delia mentor her replacement, and Delia can do most of the
talking for the first few months. If we see Shazia’s communication
improve, we can comfortably hire her full time.”
Adapted from Upwardly Global: Winning with World Class Talent, 2003
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Points to Consider
While accents rarely disappear completely, they tend to
diminish over time when people are exposed to new
environments. Very qualified candidates with strong accents
can be accommodated through placement in positions where
communication is less of a priority, and be trained to improve
their communication skills.
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DICUSSION
DO YOU KNOW ANY PROVIDERS OF FORMAL
COMMUNICATION SKILLS TRAINING IN YOUR AREA?
WHAT TECHNIQUES EXIST FOR COMMUNICATION
TRAINING – APART FROM FORMAL TRAINING?
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In what ways can you incorporate these
strategies into workplace?
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What to do next?
See our next workshop in the series:
Keys to Cultural Competency
and further develop your
awareness
knowledge
skills
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References
Hire an immigrant.ca : Workplace Scenarios Upwardly Global: Winning with
World Class Talent. www.hireimmigrant.ca 2003.
Martin, M & Vaughn, B. (2007). Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management
magazine, pp. 31-36. DTUI Publications Division: San Francisco, CA.
Weaver, G. (1986). Understanding and coping with cross-cultural adjustment
stress. In R. M. Paige (Ed.), Cross-Cultural Orientation, New
Conceptualizations and Applications. Lanham, MD: University Press of
America.
Weaver, G. (2009). Overcoming barriers to cross-cultural communication.
Intercultural Management Institute, University of Illinois.
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